Contact Lenses for Astigmatism at Optics&EYECARE in Ashburn, VA
If your vision has always been uniformly blurry at all distances, you probably have an extremely common refractive error known as astigmatism. Unlike more straightforward refractive errors such as nearsightedness and farsightedness, astigmatism can be somewhat tricky to correct accurately, especially where contact lenses are concerned. But you can indeed get contact lenses that do a good job of correcting astigmatism — and here at Optics&EYECARE in Ashburn, VA, we can make sure you get the perfect contacts for your astigmatism issues.
What Is Astigmatism?
Clear vision depends on light entering the eye as normally as possible. The smooth spherical curve of the cornea helps to make this happen. Unfortunately, few people have textbook-perfect corneal contours. Small aberrations or “pits” can distort the incoming light, causing blurry images instead of sharp ones. This makes astigmatism rather different from nearsightedness or farsightedness, which occurs due to abnormalities in the eyeball shape and which blur vision only at one distance level. Since the flaws occur in specific areas of the cornea, standard soft contacts often fail to correct for them. That’s because these contacts tend to rotate on the cornea and conform to the uneven surface.
Yes, You Can Use Contacts!
Many people with astigmatism assume that they simply can’t use contact lenses to correct their condition at all, but this is not the case. While ordinary contacts may not be very effective against astigmatism, today’s contact lenses also include a variety of specialized lenses that can succeed where standard soft contacts fail.
Available Options for Astigmatism
Getting the right contacts for your astigmatism starts, of course, with a comprehensive eye exam and a separate contact lens exam. Once we have “mapped out” the exact locations of your corneal irregularities, we can fit you with:
- GP contacts – Gas permeable contacts are rigid enough to hold a consistent shape instead of conforming to the corneal surface, correcting for aberrations.
- Hybrid contacts – If you prefer the comfort of soft contacts, you can get hybrid lenses that have a GP center and a soft rim.
- Toric contacts – Toric contacts are shaped and weighted so they will hold their place without shifting or rotating. This ensures that each corneal aberration is corrected precisely and consistently.
- Scleral contacts – Scleral contacts are ideal for extremely irregular corneas because they extend completely over and beyond the corneal surface.
Call Our Ashburn VA Optometry Center at Optics&EYECARE Today!
Don’t allow astigmatism to distort your view of the world. Call Optics&EYECARE in Ashburn, VA at (703) 687-4719 today to schedule an eye exam and contact lens exam.