Almost anyone can wear contact lenses with an expert fitting, but even now, people are denied contact lenses for hard-to-fit eyes—or live with uncomfortable contacts. At Specialty Eye, our eye care team has completed advanced training in fitting specialty contact lenses for every unique set of eyes, including those with astigmatism.
You have many options for wearing contact lenses with astigmatism, and some of the contact lenses we recommend for our patients with astigmatism include daily disposable astigmatism lenses, rigid-gas permeable lenses, and scleral lenses. As local eye care professionals with expertise in specialty contact lenses, we can help you find the right fit for your eyes, vision needs, and lifestyle.
What Is Astigmatism?
Astigmatism is a condition caused by a misshapen cornea or lens that distorts the light entering your eye, causing fuzzy vision that can be difficult to correct with standard glasses and contact lenses.
Typically, the cornea and lens are round like a basketball, but those with astigmatism may have a cornea shaped more like a football. This can warp your vision at any distance. Astigmatism can also appear alongside other refractive errors, such as myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness), making it a complex vision challenge to overcome.
Symptoms of astigmatism can include:
- Difficulty with night vision
- Eye strain
- Headaches
- Distorted vision
Many of our patients with astigmatism struggle with standard contacts or have been told that contacts are not an option—but that doesn’t have to be the case. At Specialty Eye, our doctors have taken advanced training to develop their expertise in correcting astigmatism, including precisely fitting contact lenses for our patients with astigmatism.
Contact Lenses for Astigmatism
Several types of specialty contact lenses can excel at correcting astigmatism, but your eyes are unique, so not all will be the best for your specific needs. During your visit, we can help you find the right contacts for your eyes.
Daily Disposable Lenses for Astigmatism
Soft contact lenses, made of flexible plastics, are among the most popular contact lenses available. Many new soft contact lenses use silicone-hydrogel material to allow more oxygen to pass through the lens during wear.
Daily disposables can also help reduce dry eye symptoms because the buildup that can cause dry eyes can’t accumulate on daily disposable lenses when you’re throwing them away at the end of each day. This wear schedule can also help eliminate the need for storage and sterilization and can reduce your risk of developing eye infections related to contact lens wear.
Soft contact lenses for astigmatism are often toric lenses. Standard contact lenses have a spherical shape that forms to the natural curve of the eye, but toric lenses have a flat shape to create specific focusing powers. Toric lenses need to be carefully fitted so the lenses don’t slip and to keep your line of vision clear, but they can be more comfortable for those with astigmatism.
At Specialty Eye, we can expertly fit toric contact lenses to eyes with varying degrees of astigmatism. Our goal is to help you find lenses that can provide clear, comfortable vision.
Rigid-Gas Permeable Lenses
We can also fit your eyes for rigid-gas permeable (RGP) lenses. RGP lenses maintain their shape over the cornea, providing a uniform surface to support crisp, clear vision. For many of our patients with astigmatism, we can fit RGP lenses that provide stable, accurate vision correction.
Scleral Lenses
At Specialty Eye, we are skilled at fitting scleral lenses. These lenses are larger in diameter, covering the entire cornea and resting on the whites of the eye (the sclera). The lens arches over your cornea, leaving a reservoir of tear film beneath. This design also helps many of our patients get relief from dry eye symptoms during contact lens wear.
Since scleral lenses rest on a larger surface of the eye, they’re less likely to shift, move, or slip as you blink throughout the day. They’re more stable, keeping the lens in place for crystal-clear vision during wear.
Specialty Eye offers the latest technology in contact lenses, including posEYEdon contact lenses. They’re a cross between scleral and RGP lenses with distinct advantages to help you achieve the sustained sharp vision of RGP lenses with the size and comfort of scleral lenses.
Our doctors are trained to fit posEYEdon lenses, and if you have astigmatism, they can enhance your vision and comfort.
Choose Specialty Eye for Your Contact Lens Fitting
If you’ve been told you aren’t a good candidate for contact lenses or have hard-to-fit eyes, Specialty Eye’s knowledgeable team can help. Our goal is to help all our patients achieve clear vision, and we use our expertise to help each of our patients get the vision support and eye care they need. Contact Specialty Eye in Washington to speak with our skilled, experienced eye doctors. We will work with you to help you find contact lenses that can fit your unique eyes and help you achieve your vision goals.
