| By :
William Gabriel
Today, many people around the world wear contact lenses as a way to correct some form of vision problem. An ideal alternative to wearing eyeglasses, contacts come in a several different forms; a far cry from years ago when all lenses were rigid and rather uncomfortable. One of the latest advances in vision correction is toric contact lenses. Toric lenses have been on the market for some time now; however, the first toric contact lenses released were not as reliable or as comfortable as ordinary lenses. Through advances in materials and technology, the toric lenses made today are comfortable and easy to use. In fact, there are now toric contact lenses that can be worn for up to 30 days at a time. Due to this ease of use, this type of contact is frequently prescribed not only to experienced contact lens users; but also to those new to wearing lenses. Toric contact lenses come in a variety of forms to meet a variety of needs. There are rigid, soft and gas permeable RGP lenses. They even make tinted lenses, daily disposable and progressive lenses. People who experience refractive errors due to nearsightedness, farsightedness, or visual dysfunction due to astigmatism are good candidates for toric contact lenses. According to the American Association of Optometrists, approximately 20% of Americans who regularly wear contact lenses were prescribed with toric lenses in 2007. Toric contact lenses work through the implementation of two powers. One power corrects for a spherical refractive error while the other re-configures light rays that are unevenly refracted due to astigmatism (an irregular curvature of the cornea). Due to the structure of toric lenses, they are ideal for the treatment of astigmatism in particular. Wearing toric contact lenses to correct astigmatism is effective; but you must be sure to wear the lenses correctly in order to correct your vision. It is essential for the "powers" to be correctly situated on the eye in order for your vision to be corrected properly. Due to the importance of orientation on the eye, toric lenses are typically crafted with more weight on one end of the lens. Wearing toric lenses should feel no different than wearing regular contact lenses. However, because toric lenses are custom made to fit the specific curvature of your individual eye, proper placement can be tricky. Patience is required when you are first wearing toric contact lenses; as it may take several tries to obtain proper placement in the beginning. In order to ensure a good fit, your optometrist will likely take measurements of your eyes to make sure that the right sized contact lenses are ordered. While your prescription is being made, you will be given a trial pair to wear. It is always important to maintain good eye care through regular check-ups with your optometrist, especially if you are correcting astigmatism. It is a known now that a person's degree of astigmatism often increases with age. Should a person present with a very high degree of astigmatism, laser surgery may be recommended. Laser surgery can be very precise in correcting the uneven sections of the cornea.
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