Is Biofinity Toric XR Backordered?
- July 15, 2022
If you wear Biofinity Toric XR contact lenses, you probably have experienced a delay in getting these lenses. While most monthly-replacement contact lenses deliver in just a few days, many of our patients wearing Biofinity Toric XR find that these take over 4 weeks to get.
Did you know that another advanced contact lens can offer clearer vision with faster delivery than Biofinity Toric XR?
Why Does Biofinity Toric XR Take So Long?
The Biofinity Toric line of contact lenses is commonly prescribed for patients with astigmatism. Biofinity Toric XR represents the parameters for more esoteric “extended range” or XR powers. In total, there are almost 33,000 parameters permutations for Biofinity Toric and Biofinity Toric XR. It is inefficient for a contact lens manufacturer to stock lens parameters that are uncommonly worn. Therefore, Biofinity Toric XR lenses are frequently made-to-order, which means longer delivery times.
Biofinity Material and Design
The Biofinity portfolio lenses are manufactured by CooperVision, a leading contact lens company. The Biofinity line of lenses uses a third-generation breathable lens silicone hydrogel material, comfilcon A. Biofinity Toric lenses are designed to reduce astigmatism, a directional blurring of vision. Toric lenses are rotationally stabilized on the eye to minimize the directional smearing. There are several proprietary lens strategies to rotationally stabilize a lens on the eye. The Biofinity Toric and Biofinity Toric XR lenses use a prism ballast design, where the bottom of the lens is weighted. Eye doctors must compensate for any natural on-eye rotation of a toric contact lens to maximize vision, and this takes greater time and attention to achieve a desirable outcome. Even so, the vision is not always consistent.
Toric Lenses Can Cause Vision Fluctuations
A common problem with soft toric contacts is that vision fluctuates with blink, eye movement, eye rubbing, and head position. The greater the astigmatism, the more the contact lens is prone to fluctuate vision. This is an inherent limitation of soft toric lenses for high amounts of astigmatism.
Scleral Lenses to The Rescue
The gold standard for stable vision with contacts for high astigmatism is a rigid surface contact lens. This is where scleral contact lenses can excel since the vision with these advanced rigid lenses can remain consistent even if the lens spins on the eye. Scleral lenses, when skillfully prescribed, approach the comfort of a disposable soft contact lens, but with even better vision.
As a bonus, scleral contact lenses often deliver faster (~10 days) versus Biofinity Toric XR lenses (often 4+ weeks). Scleral contact lenses are custom-lathed using computer-controlled diamond turning for unparalleled reproducibility. Scleral lenses are fully custom, durable lenses intended for annual replacement. In many cases, scleral lenses can endure for much longer providing enduring value.
While scleral lens prescribing can cost more in the short-term, the long-term benefits of improved vision and more convenient delivery times often make them a worthwhile investment.
To find out if scleral contact lens prescribing is right for you, call ReVision Optometry today to schedule your examination at 619.299.6064 or request an appointment online. During your examination, you will learn about your candidacy status for scleral lenses, and what to expect, including an estimate of out-of-pocket costs.