Toric Contact Lenses

Having astigmatism means that one or both of your eyes have taken on a rugby ball shape. This means that traditional, spherical lenses may move around while you wear them, and your vision won't be as clear as it should be.

Toric contact lenses are specifically designed for those with astigmatism, ensuring a perfect fit and comfort. Some toric lenses are weighted at the bottom to prevent side-to-side rotation when you blink, keeping your vision crisp-clear. Unlike spherical lenses, toric lenses have different levels of correction in each meridian.

When choosing a toric contact lens you will be asked to enter the power and sometimes the diameter and base curve from your prescription, as you would with a spherical lens. You will also be asked to enter the cylinder (CYL) and the axis (AX), two measurements unique to contact lenses for astigmatism. The cylinder indicates how pronounced your astigmatism is, while the axis determines what angle the correction is needed to be at to provide clear vision.

Let's back up for a second - you have astigmatism. But what is it? In scientific terms, it's a common refractive error in the same category as short-sightedness or long-sightedness. In terms of what you experience, astigmatism causes blurry or distorted vision, because your lens or cornea are not completely spherical in shape, so light can't enter evenly. The rugby ball shape scatters the light across the back of the eye, making it difficult to see clear images. But astigmatism can be easily corrected with toric lenses - so you've come to the right place.

Except for blurry vision, other symptoms of astigmatism include headaches, fatigue or eye strain, mostly after performing a task that requires focusing on something for long periods of time, such as reading or driving. If any of the above sounds familiar to you, we'd recommend arranging a visit with your optician.

There are 3 different types of astigmatism, all of which depend on what opticians call 'meridians'. If you imagine a clock face, a meridian would be a line connecting 12 to 6 or 4 to 10, for example. These meridians are used to mark out areas of the eye, and can cause short sight (myopic astigmatism), long sight (hyperopic astigmatism), or be a combination of the two (mixed astigmatism).

Regular astigmatism
Astigmatism gets classified as 'regular' or 'irregular'. Regular astigmatism refers to when your cornea is curved more in one direction than the other. This is the most common classification and is easily corrected with toric contact lenses.

Irregular astigmatism
Irregular astigmatism is less common and is most often caused by an eye injury. Rather than being curved in one direction it can vary over multiple directions or be steeper in one part of the surface of your eye than another.

It's a no-brainer: toric lenses are the most effective way to correct astigmatism. Toric contact lenses are specifically designed to securely fit the shape of your eye like a glove, ensuring a comfortable and secure fit for astigmatic wearers. They are the best, safest method to preserve the quality of your vision and keep symptoms at bay. Toric lenses are the easiest, most fuss-free way of correcting and managing your astigmatism.

Another amazing feature of toric lenses is that they contain different powers for the various meridians in the eye. This means it can correct the amount of short or long sight in one part of the eye without affecting the rest.

When you're looking for contact lenses for astigmatism, it's easy to get confused. Most popular brands have toric versions with a similar name so it's important to double-check that the title on the webpage or the lens box says either 'toric' or 'for astigmatism' somewhere on it. If you see this, you're sure to have the right type of lenses.

Remember, as we outlined above, astigmatism is an eye condition that is unique to each person. This means that not every type of toric contact lens is going to be perfect for you - that's why it's important to have a regular eye test and speak to your optician before choosing a product. Generally speaking, being proactive with your eye health and ensuring you buy your contact lenses using an up-to-date prescription is key to enjoying their amazing benefits.

Have you been recommended a toric lens that is an opticians' own brand that you can't find online? Fear not: Boots and Specsavers lenses are basically equivalents of other branded contact lenses, but with different packaging. To find the equivalent lens to Boots own brand look at this table, and for Specsavers easyvision, you can use this table to find the right lens.

If you have dry eyes it's worth choosing a lens that either has a high water content or is particularly adept at retaining moisture. You should also see if the lens is particularly breathable and lets plenty of oxygen reach the eye to guarantee that your eyes will be comfortable throughout the day. Other features you might want to check for are additional UV blocking and a handling tint for easy application.

The two most popular types of contact lenses for astigmatism are:

• Daily toric contact lenses: These lenses are to be worn for a day before being disposed of and replaced the next day. They offer the highest level of hygiene in a contact lens and require no cleaning so are ideal of your looking for a convenient and comfortable lens. Examples include 1 day Acuvue Moist for Astigmatism and Dailies AquaComfort Plus Toric.
• Two weekly toric contact lenses: Two weekly toric lenses offer a good middle ground between monthly contact lenses and dailies, still offering good value for money but also less of a wait to replace them. This means fresher-feeling lenses, without having to pay as much as you do for dailies. Examples include Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism and SofLens Toric.

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