15 out of 15 people found this review helpful.
Time to rethink getting astigmatism lenses?
Date of Review: May 16, 2008
The Bottom Line: If you've avoided wearing astigmatism contact lenses in the past, these may be worth trying. After I got used to them, they felt like any other contact.
I've always had slight astigmatism in one eye, but eye doctors had always told me that the small improvement in vision I'd get from astigmatism contacts wouldn't be worth the trouble. On my last visit, though, I was examined by a new doctor, who said that he thought the vision improvement I'd see from wearing one might be worth it. So he had me try Acuvue Advance for Astigmatism lenses.
When I first tried it in his office, I thought, "This isn't going to work." It took like 10 minutes to put in -- it kept curling up on the side and I couldn't get it to flatten out. Then when I finally got it in, I had that feeling I normally get when I've got an eyelash or something stuck to my contact. But I wanted to see better, so I decided to tough it out and try them for a week or two.
After that first day, things improved greatly. After a day or two, I no longer noticed the difference. The contacts, which are supposed to be worn for two weeks, don't curl up as badly after a few days. And I was able to see much, much better.
I wear an Acuvue Oasys, which is designed to help relieve dry eyes, in my other eye, and I was worried that the astigmatism contact would leave my eye feeling dry, but I haven't noticed any problems.
The contacts look about the same as other contacts, except that the Advance for Astigmatism contact has two little lines on it. My understanding is that this is because the contacts are weighted to make them stay on your eye correctly, which is what causes the sides to curl up.
Overall, I have been very pleased with these contacts and am very glad I decided to try them. I am also grateful to my doctor for recommending them to me.
Obviously, everyone's eyes are going to be different, so these contacts may not work for you. However, if you've been afraid to try astigmatism lenses in the past because you've heard how uncomfortable they are, I think it's worth it to at least ask your eye doctor about them and see if he/she thinks they may be right for you. I'm no expert, but I have been wearing contacts for about 12 years, and I'm impressed with these.
Price and availability: Acuvue Advance for Astigmatism contacts are more costly than regular contact lenses. They're around $30-35 for a box, which contains six contacts (a three-month supply). You can get them from your eye doctor or order them from a number of online stores if you have a prescription.
