Learn more about toric, scleral, ortho-K and hybrid lenses and how they help people with special vision needs.
June 20, 2024
Written by
Katherine Solem
Expert review by
Siddarth Rathi, MD
Learn more about toric, scleral, ortho-K and hybrid lenses and how they help people with special vision needs.
June 20, 2024
Written by
Katherine Solem
Expert review by
Siddarth Rathi, MD
Most people who wear contact lenses use regular soft contact lenses. However, if you have special vision needs, your eye doctor may recommend specialty contact lenses. If you could benefit from specialty contacts, your doctor will help you find the right option for your needs.
Toric contact lenses are designed for people with astigmatism. Astigmatism means that your eye is more oval or football-shaped than round or basketball-shaped. People with astigmatism can also be nearsighted or farsighted.
Because the eye is shaped differently, toric lenses can have different prescriptions across the entire lens. For this reason, toric lenses have a specific “top” and “bottom” orientation. They often have tiny markings to show your eye doctor which way to place them. You may notice these markings when you put your contacts in, but they won’t affect your vision.
Toric lenses are available as both soft and hard contact lenses. They also come in various wear types, including daily, biweekly, and monthly contact lenses. Toric lenses often cost more than regular contact lenses. This can be due to several factors. One reason is that the prescription is specific to where the astigmatism sits on your eye. Some people with mild astigmatism can use regular contact lenses instead. Talk with your doctor about your specific vision needs.
Scleral contact lenses are a type of hard, or rigid gas permeable (RGP), lens. They cover a larger portion of your eyeball than most soft contact lenses. Most contacts just cover the cornea, the layer on the front of your eye. Scleral lenses cover part of the whites of your eye, called the sclera. Because they sit on the whites of the eye, they create a little pocket between the contact lens and the cornea. This allows more moisture and oxygen to reach your eye, which is important for eye health.
These lenses are mainly used for people with severe dry eye. They can also be used in cases of substantial astigmatism or other corneal problems.
Ortho-k lenses are a special type of hard lens. They temporarily reshape your cornea to help improve your vision. Once you remove the lens, you can see without the help of contacts or glasses for a few hours or up to the whole next day. They are typically used for nearsightedness.
Ortho-k lenses are typically worn every night and taken out every morning to maintain their effect. Your doctor will decide what wear schedule is best for you.
As its name suggests, hybrid lenses combine aspects of both hard and soft lenses. It features a “hard” center made of hard RGP material and a soft outer ring made of soft contact lens material. The “hard” center provides a crisp vision. The soft outer ring provides comfort and helps the lens stay centered.
Hard lenses are slightly stiffer than soft lenses while still thin and flexible. Combining the benefits of hard and soft lenses into a hybrid mix is a newer technology.
Colored contact lenses can change the appearance of your eye color. While you might be interested purely in the cosmetic effect, you still need a prescription for colored lenses. Colored lenses can also be used for vision correction.
Talk with your eye doctor about the risks and reasons for colored contact lenses if you’re interested in trying them.
Remember, your doctor will work with you to determine if you might benefit from specialty contact lenses.
