Contacts

[Hk1512]

Hi. Can i use normal lenses for my eyes? I have astigmatism of 0.75 and i dont want to use toric lenses since they are more expensive and uncomfortable. People say that those with 1.00'or less can use normal lenses. Is this true? Thanks

[Ray T Oyakawa, MD]

Most likely.  Try the non toric lenses and see if vision is adequate.

Dr. O.

[flossy93]

If your optometrist says you are a candidate for contact lens use and prescribes non-toric lenses that fit properly, you can use a 'normal' (non-toric) contact even if you have mild astigmatism.  

That said, please be sure to have contacts fitted by a professional optometrist.  Lenses that don't fit your eyes properly can cause damage to your cornea and overall eye health.

I use 'normal' (i.e. not toric) soft contact lenses and I have astigmatism of -1.0D in my non-dominant eye.  Not having the astigmatism corrected by contacts hasn't been a problem for me.

In an eye with astigmatism, you will not get vision that is as crisp when using a non-toric contact.   But if the uncorrected astigmatism is mild enough and doesn't cause you headache or visual fatigue, you may be able to tolerate it.