subject: Aspects Of Toric Contact Lenses [print this page] Since toric contact lenses provide more power in one direction, either horizontal or vertical, they are oval like. As a result, toric contact lens requires more special care in wearing. Spherical contact lenses can move freely with the eyes. This is not the case with toric contact lenses. They must remain in one position if you want to get best visual acuity. Too much movement of toric contact lens will lead to visibility reduction. Manufactures even produce toric contact lenses heavier at the bottom to prevent them from too much rotation.
Toric contact lens is particularly helpful for several kinds of patients. One type is people have tried spherical lenses first but still have poor vision. Other candidates of toric contact lenses include patients with large degrees of astigmatism ranging between 3-5D and people with residual astigmatism.
Toric contact lenses are usually more expensive than ordinary contact lenses. If you wearing toric contact lenses, you must pay for both doctor visits and the lenses. Because of its special shape, toric contact lens requires more skills and time of your doctor. And you always need to try a few different types of them in order to achieve good fit and vision. The evaluation of toric contact lens also needs more of your doctors expertise.
If the patient has only one eye with astigmatism, he can be prescribed with a toric contact lens for the only eye, and an ordinary spherical lens for the other. In another case, toric contact lens is not necessary for patients with mild astigmatism. For example, people have an amount of astigmatism between zero and 1.00D can just wear regular spherical lenses, rather than expensive toric contact lenses.
