Consultant's Corner
The Importance of Over Refraction with Toric Lenses
by Kelly Indovina, O.D.
Director of Professional Relations
The two essential elements of any contact lens are power and fit. An initial design for a toric lens can be designed using the keratometry readings and the manifest refraction. After you have ordered a pair of toric lenses for a patient, the most valuable information you can obtain is a sphero-cylinder over refraction. The three possible scenarios with a sphero-cylinder over refraction include:
The over refractive cylinder is at the same axis as the spectacle axis. This tells us the contact lens is under correcting the refractive cylinder.
The over refractive cylinder is 90 degrees away from the spectacle axis. This tells us the contact lens is over correcting the refractive cylinder.
The over refractive cylinder is oblique to the spectacle axis. This tells us the contact lens may be rotating and we may want to adjust the fit.
For assistance, call our Consultation Direct Line at (800) 566-8001.
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