Toric Contact lens

Toric contact lenses are contact lenses designed to correct astigmatism. These type lenses are getting more and more popular and are an excellent alternative to spectacles or corrective eye surgery like Lasik.

The next logical development in contact lens would be a multifocal contact lens in the toric design. Especially nowadays with a considerable of contact lens wearers over 50years of age such a new concept would be very advantageous to the optical industry.

Now the only option for presbyopic toric contact lens wearers is the mono-vision adaptation where one of the contact lenses are fitted with a near prescription while the other eye is corrected with a contact lens for distance. It is a compromise situation because the trade-off is a reduced binocular stereoscopic perception.

This might cause problems judging distances which reduces for example the ability of estimating the speed of oncoming traffic. People wearing contact lenses in this fashion should be alert when overtaking on the motorway. Misjudging of distance or speed could have serious implications. However thousands of contact lens wearers have been fitted successfully contact lenses in this mono-vision way. A large percentage would have been suitable for multi focal lenses but a number of optometrists are applying the easiest fitting option.

Multi focal contact lenses are harder to fit and therefore time consuming. This is one of the reasons that the contact lens manufacturers are reluctant to introduce this toric multi focal contact lens concept because without adequate support from optometrists it will not be a profitable product. A disadvantage of Lasik surgery is that mono vision is the only way to correct presbyopia and there is the advantage for the contact lens industry to make sure it keeps its market share over corrective surgery .

Of course there are some contact lens manufacturers like Bausch & Lomb who are safeguarding their future by having an interest in both fields.No doubt that corrective eye surgery is also looking towards correcting presbyopia, but it might take some years in the future because altering the contours of a cornea is riskier and far more complex than producing a special contact lens.

With the onset of nano technology all these breakthroughs will eventually become reality. For now we are waiting for the first toric multifocal contact lens to enter the market and hopefully it will be produced as a cost effective disposable contact  lens.