There is a good reason why people with astigmatism must cheer up. The reason is that there is more option now to live a comfortable life despite this eye condition than it was decades ago. Perhaps you were dismayed when once upon a time you were told, that soft contact lenses are not for you, or “toric” contacts which are astigmatism contact lenses are inconvenient for use since they require frequent replacement, are not disposable, and come in colored and multifocal varieties. Good news, they are no longer true! Science and technology have made these products suitable for your use.
Toric contact lenses are the recommended as astigmatism contact lenses. They are designed as regular (“spherical”) lenses. They come as soft or RGP (Rigid Gas Permeable) lenses. These RGP lenses are made more recently than the soft lenses. RGPs are made of oxygen permeable material such as silicone, allowing plenty of oxygen supply in the eyes.
Toric contact lenses have dual mechanisms that on one hand help astigmatism, and on the other hand, correct myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farshightedness). This is because it is made with curvatures at different angles, thus producing two powers. It is also designed with relatively stable lenses that keep vision crisp even when you blink or rotate your vision. For those who are fussy with their vision, they would notice the sharpness of images, when they have this kind of astigmatism contact lenses.
For those who have mild astigmatism, or those who have between zero and +/-1.00 diopter, they can opt for the regular spherical RGP lens or the spherical soft lens. With RGPs, astigmatic problem is reduced by letting the cornea conform to its rigid lenses. Soft contact lenses on the other hand, uses high powered spherical soft lens to correct astigmatism. Fitting for the right soft contact lenses may take a bit longer for this technique as it usually involves a trial and error process.
When you are deciding for astigmatism contact lenses, one of the primary considerations is its cost. Since Toric contact lenses takes much of the expertise and time of an eye specialist thus you have to spend more on them than you would with regular contacts. However, if you are decided to live with astigmatism by best means possible, that is without the thick lenses of eye glasses which make you older than your true age and make you far from attractive, then Toric contact lenses may just be the best partner for you.