Toric Contact Lenses and Presbyopia

Toric Contacts - Types and Lens Mechanism

Toric contact lenses are designed to correct astigmatism. However, if you have presbyopia there are toric contacts that correct astigmatism as well as presbyopia. These toric lenses are designed with a special correction built into them.

If you have a small amount of astigmatism, the eye condition can probably be corrected with soft contacts, which provide many options. In the market you'll find variety options of toric contacts: disposable, frequent replacement, multifocal, and colored.

Toric contact lenses correct an abnormal cornea or lens curvature. The curvature correction makes light rays, that previously bent and produced an unfocused image, focus on one point at retina. Unlike spherical contact lenses, toric contacts have two different powers. Each toric lens has two curvatures at different angles, one for astigmatism and the other for either myopia or hyperopia.

To keep toric lenses stable on your eyes they are made heavier at the bottom. This mechanism prevents the lens from rotating on your eye and provides the best visual acuity position. As a result, you'll always have crisp vision while blinking or looking around.

Multifocal and Bifocal Toric Contact Lenses

If you have astigmatism and you enter and move through your forties, chances are toric bifocal contact lenses will meet your needs. With multifocal toric lenses you'll enjoy great vision near, far, and everywhere in between.

CIBASOFT Progressive Toric and UltraVue 2000T are two examples of multifocal toric contact lens brands.

Even though the two soft multifocal toric lenses are good alternatives, eye doctors often prescribe gas permeable lenses. Continue reading to find out why the eye doctors suggest gas permeable lenses.

Soft or Rigid Gas Permeable Contacts?

Toric contacts are made from the same material as spherical contact lenses -- either soft contacts or gas permeable contacts (RGP). If you have presbyopia, gas permeable contact lenses provide many advantages compared to soft contacts. The following list of benefits describe the advantages:

Crisper vision. When you blink, rigid lenses keep their shape on the cornea better than soft contacts. This reduces the needs to refocus and thus provide crisper vision.

Comfort. The stability of the RGP contacts' position on your eye makes you adapt to viewing in the near and far zones comfortably. Since the vision segments remain in the best position you won't experience annoying eye refocusing.

Reduced dry-eye risks. GP contact lenses don't contain water and don't absorb moisture from your eyes. They also don't collect protein and debris from your tears the way soft lenses do. Without the deposits you're less susceptible to dry eye syndrome. Or, if you have dry eyes you'll feel more comfortable.

So gas permeable contact lenses are the answer if soft contacts cannot produce your desired visual acuity. Furthermore, if you have severe astigmatism, chances are your eye care practitioner will advise you with RGP contact lenses or eyeglasses.

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