Toric contact lenses · astigmatism
Astigmatism? You can still wear contact lenses, and see sharply in them.
If you’ve been told your astigmatism rules out contact lenses, or your last pair kept going blurry, it was the lens or the fit, not your eyes. We fit every lens for astigmatism at all five practices, and keep going until one sits still on your eye.
The problem
What people tell us about contact lenses and astigmatism.
- “I was told my astigmatism is too high for lenses.”
- “My vision goes blurry every time I blink.”
- “My last lenses kept twisting round.”
- “They were clear in the morning and blurry by lunch.”
- “I thought I’d have to have monthlies.”
- “I need help with reading now as well.”
All of these are common, and nearly all of them come down to the lens or the fit, not to you.
Why us
Our optometrists fit toric lenses every day at all five practices, and rigid and scleral lenses for the eyes soft lenses can’t correct.
4.9 ★ from 600+ Google reviews
“The optician explained everything really clearly.”Patient survey
How they work
How toric lenses correct astigmatism
- 1
What astigmatism is
The front of your eye is curved more one way than the other, like a rugby ball rather than a football. So your eye needs a different correction in different directions.
- 2
Why an ordinary lens blurs
A normal contact lens is the same all the way round. A toric lens has the right correction in each direction, so it has to sit the right way up.
- 3
How it stays put
Toric lenses are shaped or weighted so they settle into position every time you blink. Tiny marks on the edge let us check, under the microscope, that the lens is sitting exactly where it should.
- 4
If it twists, we change it
A lens that rotates is why vision goes blurry after blinking. If we see it move, we try another design until one sits still on your eye.
How we fix each one
Six problems, six answers.
“My astigmatism is too high.”
Very few prescriptions are. Soft toric lenses cover most people, and for higher or irregular astigmatism we fit rigid and scleral lenses at every practice.
“Blurry every time I blink.”
The lens is rotating. We check how it settles under the microscope and change the design until it stays put.
“My last lenses kept twisting.”
Different toric designs sit differently on different eyes, so we keep trying until one suits yours.
“Clear in the morning, blurry by lunch.”
Usually your tears. A dry eye makes a toric lens drift and blur, so we check your tear film first and treat it if it needs it.
“I thought I’d have to have monthlies.”
Toric lenses come as dailies too, which suit most part-time wearers and anyone who wants nothing to clean.
“I need help with reading now.”
Toric varifocal lenses correct astigmatism and reading together, soft or rigid.
Your options
Your options, depending on how much astigmatism you have
Every lens on this page is fitted at all five practices. The fitting decides, with you.
Mild to moderate: soft toric lenses
Daily or monthly soft lenses that correct astigmatism and settle in the right position on each blink. This is most people with astigmatism, and the fitting finds the one that sits still on your eye.
High or awkward: RGP lenses
A small rigid lens holds its shape on the eye, so it corrects astigmatism a soft lens can only follow. Sharper vision than any soft lens, a week or two to get used to, and worth it for high astigmatism. RGP lenses →
Irregular or keratoconus: mini-scleral and scleral lenses
When the cornea is cone-shaped or uneven, from keratoconus, after surgery or after injury, a scleral lens vaults over it and rests on the white of the eye, with a layer of fluid underneath doing the correcting. Vision that glasses cannot give, and comfort most people do not expect. We fit these at every practice. Keratoconus and scleral lenses →
Over forty: toric multifocals
Astigmatism and reading correction in one lens, soft or rigid. The fitting balances the two eyes so distance and near both work.
The plan
How it works
- 1Book a contact lens fitting
Thirty minutes with an optometrist, £95. If you’re new to lenses, the trial pair is free.
- 2Wear them for a week
We teach you to put them in and take them out, then you wear them at work, on screens and out and about.
- 3Checked, then ordered
We look at how the lens sits after a week and change anything that isn’t right. Only then do we order your supply.
What you get. Clear, steady vision that doesn’t blur when you blink.
Put it off, and you stay in glasses for sport, the rain and every photo, because someone once said no.
Get the right fit, and your vision stays sharp from the moment you put them in to the moment you take them out.
Five practices
Book a fitting at your nearest practice
Toric lenses are fitted at all five practices. Choose the one closest to you.
CheadleAbra & Co · 19 Wilmslow Road★ 4.9 · 106 Google reviewsOpticians in Cheadle →
Also near: Cheadle Hulme · Gatley · Bramhall · Stockport
MiddletonAbra & Co · 36 Long Street★ 4.9 · 164 Google reviewsOpticians in Middleton →
Also near: Heywood · Chadderton · Blackley · Rochdale
Heald GreenAshworth Opticians · 214 Finney Lane★ 4.9 · 131 Google reviewsOpticians in Heald Green →
Also near: Gatley · Wythenshawe · Sale · Altrincham
WinsfordWinsford Eye & Footcare · 27 Delamere Street★ 4.9 · 75 Google reviewsOpticians in Winsford →
Also near: Northwich · Middlewich · Knutsford · Crewe and Nantwich
HeckmondwikeArmitage Opticians · 14 Market Street★ 4.9 · 133 Google reviewsOpticians in Heckmondwike →
Also near: Dewsbury · Batley · Mirfield · Cleckheaton
Free on the NHS if you qualify, £55 privately, at every practice. All five, with the towns each one serves →
Frequently asked questions
Can I wear contact lenses with astigmatism?
Yes, almost always. Soft toric lenses, daily or monthly, suit most people with astigmatism, and for higher or irregular astigmatism we fit rigid and scleral lenses at every practice.
What if soft toric lenses don’t work for me?
Then a rigid lens usually will. A small rigid lens holds its own shape, so it corrects astigmatism a soft lens can only follow, and it gives the sharpest vision of any lens.
Why did my toric lenses give me blurred vision before?
Usually because the lens was rotating on the eye or was not quite the right fit. A proper fitting checks how the lens sits after you blink, and tries alternatives until one stays put.
Do toric lenses come as dailies?
Yes, and as monthlies, and as multifocals for over-forties with astigmatism.
Is the fitting different?
Same appointment, a little more time on how the lens sits. The price is the same.
What does the fitting cost?
£95, including the teaching and the follow-up check, with free trial lenses if you are new to lenses. Your lenses are then paid by monthly direct debit, from £11 a month, or per box.