|
Astigmatism is condition where the patient experiences
blurred vision due to the distortion of cornea. It causes the light rays
to fall on the retina from a number of different angles, which makes the
eye lose focus. The condition can be corrected by wearing Toric Lens.
Well, toric lens is not much different from an ordinary contact
lens so far as the material it is made of is concerned. It is different
in that its one or both sides of the optical surface work as a
cylindrical lens often combining it with spherical lens effects. It may
happen sometimes that only one eye has astigmatism while the other is
perfectly alright. In such cases the patients are advised to wear a
Toric lens in one eye and a normal vision correction lens in the other.
Toric lenses, though made of the same material as the ordinary contact lenses,
are effective in correcting both the cylindrical as well as spherical
aberrations. Being asymmetrical around the center, they should not be
rotated. They are designed to remain unaffected by the movement of the eyes.
Toric lenses need to be custom fitted to suit your eyes and
so they take a little longer to be checked and re-checked to make sure
that your vision is effectively corrected by the lenses and that they
fit you properly. It is then that you can leave the specialist's clinic
and go home with your lenses.
It is not necessary that only Toric lenses can correct astigmatism. If it happens to be of a lesser degree a
normal lens can effectively mask it. However, a higher degree of
astigmatism can only be corrected by a soft toric lens, rigid contacts
or spectacles. One may go for either a soft or rigid contacts. Soft
lenses have an edge over the rigid ones in terms of comfort and
adaptability while the rigid lenses score better than soft lenses in
durability. Besides, rigid lenses are also a little easier to take care
of than the soft ones. Many users also feel that rigid lenses give a
crispier vision compared to the soft lenses.
Another option that is sometimes explored is the gas permeable lenses. They do not have any
ability to correct astigmatism but their inflexibility makes them
reshape the eyes. This helps correct the vision in cases of mild
astigmatism. However, for higher degree of astigmatism Toric lenses seem
to be the best available option.
|
