There is nothing to fear when you are told that you have astigmatism in your eyes. After all, many people tend to have a certain degree of astigmatism, and most are even born with this eye condition. You should note that astigmatism is when the eye’s cornea has an irregular shape leading to your vision to become blurred at any distance. In some cases, a minor astigmatism may not lead to any vision problems, though a major stigmatism must be corrected.
And, having astigmatism can complicate your prescription just a little, but it cannot prevent you from accessing the type of corrective contact lenses that fit your lifestyle. contactlenses.co.uk has helped many people with astigmatism to find the right corrective contact lenses. This article discusses what you need to know about astigmatism contact lenses.
Understanding astigmatism
It’s worth noting that your cornea has a round dome and is clear. The round dome covers the pupil and iris of your eye. A healthy and normal cornea is usually smooth and curves equally in both directions. This allows light to properly focus onto the retina which is at the back of your eye. You should note that this is what makes you see things clearly.
But if your cornea is not properly or evenly curved, then it has an irregular shape that causes light to refract improperly, leading to blurry vision. And, a misshapen cornea is known as corneal astigmatism. Astigmatism can also happen in your eye’s lens, which sits behind the cornea. If you have lenticular astigmatism, it simply means that you have a deformed lens.
Regardless of the type of astigmatism that you have which can be lenticular or corneal, you can see objects that can appear distorted or blurred. A severe or moderate astigmatism can also lead to eye strain, chronic headaches, squinting, and poor night vision. Astigmatism is usually inherited, so many people with this eye condition were born with it. But it can also happen due to eye disease, eye injury, or surgery.
Correcting astigmatism
Most types of astigmatism can easily be treated. Most people choose eyeglasses that are made up of a special cylindrical lens prescription designed to offset this eye condition. These people who choose eyeglasses to correct this eye condition may require a single-vision lens that offers clear vision regardless of the distance. Individuals who are more than 40 years old can need bifocal or even progressive vision lenses.
Another great option is to wear contact lenses, especially those with moderate astigmatism. The truth is that some individuals with astigmatism often do well with contacts compared to eyeglasses. This is because contact lenses tend to offer a clearer vision as well as an unobstructed view than eyeglasses. Some of the contact lenses that can correct astigmatism include the following:
Toric contact lenses
It’s a good idea to get toric contact lenses because these contacts are designed with a specific shape that focuses the light utilizing various refractive powers on the horizontal and vertical planes. Regular contact lenses have a spherical surface that looks like a slice of a beach ball’s side. On the other hand, toric contact lenses have a shape that looks like a slice of a donut’s side. The name was derived from torus which is a geometrical shape that resembles a donut.
Fit is crucial for toric contact lenses because they usually have a certain orientation that can be vertical or horizontal. Therefore, you need to insert these contacts in your eye in a specific way. These contacts have a middle axis that looks like the equator. This helps your vision to stay clear. But if you have contacts that fail to fit well, then you cannot get the visual clarity you want.
Toric contact lenses are available in a daily version or any other disposable options. Your eye doctor can assist you to choose between rigid gas permeable or soft contact lenses. Soft contact lenses are often quite comfortable, but some people can experience that they fail to stay in place well compared to the rigid gas permeable toric contacts.
Keep in mind that toric contacts are usually an ideal option for many contact lens wearers with astigmatism. They have a thick zone that prevents them from rotating when you are wearing them. Also, it assists to orient the contacts the same way so that you can have a regular visual acuity. Since toric contacts need to be put on your eyes in a specific way, they need to have an exact fit. A middle axis on the lens helps to keep clear your line of vision.
Rigid gas permeable contact lenses
Quite often, the rigid gas permeable contacts can correct astigmatism even if they don’t have the toric shape. This is because these contacts can retain their shape when you place them on your eye. Therefore, they take the place of your misshapen cornea so that they can focus light properly on the retina. This is not like soft contact lenses which can match the corneal surface.
If your astigmatism is severe, your eye doctor can recommend the rigid gas permeable contact lenses that have a toric design, though most people who have astigmatism claim they get a better vision with standard rigid gas permeable contact lenses.
Because rig gas permeable contact lenses are rigid and also smaller in diameter than a soft contact lens, they can sometimes take a while to get used to them. There are even some individuals who believe that they may never get used to the sensation of these contact lenses on their eyes.
Just like toric contact lenses, the fitting process for rigid gas permeable contact lenses needs to be precise. The contacts can be a bit expensive compared to soft contact lenses, so some people choose to remove them when participating in certain activities like sports. If you want to know whether or not you should use rigid gas permeable contact lenses, you need to contact your eye doctor for advice.
