What You Must Know Colored Contacts For Astigmatism

According to the Oxford dictionary, the word ‘toric’ is defined as having the form of a torus or part of a torus. When the word toric is added to a contact lens, it has two different curves instead of one. Toric contact lens is used to correct both astigmatism and short- or long-sightedness. Toric contact lens is also know as contacts for astigmatism. While colored contacts for astigmatism is color version for contacts for astigmatism.

When someone has astigmatism issues, the cornea is curved. Therefore, the refraction of your eye differs between the vertical and horizontal planes. This leads to light hitting your retina in a way that does not create a clear image of the world. If you have astigmatism, your cornea is shaped in a more oblong fashion, like a rugby ball, instead of a circle as it is supposed to be. This causes blurry vision and trouble seeing fine details. At night when looking at lights, they appear to bounce off their primary location.

This irregularity results in blurry or distorted vision that forces you to strain your eyes to see things more clearly. Frequent straining or squinting due to poor vision can overwork your eye muscles, triggering headaches and tired eyes. If this issue is not corrected properly, you can suffer from eye strain, discomfort and even have troubles driving at night.

What are the features of a toric lens?

A standard contact lens has a spherical surface like a beach ball but sliced in half. Toric contact lens on the other hand, is shaped like a slice of the side of a doughnut – more elongated. This special shape of toric contact lens creates different refractive, focus and powers on the vertical and horizontal orientations, unlike a standard lens. The refractive strength then gradually increases or decreases as you move around the lens.

Today, contacts for astigmatism comes in soft contacts too, which are more gas permeable than hard contacts. Even though hard contacts have been the preferred treatment for astigmatism and helped reshape the eye for many years, recent research has shown that soft contacts allow for better long-term eye health.

These soft toric contact lenses use specific meridians to stay in place and improve your visual acuity. Meridians are measured from your pupil out, like a radius in a circle. These meridians are measured to specific powers to correct your astigmatism.

Do I qualify for colored contacts for astigmatism?

Genetics being the big factor, there are no known causes of astigmatism so far. However, it is quite common for people to have astigmatism in addition to other refractive errors like nearsightedness or farsightedness. People who treat one refractive error most of the time wear soft contacts that do not treat their astigmatism issues and have to suffer from this defect. If you have issues with nearsightedness or farsightedness and suffer from astigmatism, toric lens may be the solution to correct the corneal shape while also correcting other refractive errors.

Astigmatism can happen to children and adults. The condition is usually present at birth and may develop later in life. People who have high risk of developing astigmatism are:

Have a family history of astigmatism or eye disorders (e.g keratoconus)
Scarring of your cornea
Extreme nearsightedness or farsightedness
Prior history of eye surgery (e.g cataract surgery)

Stock image by freepik

If you have fuzzy, blurry or distorted visions at all distances, difficulty seeing at night, constant eyestrain and eye irritation, as well as headaches, do visit an optometrist or ophthalmologist. The eye doctor will conduct a complete eye examination by either checking your refraction or using a device to measure the curvature of your front cornea for a diagnosis.

Getting a contacts for astigmatism

If you are diagnosed with astigmatism by a qualified eye doctor, you will need corrective glasses or lenses with prescription. A toric contact lens is a great choice because it allows you to remain active without the bulkiness of a pair of glasses.

Fitting is especially critical for toric contacts as these lenses have a particular orientation, they need to stay on your eye correctly. Manufacturers design toric contact lenses with features such as thin-thick zones, lens truncation (where the bottom of the lens is cut off a little), ballasting (where the lens is a little thicker or heavier) to help the lenses stay put.

If you decide to buy toric lens online, only buy from reputable retailer. However, not everyone with astigmatism needs toric lens, so if you have astigmatism over -0.50, you may consider getting your soft toric contact lens from trusted online retailer like Lensupermart who carries brands of custom made contact lens imported from Korea and approved by medical bodies.

It is important to note that toric contact lens is measured in diopters and you need to provide the following information when making a purchase online:

1. Prescription - Hyperopia (farsightedness) or Myopia (nearsightedness)

2. CYL value that determines the strength needed to correct astigmatism

3. Axis for the degree of the angle of the cylinder

Stay in style with colored contacts for astigmatism

Gone are the days of boring clear contact lens or toric glasses. Nowadays, you can get colored contacts for astigmatism that comes in various hues and designs. There’s no need for you to sacrifice your style just because you have astigmatism. Besides, many people prefer wearing colored contacts with astigmatism as an alternative to eyeglasses because it provides a natural field of vision and offers convenience without having the glasses getting in the way.

There is study that shows toric contact lens has helped improve vision. Although the color or design of your toric contact lens doesn’t contribute to the improved vision, it does allow you to stay trendy by changing your eye colors anytime, effortlessly. After all, looking good, literally, and feeling good is a great way to elevate your self-confidence.

Neo Vision Toric - RubyQueen Brown

neo vision 3 tones blue colored contacts for astigmatism

Neo Vision Toric - 3Tones Blue

The advancement in contact lens technology has made it possible for the safe usage of contacts for astigmatism color as a corrective measure for astigmatism. As long as you follow the proper care and prescription, wearing colored contact lens with astigmatism is relatively safe. Handle your toric colored contact lens just the same as how you would handle your regular contact lens. Always practice proper hygiene. Having a pink eye or eye infection caused by bacteria contamination to your lens is the last thing you want to happen.

Proper cleaning and handling of yourcontact lens isimportant to keep your eyes healthy.

Now that you have a bit of understanding of what a toric contact lens is, time to add some colorful collections to your stash. Intricate motif like this grey toric lens adds a touch of elegance to your eyes. We like the 3-tone for a more dramatic effect. No matter what your preference is, there’s plenty to shop for here. Check out our album for more colored contacts with astigmatism at amazing deals.