Can this patient wear a spherical GP lens despite astigmatism in the example?

• A. Only with toric GP
• B. No
• C. Yes
• D. Only if BC is tight

Answer: (C)

A spherical GP lens can still provide good vision even when there is some corneal astigmatism because the lens corrects the spherical refractive error and the tear film between the lens and cornea helps neutralize mild cylinder. When astigmatism is small, the optical effect of the spherical surface combined with the tear layer often yields satisfactory acuity without needing a toric design. Toric GP lenses are considered when the corneal cylinder is moderate to high and the blur from astigmatism would persist with a spherical lens. So, for this patient with mild astigmatism, using a spherical GP lens is a reasonable choice and can work well, independent of base curve tightness, which isn’t the deciding factor for this scenario.