Astigmatism
Treating Your Astigmatism
You may have astigmatism and not even know it. Even people who have never worn glasses or contacts can have astigmatism in the cornea that only becomes visually apparent after the natural lens or cataract is removed. It can occur along with nearsightedness and farsightedness and, if present, will blur your vision at all distances.
Types of Astigmatism
There are two main types of astigmatism- corneal and lenticular. Corneal astigmatism is present when the cornea, or outer window of the eye, is more curved in one direction than the other, similar to the shape of a football. Small amounts of corneal astigmatism can be neutralized or minimized by the shape of the natural lens inside the eye, which is why some people have astigmatism and never knew it.
After cataract surgery with astigmatism treated (left) versus after cataract surgery with untreated astigmatism (right).
With lenticular astigmatism, the lens inside the eye can also be curved and can balance corneal astigmatism. When the lens is removed, however, patients with corneal astigmatism will experience blurry vision that will require glasses unless they have their cornea treated for astigmatism during their cataract procedure.
At Slade & Baker Vision we use our femtosecond laser to treat small amounts of astigmatism at the time of surgery. For patients with more significant astigmatism, we use one of the Advanced Toric IOLs that have built-in astigmatism correction. As with everything at Slade & Baker Vision, the surgical plan is totally customized.