7 Best Contact Lenses for Astigmatism

7 Best Contact Lenses for Astigmatism in 2024

We asked the expert, Dr. Rapoport, for her opinion on the 7 best contact lenses for astigmatism.

Here’s what she said:

Best Contacts For Dry Eyes: Acuvue Oasys 1-Day with HydraLuxe for Astigmatism

Acuvue Oasys with HydraLuxe for astigmatism is one of the most popular contact lenses for people with astigmatism and dry eyes.

They feature HydraLuxe® technology with an embedded wetting agent. This allows tears to wet the lens like they would your eye.

Lens Features:

• High UV protection (at least 82% of UV-A and 97% of UV-B radiation)
• Tear-infused with HydraLuxe Technology
• Material: 62% samfilcon A; 38% water 
• Manufacturer: Johnson & Johnson

Best Daily Contacts: Acuvue Oasys 1-Day with HydraLuxe for Astigmatism

Acuvue Oasys 1-Day with HydraLuxe for Astigmatism lenses top the list in this category.

Daily disposable lenses are popular for their convenience. You don’t need a contact case or solution. All you need to do is throw each pair away at the end of the day.

Dailies can also be better for your eye health. Your eyes contain calcium, proteins, and lipids. These build up on reusable lenses and increase your chance of infection. Disposable contacts are always sterile, greatly reducing your chances of infection.

Best Weekly or Bi-Weekly Contacts: Acuvue Oasys with HYDRACLEAR PLUS for Astigmatism

Weekly contact lenses can be worn for one to two weeks. Once again, Acuvue tops the list in this category. Acuvue Oasys lenses come with HYDRACLEAR® PLUS technology. This helps to stabilize the tear film, resulting in less dryness.

Lens Features:

• Highest UV protection of any contact lens
• BLINK STABILIZED® design to keep contacts in place
• Material: 62% polymer (senofilcon A); 38% water
• Manufacturer: Johnson & Johnson

Best Monthly Contacts: Bausch & Lomb ULTRA for Astigmatism

Monthly contacts only need to be replaced every 30 days. Bausch & Lomb ULTRA has MoistureSeal technology and OpticAlign Design, which provides clear vision, stability, and all-day comfort. 

Lens Features:

• MoistureSeal Technology
• OpticAlign Design
• Material: 54% samfilcon A; 46% water
• Manufacturer: Bausch + Lomb

Bonus: Some patients can use Biofinity Toric Monthly lenses for up to 7 days/6 nights of continuous wear. Not all patients can achieve the maximum wear time. Speak with your eye care practitioner for more information.

Best for Sensitive Eyes: Acuvue Theravision with Ketotifen

The FDA recently approved Acuvue Theravision with Ketotifen contact lenses. These contact lenses help people with allergic eye itch. Ketotifen is an established antihistamine.

Best Multifocal Contacts: Bausch + Lomb Ultra Multifocal for Astigmatism

If you have presbyopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism, you’ll need multifocal lenses. Bausch + Lomb Ultra Multifocal lenses are the top choices for this category.

They are a monthly lens. They use a 3-Zone Progressive design, providing vision correction up close, far away, and between.

Lens Features:

• OpticAlign design for stable, consistently clear vision
• MoistureSeal technology maintains 95% of lens moisture for 16 hours
• Material: 54% samfilcon A; 46% water
• Manufacturer: Bausch + Lomb

Best Extended Wear Contacts: None

“I don’t ever recommend extended wear contacts because of an increase in neovascularization (new blood vessel growth around the outside),” says Dr. Rapoport.

Why Trust Us

The Vision Center team prides itself on providing helpful reviews for our clients. This helps our readers make the best decision for their vision health. For this article, we did the following:

• Scoured the internet for reviews and based our recommendations on customer feedback
• Reviewed product details and specifications of different contact lens brands to understand their features and benefits  
• Read contemporary scholarly articles on contact lenses to ensure accuracy and credibility
• Consulted with industry experts like Dr. Rapoport to understand current contact lens trends
• Sent the article to our medical reviewer, Dr. Melody Huang, O.D., so it can be edited for medical accuracy

What is Astigmatism?

Astigmatism is a type of refractive error, an eye problem affecting your vision. If you have astigmatism, your cornea is misshapen.

A normal cornea is spherical. With astigmatism, the cornea has an irregular curve. A misshapen cornea changes how light passes through to your retina.

Astigmatism can cause:

• Blurry or distorted vision
• Poor night vision
• Squinting and eye strain
• Eye irritation
• Headaches

“Astigmatism, if untreated, can give an appearance of images being stretched out,” says Dr. Yuna Rapoport.

The causes of astigmatism are unknown. Many believe that genetics play a large role. It’s also common for astigmatism to occur with nearsightedness (myopia) or farsightedness (hyperopia).

