What is astigmatism?

Astigmatism is a fairly common vision problem. An astigmatic eye is not perfectly round (like a soccer ball) but more shaped like a rugby ball. People with low amounts of astigmatism can get away with wearing normal (spherical) contact lenses. A person with higher amounts of astigmatism needs to wear special contact lenses called toric lenses. In the past there were not a lot of products available for patients with astigmatism. These days there are a wide variety of toric contact lenses on the market, to cover most prescriptions.

What makes a toric contact lens different?

If you think of the eye as a rugby ball, that ‘rugby ball’ is positioned at a certain angle in the eye socket. In order for the contact lens to correct astigmatism, it needs to lie at that same angle in front of the eye. Usually contact lenses rotate on the eye with each blink. A toric contact lens is designed in such a way, that it won’t rotate on the eye. Most toric lenses are made slightly thicker at the bottom of the lens. The thicker part will weigh the lens down at the bottom, preventing it from turning on the eye.