Can contact lenses cause astigmatism?
They do not cause corneal astigmatism, and a lens that fits badly can temporarily distort the cornea so that measurements taken while you are wearing it are inaccurate. That temporary change is the reason for the stopping period before an assessment.
- Subject
- Glasses & contacts
- Topic
- Contact lens safety
- Kind of question
- Can I…
- Procedures
- Contact lenses
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
What this answer depends on
- How the lens fits
- How long you have been wearing lenses of this type
- Whether the change persists after leaving them out
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Where this answer sits
It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under Glasses & contact lenses in Contact lens safety . The subject page carries the answers either side of it, and the hub is searchable.
Subjects this question touches
The pages that answer the subject behind the question, rather than the question itself.
- Condition Astigmatism
- Non-surgical option Contact lenses
- Non-surgical option Glasses
- Comparison Glasses vs contact lenses
This information is for educational purposes and does not replace an examination by a qualified eye-care professional.
General answers cannot tell you what is happening in your own eyes. Only an examination by a qualified ophthalmologist can do that.
Sources & further reading
We prefer primary sources. Where a claim comes from a manufacturer, a single study or a regulator, it is labelled as such below.
- EyeSmart: eye health information for the public
Patient-facing material from the largest ophthalmology professional body, covering conditions, tests and treatments outside refractive surgery.
Used for Cross-checking patient-facing explanations of non-refractive eye conditions; Describing what tests such as dilation and OCT involve.
Link checked 23 September 2026