Types of Astigmatism

Astigmatism can occur due to irregularities in the cornea or lens. These are known as corneal and lenticular astigmatism, respectively. Both types can be classified as regular or irregular astigmatism.

Regular astigmatism is the most common. The elongated shape of the cornea or lens causes it.

Regular astigmatism has many forms of treatment, including:

• Rigid spherical contact lenses
• Toric rigid contact lenses
• Toric soft contact lenses
• Refractive eye surgeries (LASIK, PRK, etc.)
• Surgically implanted toric intraocular lenses (IOLS)

Irregular astigmatism is less common. It’s caused by scarring from injury, surgery, or keratoconus (an eye disease). This type of astigmatism is treated by using rigid contact lenses.

How to Correct Astigmatism

Mild astigmatism might not need correction. Moderate or severe cases need treatment for sharper vision.

According to Dr. Rapoport, laser refractive procedures can fix astigmatism if you are tired of contacts or glasses. These include:

• LASIK
• PRK
• ICL (implantable collamer lens)
• RLE (refractive lens exchange)

People who prefer wearing contacts need special ones called toric lenses. Toric contacts are designed to have two “powers.” One corrects your astigmatism, and the other corrects your near or farsightedness.

They also have a weight on the bottom to ensure they don’t rotate. Normal lenses have one power, and your vision is not affected if they rotate.

NOTE: Contact prescriptions and glasses prescriptions are different. If you only have glasses, your current prescription won’t work for contact lenses. Make sure you have a professional contact lens fitting exam from an eye doctor before purchasing lenses from online retailers.

What Are Toric Contact Lenses for Astigmatism?

Toric contact lenses are astigmatism-correcting contact lenses. Unlike regular lenses, toric contacts have a particular orientation and specific features to ensure they sit correctly in your eyes.

Here’s what you can expect in a toric contact lens:

• A thin-thick zone
• Lens truncation (the bottom of the lens is partially cut off)
• Ballasting (the lens is a bit thicker or heavier in some areas)
• A middle axis

Most standard contacts are spherical lenses. Toric lenses have a special shape that fits the irregular curvature of your eye.

This gives them different refractive powers to correct astigmatism and any amount of nearsightedness or farsightedness you have.

Toric contact lenses must be properly fitted to your eyes to perform optimally. They’re more expensive and may take more time to make than traditional lenses.

Other Types of Contact Lenses for Astigmatism

If soft toric contact lenses are uncomfortable or unable to correct your astigmatism, there are other options to consider:

Rigid Gas Permeable Lenses

Rigid gas permeable, or RGP lenses, are hard contact lenses. They can benefit people with severe astigmatism and provide sharper vision for high prescriptions.

RGP lenses are custom-made for every patient. They typically have a higher price tag upfront but are more durable than soft contact lenses.

They will last over a year with proper maintenance. This makes their cost comparable to soft lenses over time.

Hybrid Contact Lenses

Hybrid contacts have a rigid gas permeable center surrounded by soft edges of a soft hydrogel material. They provide sharper vision and comfort.

Like RGP lenses, hybrid contact lenses are custom-made for each patient. They are similarly priced to RGP contacts, meaning they are more expensive upfront. However, they cost about the same as soft lenses over time.

Scleral Contact Lenses

Progressive astigmatism may indicate an underlying condition like keratoconus. This is when your cornea thins and bulges out into a cone shape.

If your astigmatism is progressive, you should consult your doctor about potential conditions and scleral lenses that may help.

Soft Toric Lenses

Soft toric lenses are similar to regular toric lenses. The main difference is that they’re made from a flexible, soft material. This kind of contact lens is also more comfortable than regular toric lenses.

Are Toric Lenses Better Than Glasses?

Glasses are a great option for treating astigmatism, but they don’t provide the same comfort and convenience as toric lenses. Toric lenses are designed to correct astigmatism, providing clear vision with minimal distortion. 

If you have corneal astigmatism, you may benefit from RGP lenses because the lens reshapes your cornea to improve your vision. Likewise, contact lenses can offer better peripheral vision than glasses.

Most people who only need mild or moderate astigmatism correction decide to wear contacts or glasses based on their lifestyle. It’s best to consult your doctor about the pros, cons, and costs of toric contacts vs glasses.

Summary

Contacts are a common way to correct refractive errors, such as astigmatism. If you have astigmatism, you may want to choose toric lenses so that the lenses sit better on your eyes. Consult your eye doctor to ensure your safety while using contact lenses.

Best Places to Buy Contacts

Best Overall

Discount Contacts is our #1 recommendation to buy contacts online.

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Also Great

GlassesUSA has a huge selection of contacts, glasses, & sunglasses.

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Best Places to Buy Glasses

Best Overall

Warby Parker has stylish, high-quality frames at affordable prices.

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Also Great

Liingo Eyewear is another great option to buy glasses online.

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Best on a Budget

EyeBuyDirect has a wide variety of budget frames starting at $6.

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