Astigmatism — causes, symptoms, treatments

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Product shot of boxes of ACUVUE® lenses available for people with astigmatism

What is astigmatism?

Astigmatism is blurry or distorted vision caused by an abnormal curvature of the eye's surface.

Your eye works best when its cornea is round like a football, but with astigmatism, it's shaped more like a rugby ball. This shape makes it more difficult to focus the light coming in to your eye.

Nearly half of the people who need vision correction have astigmatism in at least one eye1. Some are born with it, some develop it over time, and some experience it after an eye injury or eye surgery. In most cases, it can be corrected with glasses or contact lenses.

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Types of astigmatism contact lenses can address

There are two types of astigmatism.

Regular astigmatism

Is when the cornea is curved more in one direction than the other. It's the most common form of astigmatism and can be corrected easily with glasses or contact lenses.

See ACUVUE® Contact Lenses for Astigmatism

Irregular astigmatism

Is far less common and happens when the curvature of the cornea isn't even. It may be the result of an eye injury and related damage to the cornea, or a condition such as keratoconus, a progressive eye condition where the central cornea thins and becomes irregular in shape. It can't always be corrected with glasses, but it may be possible to correct with specialist contact lenses.

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Symptoms of astigmatism

  • Blurry or distorted vision at all distances
  • Eyestrain
  • Headaches

  • Eye fatigue
  • Squinting
  • Difficulty seeing at night

An Optician performing a vision test with a phoropter

How do I test for Astigmatism?

If you suspect you have astigmatism, speak with your optician, or use the “find an optician” tool to find an eye care professional near you and schedule an eye examination.

Use our Astigmatism Screener

In the meantime, why not see whether there's a possibility of you having astigmatism? Simply follow the steps below and answer all the questions provided.

Two women smiling directly into the direction of the camera

How to correct astigmatism

If you have regular astigmatism don’t worry, it can easily be corrected with glasses or soft toric contact lenses. Toric contact lenses are named toric because they have two different curves instead of one. They help compensate for the individual differences in the shape of your eye, enabling light to focus correctly on your retina. Toric lenses can also correct short-sightedness and long-sightedness at the same time as correcting astigmatism.

Why choose ACUVUE® for astigmatism?

Clear and stable vision2

No matter how active you may be, your vision with ACUVUE® contact lenses for astigmatism is clear and stable all day2 and can correct for both short-sightedness and long-sightedness.

EYELID STABILIZED® Design

For astigmatism, it's extremely important that your lenses stay in place for clear vision. ACUVUE® lenses realign with every blink3.

Great for active lifestyles

Your vision stays clear and stable2 as you run, jump and twist. And unlike glasses, there's no risk of breaking contact lenses.

Easy application and removal

Due to the contact lens' design, it can't be applied upside down like most other lenses for astigmatism3.

Built-in UV protection#4

ACUVUE® offers UV blocking#4 across its entire line of contact lenses, including those for astigmatism.

ACUVUE® Contact Lenses made for astigmatism

ACUVUE® OASYS 1-Day contact lenses with HydraLuxe® Technology for Astigmatism 30-Pack

ACUVUE® OASYS 1-DAY with HydraLuxe® TECHNOLOGY for ASTIGMATISM

ACUVUE[^®] OASYS contact lenses for Astigmatism with Hydraclear Plus 6-Pack

ACUVUE® OASYS 2-Week for ASTIGMATISM

A box of 1-DAY ACUVUE[^®] MOIST for ASTIGMATISM contact lenses

1-DAY ACUVUE® MOIST for ASTIGMATISM

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Footnotes

#All ACUVUE® contact lenses have UV Blocking to help provide protection against transmission of harmful UV radiation to the cornea and into the eye. UV absorbing contact lenses are NOT substitutes for protective UV absorbing eyewear such as UV absorbing goggles or sunglasses because they do not completely cover the eye and surrounding area. You should continue to use UV absorbing eyewear as directed by your optician.

1. Young G, Sulley A, Hunt C. Prevalence of astigmatism in relation to soft contact lens fitting. Eye Contact Lens. 2011;37(1)20-25

2. JJV Data on File 2021. ACUVUE® Brand Contact Lenses for ASTIGMATISM - Overall Fitting Success, Orientation Position, Rotational Stability, and Vision Performance.

3. JJV Data on File, 2016. Design enhancements and resultant benefits of ACUVUE® OASYS 1-Day for ASTIGMATISM with HydraLuxe® Technology contact lenses

4. JJV Data on File 2022. Material Properties: 1 DAY ACUVUE® MOIST, 1 DAY ACUVUE® TruEye, ACUVUE® OASYS 1 Day with HydraLuxe™ Technology and ACUVUE® OASYS MAX 1 Day with TearStable™ Technology Brand contact lenses and other daily disposable contact lens brands.

Important Information for Contact Lens Wearers: ACUVUE® Contact Lenses can be used for vision correction. An Eye Care Professional will determine whether contact lenses are right for you. Although rare, serious eye problems can develop while wearing contact lenses. To help avoid these problems, follow the wear and replacement schedule and instructions on proper lens care. Do not wear contact lenses if you have an eye infection, any eye disease or systemic disease, that may affect the eye, or if you are allergic to any ingredients. If you experience eye discomfort, excessive tearing, vision changes, redness or other eye problems, remove the lens and contact your Eye Care Professional immediately. For detailed information, including warnings and precautions, carefully read the Instructions for Use available.

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© Johnson & Johnson Medical Pty Ltd. 2024. All rights reserved. This site is published by Johnson & Johnson Medical Pty Ltd., which is solely responsible for its content. It is intended for use by residents of South Africa.
Johnson & Johnson Vision Care is part of Johnson & Johnson Medical Pty Ltd. ACUVUE®, 1-DAY ACUVUE® MOIST Brand Contact Lenses with LACREON® Technology, 1-DAY ACUVUE® MOIST Brand Contact Lenses for ASTIGMATISM, ACUVUE OASYS® Brand Contact Lenses with HYDRACLEAR® PLUS Technology, ACUVUE OASYS® Brand Contact Lenses for ASTIGMATISM® are trademarks of Johnson & Johnson Medical Pty Ltd.
Last updated 19/02/2024.