Eye Health Resources

Toric contact lenses for astigmatism: What are they?

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What are Toric Lenses?

Lenses that correct vision two ways

Most contact lenses are what’s called spherical because, like a football or basketball, they have the same curve all the way around. Toric contact lenses are designed differently. Instead of one uniform curve, toric lenses have two—which corrects for the rugby-ball-like curvature of the eye that people with astigmatism have. Still need more info? No problem, let’s dive a little deeper, starting with how astigmatism works.

To understand toric lenses, understand astigmatism

An illustrated side-view of an eye labeled with a few important parts shows how light focuses in a astigmatic eye

Most people’s eyes have corneas (the front part of the eye) and crystalline lenses that are spherical. This allows light from the world in front of you to focus on one point in the eye. If that one point is on the retina (the part of the eye that helps turn light into what you see) vision is usually nice and clear. When a person’s cornea or lens is shaped more like a rugby ball than a sphere, the light focuses on two places instead of one, creating blurry or distorted vision at all distances. About one in three people have it, so it’s actually quite common.

What Does Toric Mean?

Toric describes the shape of the lens

The word toric describes a specific shape. It comes from the word torus, which is the shape of a doughnut. If you cut a little slice off the side of a doughnut, that slice is what’s called toric—it’s a piece of a torus and has two different curves perpendicular to each other. Toric contact lenses use this shape to correct astigmatism—there is a curve with a shallower arc, and a curve with a steeper arc.

How do toric lenses stay in the right orientation?

Since blinking and movement typically rotate contact lenses on the eyes, it’s a feat of engineering to keep toric lenses in exactly the right orientation to correct astigmatism. Here are two ways it’s done today.

Traditional prism and peri-ballast

These types of lenses are designed to have a thicker area below the lower eyelid, which helps keep them oriented correctly.

With eyelid stabilisation

ACUVUE® Toric Contact Lenses utilise an EYELID STABILIZED® design, meaning it works with the eyelids to realign with every blink, helping provide clear, stable vision, even during head tilts, blinks and extensive eye movements1,2,3.

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Types of Lenses

Daily disposable, two-week contact lenses for astigmatism

Image of a smiling optician speaking to a woman with wavy hair

ACUVUE® Contact Lenses for Astigmatism are worn during the day and taken out at night. Depending on the kind you get, you may wear them for one day or two weeks. Two-weekly lenses need to be cleaned and disinfected with multipurpose disinfecting solution every night.

Get started with toric lenses

The path to contact lenses always starts with one thing: an appointment with an Optician. They’re the ones who can give you a comprehensive eye test and a contact lens exam to determine exactly what kind of lenses are right for you.

Why choose ACUVUE® for astigmatism?

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Last updated 18/06/2024
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