Toric Contact Lenses : Are They Right for You?

Toric contact lenses are designed for people who have astigmatism. Astigmatism refers to the shape or curvature of your eye’s cornea or lens. Ideally, your eye should be completely spherical. But if you have astigmatism, your eye is more oval, like the shape of an egg.  This prevents light from focusing properly on your retina, causing blurry vision both at a distance and close up.ⁱ

Toric contact lenses for astigmatism differ from other contact lenses in that they have an extra job to do. “Regular” contact lenses such as sphere correct only nearsightedness (myopia) or farsightedness (hyperopia). But if you have astigmatism, your vision can be blurry at all distances. To correct for this, toric contact lenses put different prescription lens powers in different orientations of the contact lens. This was difficult to get right because contact lenses move around on your eye as you wear them. However, modern toric contact lenses have design features that keep the lens in the proper position.ⁱⁱ

Do You Need a Toric Lens?

If you have astigmatism, you may need a toric lens if you wear soft contact lenses to achieve the best vision performance possible.ⁱⁱⁱ

Fortunately, toric contact lenses have come a long way in the past few decades. Today, there are numerous soft toric contact lenses in a wide range of prescriptions to fit all sorts of eyes—even if you have presbyopia too!^iv

Modern Soft Toric Contact Lenses

Soft toric contact lenses are now available in a variety of materials (like silicone hydrogel) and replacement schedules (like daily disposables). You can even get toric contact lenses in multifocal designs (for presbyopia). These remarkable leaps in contact lens technology make it easier than ever before to be free of relying solely on spectacles. Of course, you should always have a spare pair of glasses in case of an emergency, but with the right toric lenses, you can enjoy most of your time without them. 

To see which lenses you may want to discuss with your eye care professional, try the CooperVision Find a Lens tool. Or, if you want to learn more about astigmatism and how CooperVision soft toric contact lenses can help, talk to your eye care professional. If you don’t have an eye care professional, you use the Find An Eye Doctor tool.