Are you looking for new contact lenses for astigmatism because you feel like you’ve tried them all and none of them perform as well as you’d like? Then this is an exciting time for you because we are seeing a whole slew of new contact lenses for astigmatism hit the market.
*UPDATE* This article should really be called ‘Four New Contact Lenses for Astigmatism in 2017′. Since writing this article, Johnson & Jonhson released Acuvue Vita for Astigmatism. Click the link to read my full review.
In the contact lens industry, it seems like new contact lenses are introduced in waves. A few years ago, we saw nothing but new daily disposable contact lenses. In past couple of years, it has been the resurgence of monthly contact lenses. And now, we’re finally getting a wave of new contact lenses for astigmatism.
The Challenges of Having Astigmatism
People with astigmatism are truly disadvantaged when it comes to everything vision, glasses, and contact lens related. Astigmatism makes our vision worse, it makes our glasses and contact lenses more expensive, it makes wearing contact lenses more difficult, and it drastically limits our choice of contact lens brands.
But that’s just the way it is for us astigmats. The challenges we face have made us resilient and we are all stronger because of it (ok, maybe that’s a little much).
The Old Contact Lenses for Astigmatism
Here I will list all the contact lenses for astigmatism that were available to us prior to 2017. A lot of these are very good brands, so if you haven’t tried them yet, speak to your eye doctor about them, they may be worth a try.
Bi-Weekly Contact Lenses for Astigmatism
Acuvue Advanced for Astigmatism (discontinued)
Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism
Biomedics toric
Avaira Vitality toric (US only)
encore toric (Canada only)
Vertex toric (US only)
Monthly Contact Lenses for Astigmatism
Air Optix for Astigmatism
Biofinity toric
Biofinity toric XR
Proclear toric
Proclear toric XR
Porclear multifocal toric
Frequency 55 toric
Encore 100 toric (Canada only)
Soflens Toric for Astigmatism
PurveVision 2 Toric for Astigmatism
Daily Contact Lenses for Astigmatism
Acuvue 1-day Moist for Astigmatism
Dailies AquaComfort Plus Toric
Focus Dailies Toric (discontinued soon)
Clariti 1-day toric
Biomedic 1-day toric (Canda only)
ClearSight 1-day toric (US only)
Soflens Daily Disposable for Astigmatism
Optometrists tend to have 1 or 2 ‘go-to’ brands that they like to fit patients with. If you see something in the list above that your optometrist hasn’t offered you, ask him or her to order you some trials and try them out.
New Contact Lenses for Astigmatism
ULTRA for Astigmatism
The ULTRA by Bausch + Lomb brand launched in 2014, and was the first new monthly contact lens in almost a decade. Its success triggered a cascade of new monthly contact lenses trying to capitalize on previously disgruntled monthly contact lens wearer.
ULTRA continued to break new grounds when it launched its ULTRA for Presbyopia line, making it the first new multifocal monthly contact lens in close to a decade.
And now, it is following suit with ULTRA for astigmatism, the first new monthly option available to wearers of contact lenses for astigmatism in years.
If comfort has been an issue with your previous contact lenses for astigmatism, ULTRA for Astigmatism is definitely a brand you’ll want to try.
Click here to read my complete review of ULTRA for Astigmatism.
MyDay toric
MyDay toric is an impressive contact lens. It contains everything you would be looking for as a toric contact lens wearer.
Clear Vision
MyDay toric makes use of CooperVision’s patented Optimised Toric Lens Geometry to achieve the best possible vision for a toric contact lens.
What is Optomised Toric Lens Geometry?
This technology is what makes wearing a contact lens for astigmatism possible. It is what aligns and stabilizes the contact lenses on your eyes which allows you to see clearly without constant vision fluctuations.
How does Optimized Toric Lens Geometry work?
Uniform lens thickness
When the lens thickness is no uniform, blinking will cause rotation of the lenses.
Smooth, even surface
Help with comfort and lens stability.
Large optic zone
Allows you to see better in all lighting environments
The downside to Optimised Toric Lens Geometry?
This is not a new technology by any means. It is the same technology used in Biofinity Toric, so if you’ve tried Biofinity Toric without success, MyDay toric may not be much better for you.
Optimised ballast design
The mechanism that allows the lens to correctly position itself on your eyes.
Good Comfort
Smart Silicone technology
The MyDay toric lens uses CooperVision’s Smart Silicone technology, which addresses many of the issues faced by previous brands of contact lenses that incorporate the use of silicone.
Silicone has now been added to contact lenses for years in order to make them more breathable. The downside to doing this is that the silicone also makes the lenses stiffer and less comfortable.
Smart Silicone technology is a new step in the evolution in contact lenses with silicone. It allows contact lenses to maintain the same high level of breathability without using nearly as much silicone, which improves the overall comfort of the lenses.
Here is CooperVision explaining why their MyDay lenses are their most comfortable yet.
Downside of MyDay toric
Although MyDay toric has many great features and benefits, they do not come without a hefty price tag. Daily disposable contact lenses for astigmatism are already among the most expensive contact lenses you can buy, let alone the best and newest brands such as MyDay toric.
