By Troy Bedinghaus, O.D., About.com
Question: What Are Toric Lenses?
My doctor told me I couldn’t wear regular contact lenses, but wants me to try “toric” lenses. What are toric lenses?
Answer: Toric contact lenses are special lenses that are used to correct astigmatism. If you have astigmatism, your cornea is steeper in one direction and flatter in the other. Instead of being perfectly spherical or round, your cornea may be shaped more like an oval. (Your cornea may be shaped more like a football than a basketball.) As a result, a regular contact lens will not correct all of your vision problems. A toric lens is designed to give your eye more power in one direction, such as 90 degrees, and less power in the opposite direction, 180 degrees. By fitting your eye with a toric lens, all of your astigmatism will be corrected and you will have better quality of vision.
Toric lenses may be either soft or hard (RGP) lenses. A toric lens is designed to stay in one position on your eye and not rotate. If a toric lens rotates too much, your vision will be distorted, much like taking your glasses and holding them sideways on your face.
With today’s technology, soft toric lenses are often just as comfortable to wear as regular contact lenses. However, astigmatism lenses require more time and skill of your doctor. You may be required to try a few different types of toric lenses to achieve a good fit and good vision. A toric contact lens evaluation requires more of your doctor’s expertise and time, usually resulting in a higher fee than a regular contact lens evaluation.