Toric contact lenses for astigmatism

Toric lenses are contact lenses used to correct what is referred to as astigmatism. This describes a refractive error in the eye that is caused by an imperfect curvature of the cornea. When light enters the eye, it is not focused properly on the retina, resulting in distortion. The most common symptoms of this condition are blurred vision, sensitivity to light, squinting, headaches and eye strain.

The design of a toric lens ensures that the lens does not rotate in your eye if you blink or move your eyes. This is necessary as toric lenses contain two powers perpendicular to each other, one to correct the astigmatism and the other to correct either short-sightedness or far-sightedness.

Approximately a quarter of contact lens wearers suffer from some degree of astigmatism. Consequently, the selection of toric lens parameters is steadily increasing year by year, most notably in the range of available cylinders for monthly replacement toric lenses and axis measurements for daily replacement, single use toric lenses. The manufacturing process for toric lenses is more involved and this is reflected in the higher price compared to standard soft contact lenses.

Each brand of toric lens is slightly different to another in terms of the combination of lens material, water content and available cylinder and axis parameters. Some of the most popular brands include the monthly replacement Biofinity Toric from CooperVision and the single use Focus Dailies Toric from Ciba Vision. We always advise consulting your optician to gauge your suitability for any toric lens in which you are interested.