Health and Convenience of Daily Contact Lenses
Being daily disposable contact lenses, MyDay toric and Acuvue Oasys 1-day for Astigmatism (see below) automatically possess health and convenience benefits that monthly contact lenses for astigmatism do no have.
Daily contact lenses are safer
- They do not rely on proper cleaning procedures to remain sterile and free of harmful bacteria.
- They are discarded daily which doesn’t allow harmful bacteria to grow on them and infect the eye.
- Drastically reduce the risk of infection in people who swim or fall asleep in their contact lenses.
Daily contact lenses are more convenient
- There is no need to spend time cleaning your lenses.
- There is no need to shop and spend money on contact lens cleaning solution.
- There is no need to carry around cases and cleaning solution on trips.
UV Protection
Many people who wear contact lenses do so because they lead active outdoor lifestyles. This makes people very vulnerable to the dangers of harmful UV rays produced by the sun.
Not every contact lens offers protection from UV rays, but MyDay toric and Acuvue Oasys 1-day for Astigmatism do. Both of these brands provide protection against harmful UVA and UVB rays.
For more information about the effects of UV rays on the eyes, click here.
Acuvue Oasys 1-day for Astigmatism
Acuvue Oasys 1-Day is a premium daily disposable contact lens by Johnson & Johnson meant to revolutionize comfort for people who wear their lenses for long hours and make heavy use of digital devices.
Johnson & Johnson, the makers of all Acuvue contact lenses, did not waste any time in expanding their newest line of daily disposable contact lenses. Shortly after they launched Acuve Oasys 1-day, they have forged ahead and released Acuvue Oasys 1-day for Astigmatism.
Acuvue Oasys 1-day for Astigmatism boasts several new features compared to Johnson & Johnson’s other line of daily contact lenses for astigmatism; Acuvue 1-day Moist for Astigmatism.
First and foremost, this lens is based on its non-astigmatism counterpart: Acuvue Oasys 1-day.
To learn more about what sets Acuvue Oasys 1-day apart from other daily disposable contact lenses, you can read my full review here.
The goal of Johnson & Johnson while developing this lens was to create a contact lens for astigmatism that had:
- unsurpassed comfort
- consistent, clear and stable vision
In order to accomplish these feats, Acuvue Oasys 1-day for Astigmatism combines two different contact lens technologies:
- HydraLuxe Technology
- Blink Stabilized Design
To learn more about HydraLuxe Technology, click here.
Blink Stabilized Design is Johnson & Johnson’s patented method of preventing toric contact lenses from rotating once on the eyes.
Most toric contact lenses rely on weights placed at the bottom of the lenses and gravity to pull the weights down in order to keep the contact lenses in place. This type of stabilizing method works well when the head is upright and looking forward, but when the head is tilted or turned, gravity works against you and actually pulls the lenses out of alignment.
Johnson & Johnson’s Blink Stabilized Design works differently. It has been strategically designed to interact with your eyelids such that every time you blink, it re-positions the lenses. This means that regardless of your head position, the lenses remain in the correct orientation.
The following video will demonstrate how Blink Stabilized Design works.
Acuvue Vita for Astigmatism
This monthly contact lens for astigmatism was released after I wrote this article. I have written a full review of this brand, which you can read here.
Although Acuvue Vita for Astigmatism is a new monthly contact lens for astigmatism, it actually shares a few features in common with some other Acuvue brands, such as:
- HydraMax Technology: Acuvue Vita
- Blink Stabilized Design: Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism, Acuvue 1-Day Moist for Astigmatism, Acuvue Oasys for Astigmatism
- Infinity Edge Design: Acuvue 2, Acuvue Vita,
Where To Find The Lowest Contact Lens Prices
Once you’ve received a prescription for contact lenses for astigmatism, it’s time to start shopping around to get the best price.
Here at Contacts Advice, I’ve made the process as simple as possible.
Contacts Advice is the Internet’s Best Contact Lens Price Comparison Site
Since I launched Contacts Advice in 2015, my mission has been to save contact lens wearers as much money as possible. That’s why I find the lowest prices for every brand of contact lenses so that you never overpay for your contact lenses again.
What Can You Expect From Contacts Advice?
- Price comparisons at the top contact lens websites
- Lowest price found for every brand
- Weekly updates on all prices
Never overpay for contact lenses again!
Summary
There are your 4 new contact lenses for astigmatism as of 2017
- ULTRA for Astigmatism
- MyDay toric
- Acuvue Oasys 1-day for Astigmatism
- Acuvue Vita for Astigmatism
This is likely not the end of this wave of new contact lenses for astigmatism, so keep visiting Contacts Advice for future updates.
If you’ve tried any of the new contact lenses for astigmatism mentioned in the article, let everyone know what you think of them in the comments below!
P.S. I am happy to answer questions about optics, contact lenses, brands, and prices in the comments below, but I do not offer any medically-related advice. I recommend speaking to a licensed health care professional for all medical concerns.
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