Having astigmatism means that one or both of your eyes have taken on a rugby ball shape. As a result, traditional, spherical contact lenses may move around while you wear them, and your vision won't be as clear as it should be.

Fortunately, toric contact lenses can help, as they're designed to correct this error of refraction, promising a perfect fit and high levels of comfort. Some toric lenses are weighted at the bottom to prevent side-to-side rotation when you blink, enhancing your visual acuity, so you can see without any problems. Unlike spherical lenses, toric lenses have different levels of correction in each meridian.

When choosing a toric contact lens, you'll be asked to enter the power and sometimes the diameter and base curve from your prescription, as you would with a spherical lens. You'll also need to enter the cylinder (CYL) and the axis (AX) - 2 measurements unique to contact lenses for astigmatism. The cylinder indicates how pronounced your astigmatism is, while the axis determines what angle the correction is needed to be at to provide clear vision.

In scientific terms, it's a common refractive error in the same category as myopia (short-sightedness) or hyperopia (long-sightedness). With regards to what you experience, astigmatism causes blurry or distorted vision, because your lens or cornea is not completely spherical in shape, so light can't enter evenly. The rugby ball shape scatters the light across the back of the eye, making it difficult to see clear images.

Except for blurry vision, other symptoms of astigmatism include headaches, fatigue or eye strain, mostly after performing a task that requires focusing on something for long periods of time, such as reading or driving. If any of the above sounds familiar to you, we'd recommend arranging a visit with your optician to see if toric contact lenses are the solution for you.

There are 3 different types of astigmatism, all of which depend on what optometrists call 'meridians'. If you imagine a clock face, a meridian would be a line connecting 12 to 6 or 4 to 10, for example. These meridians are used to mark out areas of the eye and can cause myopia/short sight (myopic astigmatism), long sight (hyperopic astigmatism), or be a combination of the two (mixed astigmatism). But astigmatism can also exist in conjunction to another eye condition, such as presbyopia - and wearers can enjoy clear vision at all distances with toric multifocal contact lenses.

Regular astigmatism

Astigmatism gets classified as 'regular' or 'irregular'. Regular astigmatism refers to when your cornea is curved more in one direction than the other. This incorrect curvature is the most common classification and is easily corrected with toric contact lenses.

Irregular astigmatism

Irregular astigmatism is less common and is most often caused by an eye injury. The cornea, rather than being curved in one direction, curves in multiple directions or is steeper in one part of the surface of your eye than another.

It's a no-brainer: toric lenses are the most effective way to correct astigmatism. Toric contact lenses are specifically designed to securely fit the shape of your eye like a glove, ensuring a comfortable and secure fit for astigmatic wearers. They're the best, safest method to preserve the quality of your vision and keep symptoms at bay. Plus, toric lenses are the easiest, most fuss-free way of correcting and managing your astigmatism.

Another amazing feature of toric lenses is that they contain different powers for the various meridians in the eye. This means that these lenses can correct the amount of short or long sight in one part of the eye without affecting the rest.

When you're looking for contact lenses for astigmatism, it's easy to get confused. Most popular brands have toric versions with a similar name so it's important to double-check that the title on the webpage or the lens box says either 'toric' or 'for astigmatism' somewhere on it. If you see this, you're sure to have the right type of lenses.

Remember, as we outlined above, astigmatism is an eye condition that is unique to each person. This means that not every type of toric contact lens is going to be perfect for you - that's why it's important to have a regular eye test and chat to your optician before choosing a product. Generally speaking, being proactive with your eye health and ensuring you buy your contact lenses using an up-to-date prescription is key to enjoying their amazing benefits.

It's often advisable to stick to the brand or manufacturer that your optician has recommended for you to ensure that you get the best lenses for your needs.

Have you been recommended a toric lens that is an opticians' own brand that you can't find online? Fear not: Boots and Specsavers lenses are basically equivalents of other branded contact lenses, but with different packaging. To find the equivalent lens to Boots own brand look at this table, and for Specsavers easyvision, you can use this table to find the right lens. Plus, order toric lenses from us today, and spend £59 for free delivery tomorrow.

If you, as a contact lens wearer, have dry eyes, it's worth choosing a lens that is particularly adept at retaining moisture. You should also see if the lens is particularly breathable and lets plenty of oxygen reach the eye to guarantee that your eyes will be comfortable throughout the day. Other features you might want to check for are additional UV blocking and a handling tint for easy application. Equally, you can get effective relief and comfort from eye drops.