Advantages: corrects astigmatism, continous wear up to 30 days
Disadvantages: not for everyone, can rotate and cause blurred vision, price

...try Bausch & Lomb's PureVision Toric lenses - after all, I do have moderate astigmatism** and apparently it was prudent to correct that first. ** Astigmatism: Astigmatism occurs when the front part of the eye, the cornea, is not a regular symmetrical spherical shape. Instead, its shape is rather like that of the back of a spoon (or rugby ball) - longer in one direction than another. Because the cornea is an irregular shape, the eye can't focus light passing through it sharply on to the back of the eye or retina. So vision is blurred at all distances. © www.bbc.co.uk/health/conditions/astigmatism2.shtml I wasn't too convinced simply because I need bi or varifocal glasses, two different prescriptions for distance and reading. And the toric lenses would only cover the distance part (although they would correct my... Read review

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Advantages: Don't dry out; You can sleep in them;
Disadvantages: You do eventually have to take them out!!

...Thank goodness for Bausch & Lomb Purevision Toric!! I was diagnosed with Myopia when I was about 7 years old. Don't panic, I don't need your sympathy...myopia is the technical term for short-sighted. As a seventies baby it meant having to endure the inevitable brown plastic framed NHS glasses through primary school. By the time I had reached secondary school I had been upgraded to metal framed glasses. I cringe when I look back at what I was wearing and you can tell the year by the style of my glasses. It is so embarassing being a glasses wearer in the eighties!! LOL!! I was always in the school football teams even though I was becoming even more short-sighted. I have no idea how I managed to play and actually play well....just imagine where I could have been with contact lenses!! My first experience of contact lenses... Read review

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Advantages: means people with astigmatism can wear contacts.
Disadvantages: costly.

...flinchy about my eyes, and it took me two days to put one in. I eventually learned how to do it, and put them in and took them out three times for them. A few days after i got them, i noticed they were no way as clear as my glasses, and so went back to my optician. They then checked my eyes fully, and found that i had astigmatism, and needed toric lenses. Toric lenses are made specially for people with Astigmatism (i'll explain what this is further down).They're made the same materials as normal contact lenses, so toric contacts are available in both soft and RGP contact lenses. Astigmatism is distorted vision typically caused by an irregularly shaped cornea. The cornea is the clear tissue on the front of your eye that covers the iris and the pupil. People who have astigmatism may also have nearsightedness (mytopia)or farsightedness... Read review

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Advantages: Extremely Comfortable, Can be worn for long hours
Disadvantages: none

...I have always been a bit sceptical about contact lenses. I have always wanted to try them, but I never really had the guts too.. You hear so many stories about people having serious problems with them and the damage they can cause… it puts you off. Anyway a recent visit for my regular eye test revealed that the Astigmatism that I have in both eyes was getting worse. I was given a number of options that would correct the Astigmatism, as wearing glasses was making it worse. So I had to choose between either Surgery to the eyes themselves or try to Contact lenses… Ummm well I chose contact lenses as I don’t want surgery… especially after being told what they actually do... There’s no way I’m going through that!!!. I was put on a trial for 2 weeks, with Ciba Vision Focus Toric Lenses, to see how I got on with them. I was limited... Read review

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Advantages: No more glasses !
Disadvantages: Can irritate eyes and takes getting used to

...at a pedestrian crossing l realised that these were not for me! I was finally fitted with soft lenses, with a soft toric lens in my right eye. My dad paid for these and (l think) they cost £100, inclusive of all required solutions and lens care packages. I tended to wear these lenses only at night and only when l could be bothered to fiddle with my eyes. Needless to say that they eventually got forgotten about, and when l lost a lens l did not bother getting it replaced. I continued on being a spectacle wearer. At the beginning of 2001, l decided l would give contacts another go. So off to Specsavers l headed again, for my consultation. I inquired if l would need a specialised toric lens in my right eye, but things had improved and my optician suggested we go for the monthly disposable. This was quite a result as far as l was concerned... Read review

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Advantages: comfort
Disadvantages: price

...For years those of us with astigmatism were stigmatised (pardon the pun) and not able to wear contacts... then along came the toric lenses. These are monthly disposable lenses designed for people with astigmatism. I can honestly say that over the two years that I wore Focus torics I was extremely satisfied. I only stopped wearing them as my sight was borderline toric or not and as I work long hours I did not think it was worth the cost as I often opened a pack and was not able to use them more than about 7 days in 30 and have now switched to daily disposables which do not give me such clear vision but are cheaper. The torics I got were through the Dolland and Aitchison postal scheme and caost £25 a month. I had been told that a lot of people did not get on with the toric lenses as they are "weighted" at the bottom and have... Read review

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Advantages: So comfortable you forget you're wearing them.
Disadvantages: They cost more money than traditional soft lenses.

...of being able to wear them after work to the gym or to a restaurant, for example. So while they are more expensive they are certainly worth every penny. Whiter, healthier, more comfortable eyes. That's what I wanted and that's exactly what I got. If that's what you want too, then speak to your eye care professional now! Some notes about Air Optix contact lenses: - They're not yet available in toric lens, but will be soon. - The lenses have a pale blue handling tint. It won't make a difference to your eye colour. - Coloured Air Optix lenses are not available. - And just to remind you, they are monthly disposable lenses. Wear daily, clean daily, dispose of monthly. - You can use whichever multi-purpose solution you like for cleaning and soaking, you won't have to buy a certain one.... Read review

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Advantages: despite bad stigmatism your are able to freely live without the constant inconvenience of wearing specs
Disadvantages: shelf life is poor for yearly's

...I have what is called a stage nine stigmatism in my eyes, and practically since birth have been forced to wear the famous bottle bottomed glasses popular with old men and ladies alike, well, of course technical advances have meant I can now purchase a nice fashionable stylish pair of specs. But I always dreamed that one day I could live freely without my specs. I was inspired to go for it when my friend started using them, I had been told in the past that my stigmatism was to advanced to be corrected, but a few years down the line I thought I’d try again. A short trip to the opticians later and I had been told I could wear a pair of toric lenses, I was informed however that the only toric that would correct a stage nine stigmatism were a yearly pair. I decided to go for it. They cost £150 for one pair and they were to last... Read review

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