What do astigmatism contacts look like

This means they provide the sharp vision of RGP lenses while maintaining the comfort level of soft contact lenses. Not long ago, people with astigmatism had very limited choices for contact lenses. Today, there's a variety of options, ranging from different wearable time frames to colors. You can now wear disposable toric contact lenses for a day, a week or even a month before replacing them.

A special new lens made of silicone hydrogel lets you wear them continuously for up to 30 days. If you want to enhance or change the color of your eyes, you can easily do so. Many contact brands now make their colored contacts to accommodate astigmatism too.

In some cases, a doctor may suggest orthokeratology ortho-k therapy. This is when you wear specially fitted RGP lenses overnight. The lenses actually reshape the cornea so that it is less football-shaped during the day. This allows you to see without corrective eyewear. A downside to this treatment is the effects only last a day or two. As they start wearing off, you'll need to wear the RGP lens overnight again to reshape the cornea. But for many people, the hassle of putting lenses in before sleeping is worth it.

They get to go lens-free during the day. This therapy works best for people with mild to moderate astigmatism. It can cost more since you may need ongoing visits and care. The lenses need to be fitted and checked by an eye care professional. During the surgery, precise lasers reshape the cornea to eliminate the need for corrective lenses. Additionally, people with certain conditions, such as autoimmune disorders, may not get the all-clear for LASIK.

So if you wear glasses, you may have astigmatism too. If you haven't visited an eye doctor in a while, the last advice you received might have been to steer clear of contacts.

Old-school contact lenses wouldn't help your vision much because they couldn't meet the curve of your eye. When you have astigmatism, your cornea takes on a curve that differs from the standard contact shape. Standard contacts fit corneas that take a round shape like a basketball. But eyes with astigmatism look more like a football to varying degrees. Many people have slight astigmatism, but those with moderate astigmatic levels are the ones who tend to struggle more with their vision.

The lens also doesn't sit properly on your eye to correct vision. For contacts to work, you need them to move with your eye, which is problematic when the lens doesn't sit correctly. Differences in corneal shape are one reason eye doctors may recommend glasses to patients with astigmatism. For this reason, your doctor may have prescribed glasses over contacts.

The contacts an ophthalmologist prescribes depends on the type of astigmatism you have. This may be light or strong astigmatism. You have light astigmatism with a prescription of under 1. If your prescription is 1. Should you have anything over 3. If your astigmatism is minor, then your best bet is rigid gas permeable lenses, also known as GP contacts. Gas permeable lenses are plastic contacts that allow oxygen to pass through the lenses and reach your eyes.

The lenses are rigid, but they are not hard like the old style of contacts for astigmatism. Essentially, diopter strength references the power of a lens. A high diopter number means your vision is worse, or requires more correction. To determine if someone has astigmatism, the doctor typically performs a comprehensive dilated eye examination. They will also ask about any vision changes.

This can help the doctor to determine if the symptoms are associated with astigmatism. When astigmatism is slight, people often do not need treatment. However, when it is impacting vision, a comprehensive eye examination is needed to get a definitive diagnosis.

From here, the doctor can determine which treatment is appropriate to improve vision. Corrective lenses are commonly prescribed to people who have astigmatism. They work by counteracting a cornea or lens curvature. Eyeglasses for astigmatism have lenses that compensate for the corneal abnormality. Contact lenses are also used as part of the orthokeratology procedure. For this procedure, the doctor has the patient wear rigid contact lenses. They are worn for many hours a day.

The purpose is to even out the curvature of the eyes. Once the curvature is evened out, people still need to wear their lenses to maintain the new shape, but they can wear them less frequently. If someone stops wearing their contact lenses after this procedure, the curvature correction does dissipate, and the cornea eventually reverts back to its abnormal shape.

Because of this, people have to wear the lenses long term to maintain the benefits of the procedure. Astigmatism is a common refractive error. It occurs in varying degrees and affects vision differently depending on severity.

Eye Health Statistics. American Academy of Ophthalmology.