Toric contact lenses for astigmatism

In scientific terms, it's a common refractive error in the same category as myopia (short-sightedness) or hyperopia (long-sightedness). With regards to what you experience, astigmatism causes blurry or distorted vision, because your lens or cornea is 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.

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 to see if toric contact lenses are the solution for you.

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

Fortunately, toric contact lenses can help, as they're designed to correct this error of refraction, promising a perfect fit and high levels of comfort. Some toric lenses are weighted at the bottom to prevent side-to-side rotation when you blink, enhancing your visual acuity, so you can see without any problems. Unlike spherical lenses, toric lenses have different levels of correction in each meridian.

When choosing a toric contact lens, you'll be asked to enter the power and sometimes the diameter and base curve from your prescription, as you would with a spherical lens. You'll also need to enter the cylinder (CYL) and the axis (AX) - 2 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.

You'll need toric lenses if you have a CYL (cylinder) value on your contact lens prescription. This indicates astigmatism and will be accompanied by an AXIS value, which describes the orientation of the cylinder correction needed. Both values are required for toric lenses and will appear on your prescription after an eye test. If your CYL column is blank or zero, you don't require a toric lens.

Yes. Daily toric contact lenses are widely available at Vision Direct. Popular daily toric options include 1 Day Acuvue Moist for Astigmatism (30 and 90 packs), Acuvue Oasys 1-Day for Astigmatism, Dailies AquaComfort Plus Toric, Clariti 1 Day Toric, and MyDay Toric. Daily disposable toric lenses offer the convenience of no cleaning and a fresh pair every day.

Yes. Several toric lenses are designed with moisture technologies suited to dry eye wearers. Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism uses HydraLuxe Technology to mimic the tear film and maintain comfort during long wearing periods. Acuvue Oasys 1-Day for Astigmatism and 1 Day Acuvue Moist for Astigmatism are also strong options for contact lens wearers who experience dryness. If you have both dry eyes and astigmatism, mention this during your contact lens fitting so your optician can trial the most comfortable option.

Toric lenses are more complex to manufacture than spherical lenses. They require a stabilisation system: typically ballast weighting to prevent the lens from rotating on the eye and compromising astigmatic correction. This extra engineering and the tighter tolerances involved make them more expensive per lens than spherical equivalents. At Vision Direct, toric contact lenses are priced competitively and often significantly below high street optician prices.