Toric Contact Lenses for Astigmatism
Toric contact lenses are specially designed to provide a soft contact lens option for people with astigmatism. In the past people with this vision deficit couldn't wear Soft Contact Lenses and they were often unable to wear disposable, frequent replacement, multifocal, or colored lenses.
Toric contact lenses are designed for people with astigmatism and these days a whole range of different options are available. Contact lenses are now available in all the above options so your astigmatism doesn't have to be a limiting factor anymore. A small number of people have complex prescriptions but most people should be able to wear toric contact lenses.
What are toric contact lenses? Toric lenses are the same as ordinary spherical lenses i.e. as far as materials go. Where they differ from regular lenses is in their design. A toric lens is endowed with two powers that are curved at different angles i.e. one for astigmatism and one for myopia or hyperopia. A further feature enables the lens to stay stable while blinking or looking around. Toric lenses are not able to rotate on the eye. In this way they provide acuity of vision.
Toric contact lenses need to be fitted properly and this is usually a little more complex than the average prescription. This means you will spend more time with your eye care professional and it will cost a bit more for both the lenses and the fitting.
If your astigmatism is mild - between zero and 1.00 diopter (either +1.00 or -1.00), you might not need toric contact lenses. Instead you might be able to use a ordinary spherical RGP or a spherical soft lens.
Toric contact lenses are available in color, disposable, and multifocal toric varieties. Your eye care professional will be able to advise you on the most suitable brand for your eyes. You can also choose a daily disposable or frequent replacement contact lens. The majority of colored lenses are non-disposable, ordinary lenses.
Multifocal toric contact lenses are suitable for correcting presbyopia. They are typically not available in a disposable variety. Soft toric multifocal brands do exist but often RGP lenses are prescribed instead.
To get the right toric contact lenses for your eye problem make an appointment for an eye examination with a practitioner who is familiar with fitting them. He or she will make sure you get vision correction and fit that suits you.
