If you are someone with astigmatism and you don't wear contact lenses, then listen up. Contact lenses can actually be a way to correct the condition. To begin, what's astigmatism, anyway? Astigmatism means that your eye has an irregularly shaped cornea, and that means that light entering your eye through the cornea struggles to come to a single focal point on the retina, resulting in blurred vision.
Contact lenses designed to correct astigmatism, known as toric contact lenses, are manufactured from the same material as regular lenses. Toric lenses have a design that is different from that of regular lenses. Compared to regular lenses, which have one power throughout the lens, toric lenses have two different powers; one which addresses astigmatism, and one for trouble with distance vision. They feature curvatures at various angles. Since they feature two different powers, these lenses must remain in place on your eye in order to correct your vision, unlike normal contact lenses, which have no effect if they rotate on your eye when you blink. However, lenses for astigmatism are smartly designed with this in mind, and they are a little heavier at the bottom, which helps them stay in place.
There are multiple scheduling options for toric contact lens users, including soft disposable contact lenses, daily disposable lenses, and frequent replacement lenses. Toric lenses are also available as color contact lenses, and as multifocal lenses. Hard contact lenses are made from a firmer substance that keeps their shape when you rub your eyes or blink, and sometimes give better vision than other lenses. But the disadvantage is that they are often not as comfortable. There's a contact lens which perfectly suits your needs, and together, we'll find it for you.
Fittings for toric lenses can often require more time than the regular lens fittings you might be used to, because of the relative complexity of the lens. But it's worth it. With constant growth in the field of optometry, individuals with astigmatism have lots of life-improving options to choose from.
