Astigmatism contact lenses are helping people who need this eye vision correction see much better and much more comfortably than ever before. In recent years specially designed astigmatism lenses have been providing freedom from glasses. It is helpful first of all to understand a bit about astigmatism which basically is a change in the natural shape of the eye.
A healthy eye is round like a basketball and an eye with astigmatism is long like a football. What causes astigmatism isn’t really understood some people are born with it and others develop the condition later on in life. Lenses for astigmatism are called toric lenses.
They are built in a similar way to bifocal glasses so part of the lens manages the astigmatism and the other part corrects the vision with yet another part that keeps the lens in place on your eye so that when you blink your lens stays in place. There are many brands of toric lenses available including ones that are tinted, disposable, bifocal or for people who suffer from dry eyes or with UV protection for those who work outdoors.
Depending on the severity of your astigmatism you can get soft lenses or you may be limited to rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses. Thankfully the new RGP contact lenses are nothing like the old-fashioned hard lenses which were very uncomfortable to wear.
All this extra construction makes astigmatism contact lenses more expensive than regular lenses. You may want to try ordering your contacts online because they tend to be cheaper than going into a retail store. To order online you will need a proper lens prescription from a qualified doctor. There have been so many changes in technology that for anyone who has tried lenses to correct astigmatism in the past without much success it’s worth the time to take another look.
Lloyd Forde is the editor of the independent Contact Lens Information Guide where you will find more information about Astigmatism Contact Lenses. – Copyright: you may freely republish this article, provided the text, author credit, the active links and this copyright notice remain intact.