Are You Terrified by Torics?

The majority of people wearing glasses and contacts suffer from a visual problem known as “stigmatism” (astigmatism). Although most cases of astigmatism are not extreme in nature, if left uncorrected it can lead to blurred vision, increased eyestrain, and headaches. For years, the only treatment for astigmatism was traditional eyeglasses. However, now astigmatism can be corrected using toric contact lenses.

Toric contact lenses are contacts that are specially designed to address and correct astigmatism. They consist of two powers: one for astigmatism correction and another for far/nearsightedness (hyperopia/myopia) as needed. Because toric contacts share the same material makeup as other types of contact lenses, toric contacts can come in both soft and rigid gas permeable forms.

Don’t be alarmed if your new toric contacts are more expensive than their soft contact counterparts. Because the lens is specially designed to combat astigmatism, the lens itself is going to be more costly. Also, it takes more time for the eye doctor to fit toric contacts to your eye. This also means slightly more money is going to be paid for toric contact lenses.

In some cases of astigmatism, toric lenses are not necessary. A soft contact lens with a higher power can sometimes correct very mild cases of astigmatism. However, this decision should be left up to the expert advice of your eye practitioner.

If style is a concern, don’t worry. Toric contacts come in all the popular colors. Some of these colored contacts are even disposable. Again, the degree of flexibility in your toric lens is going to depend on the seriousness of your astigmatism.

Hopefully this information has dispelled some of the myths concerning astigmatism and contacts. The next time you are getting an eye-exam and the doctor says that you have astigmatism, don’t freak out. This doesn’t mean that you are going to have wear glasses the rest of your life (although there are some very stylish spectacles out there). Thanks to the development of toric contact lenses, you can remain stylish while keeping your vision healthy.

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