Learn more about Astigmatism with Dr. Tom Arnold

In Dr. Tom Arnold’s presentation, titled Battling Astigmatism, he discussed anterior, posterior, and lenticular astigmatism, as well as scleral toricity. This presentation will leave doctors better equipped to select the best initial contact lens design based on the location of astigmatism.

Here are a few key points from the presentation:

·        If a patient has astigmatism that does not match the anterior curvature of a lens, a soft lens will likely be the best option

·        If the corneal cylinder is approximately equal to refractive cylinder, a gas-permeable lens may be the best option. Benefits of gas-permeable lenses are excellent vision, easy to fit with empirical data, and the lenses are easy to maintain

·        Hybrids are also a great option for matching refractive cylinder and corneal cylinder. The hybrid skirts are now designed curved, rather than linear, to allow for better comfort and prevent fluting or suction of the edges

·        Scleral contact lenses may be a better option over gas-permeable lenses if the corneal elevation different is more than 350 microns between the major meridians

Dr. Arnold covered so many great clinical pearls for success in contact lens prescribing. Be sure to check out his presentation and handouts here.