For people who have astigmatism, finding contact lenses that feel comfortable and fit right can be a challenge. In general, standard contact lenses tend to move around a lot and offer poor vision quality overall.
Fortunately, you can get contacts that are specially designed to accommodate the conditions that give rise to astigmatism. Read on as a Lake Stevens, WA optometrist discusses astigmatism and how toric lenses are designed to stay in place while also providing a comfortable fit.
Your ability to see clearly depends, in part, on how your cornea directs light onto your retina. The cornea is the transparent part of the eye that covers your pupil, while the retina receives and organizes visual input at the back of your eye. When the cornea has an irregular shape or curve, light doesn’t land on the retina as it should.
Astigmatism results when the cornea has an irregular curve that causes it to be shaped like an oval instead of a sphere. This irregularity makes objects appear blurry or distorted.
Standard contact lenses are shaped like a semicircle, which allows them to conform to the eye’s contours. Since people with astigmatism have an irregularly-shaped cornea, regular contacts don’t usually fit properly. This makes any irregularities along the cornea’s surface worse.
Toric lenses are designed to correct astigmatism by conforming to the eye’s contours. They’re specially designed with particular features that keep them in place, including:
These features work to center the lens on your eye so they don’t slip like standard contacts do.
Like other types of vision problems, astigmatism can vary in severity from person to person. To accommodate these differences, toric lenses come in three main types:
If you have more questions about toric lenses or wish to schedule a consultation, please feel free to call our Lake Stevens, WA optometry office today.
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