Objective To investigate the effect of using rigid gas-permeable contact lens （RGPCL） for severe myopia. Methods This was a retrospective case study. Twenty-four adults （43 eyes） with severe myopia were fitted with RGPCLs based on their subjective refractions， corneal topography， corneal curvatures and diagnostic fitting. The corrected visual acuity， adverse reactions and complications were observed 7 days， 1 month， 3 months and 6 months after the start of wearing the lenses. Data were analyzed using a chi-square test and non-parameter test. Results Corrected visual acuity with RGPCLs was 4.77±0.16， which was better than that with spectacles （4.62±0.15）. The result was statistically significant （χ2=16.496， P＜0.05）. The pan score， foreign body sensation scores， unstable vision， itching， pain， dryness， and hyperemia changed significantly from 7 days to 1 month after RGPCL wear （χ2=63.948， 63.823， 39.168， 6.459， 57.733， 44.164， 39.420， P<0.05）. Compared with 1 month after RGPCL wear， the pan score， foreign body sensation scores， unstable vision， and hyperemia continued to decrease after 3 months （χ2=35.536， 22.484， 11.537， 16.229， P<0.05）， while no statistical difference was found for itching， pain， or dryness （χ2=0.000， 1.184， 1.398， P＞0.05）. In general， the patients felt comfortable and there were no serious complications. Conclusion RGPCLs are a safe and effective approach to improve visual acuity for severe myopia in adults. RGPCLs are superior to spectacles for providing optical corrections and corrected visual acuity.