What is advisable – glasses or contact lens?

Q: I am a 27 years old male have - 4.50 (spherical) and - 3.5 (Cylindrical) power in my left eye whereas my right eye is having 6/6 vision. Can I wear spectacles with reasonable comfort or are contact lenses my only option? Will there be better control of the astigmatism if I wear lenses v/s spectacles? My doctor has recommended soft toric lenses. Is it safe to use? My doctor informs me that most branded lens manufacturers do not have adequate options for my level of correction.

A:You have anisometropia, with an overall difference power between the two eyes being more than 0.3 diaptres. In such cases, often wearing glasses creates problems such as diplopia (double vision).

• You can try to wear glasses to see if you are able to adjust to them, otherwise using a soft toric contact lens in the left eye is the treatment for this condition.
• With the kind of cylindrical power you have, very few branded MNCs market contact lens of this power, thus limiting your options.
• Later, after screening to rule out keratoconus and ensuring safety of the procedure, you may consider LASIK to get rid of the glasses.