Guide to Choosing Toric Contact Lenses

There are a number of brands that offer toric contact lenses for people with astigmatism. However, with so many different options it can be difficult to know which toric astigmatic contact lenses to choose.

In this section we will discuss the options that you might want to consider when choosing toric contact lenses for astigmatism. When it comes to choosing toric astigmatic contact lenses seek the advice of your optician.

WHAT ARE TORIC CONTACT LENSES?

Toric contact lenses are specially designed for people with astigmatism. Astigmatism is an extremely common vision problem that can be easily corrected with toric contact lenses or other specialist eyewear. It is caused either by an irregular shaped lens or cornea. Signs that you might have astigmatism include:

• Slightly blurred vision
• Eye strain
• Frequent headaches

Astigmatism can also cause short or long-sightedness. Toric contact lenses for astigmatism have two functions. The first, corrects the astigmatism itself while the second function balances the short or long-sightedness.

Toric contact lenses for astigmatism also contain a mechanism that makes sure that the contact lens stays stable on your eye when you blink or move it. When choosing toric contact lenses for astigmatism you have two options:

• Soft toric contact lenses; or
• Rigid gas permeable toric astigmatic contact lenses

SOFT TORIC CONTACT LENSES

Soft Toric astigmatic contact lenses have different curves in different meridians to correct astigmatism.

Special weighting ensures that the correct lens meridian is used at the right time to correct the astigmatism. This makes sure that the lens does not move around when it is being worn.

RIGID GAS PERMEABLE TORIC ASTIGMATIC CONTACT LENSES

Rigid gas permeable contact lenses are hard lenses. Unlike soft toric lenses, they do not conform to the uneven contours of an eye with astigmatism.

Rigid gas permeable contact lenses keep their shape. The way that they correct astigmatism is by causing the space between the back of the lens and the front of the cornea to fill with tears. The lens shapes this film of tears so that it corrects the astigmatism by making the surface of the cornea even.

If you have moderate or severe astigmatism, then choosing this type of contact lens may not be the best option for they can be unstable. You might be better off choosing toric rigid gas permeable contact lenses in this instance. These lenses have a convex surface that provides a closer and more comfortable fit. The curves of toric rigid gas permeable contact lenses correct astigmatism without having to rely completely on tears to do so.