Have you heard that if you suffer from astigmatism, your contact options are limited? If you have, you might have heard it from the same people who think contacts are still boiled for sterilization.
Today’s market offers several brands of toric colored contact lenses specifically designed to correct astigmatism while providing customers with the option to accessorize their eyes. The difference between toric and standard lenses is not in the material they are made of, but rather, in the shape of their visual field.
The lenses are created so they accommodate the specific visual needs of astigmatism patients, bending the images that pass through them through two separate areas of the lens. They are also specially designed to prevent them from spinning in the eye, which can cloud astigmatic vision.
Toric colored lenses are available in two different types. The first type is designed to intensify your natural eye color, the second to change it. They are available both in disposable and non-disposable soft contacts, depending on the specific design and color you are interested in.
When choosing colored contacts for astigmatism, one of the best ways to settle on a color is by looking at your wardrobe. This encourages your changing eye color to match the colors you enjoy wearing, which are likely also the colors that look good with your hair and skin tones.
It is also important to consider how the contact will look when laid over your natural eye color; dark brown eyes can, for example, be very hard to cover with a contact and achieve a natural appearance. This does not mean that you cannot choose any color you like; it just means that you need to be careful when choosing a contact. Different manufacturers make colored contacts are made with different dimensions, and apply the coloring in different patterns and thicknesses. You need a contact whose colored area has the same circumference as your iris, and which fits your eye in such a way that it does not shift when you blink.
Ask your eye doctor if they have contacts you can try on to see how the fit and color works for you. Remember that it is very important for patients with astigmatism to have contacts which do not shift in the eye. Your eye doctor will also want to advise you which contacts are a viable option for you, by ensuring that the contact you are considering fits properly, and would not compromise your eye health.
When trying to select a final style and color, try putting a different style/color of contact in each eye to compare.
Check out the Free Contact Lenses Guide, where you can find out more great information about contact lenses along with other information about eye care.