I have astigmatism and was told I couldn’t wear contacts. Is that true?

No. Most people with astigmatism can wear contact lenses. In astigmatism, the curvature of the cornea varies in different axes and spectacles with a cylindrical number are prescribed for its correction. For those wishing to wear contact lenses, the fitting procedure takes more time, and certain lenses don’t provide vision as good as glasses, but only in special circumstances can a person with astigmatism not be fitted with contact lenses.

In astigmatism, RGP (“semi-soft” lenses) provide sharper vision. This is because rigid lenses retain their shape and placement on the cornea better than soft lenses, and helps the eye to conform to the shape of the contact lens, thus masking the need for an astigmatic correction. If you have a small amount of astigmatism, between zero and 1.00 (either +1.00 or -1.00), you may still be able to wear a regular spherical soft lens, although with not as good quality as RGP lenses. In higher degrees of astigmatism, only RGP lenses will provide sharp vision; regular soft lenses will not help.

If you have a significant amount of astigmatism, and still wish to wear soft contact lenses, you can wear a special type of soft contact lens called a Toric Lens, which will correct your astigmatism. Properly fitting a toric lens takes more of your time and requires more expertise than regular contacts. However, these lenses are typically more expensive.