Home Health Center Astigmatism   Astigmatism - Treatment

Treatment for Astigmatism

 There are two main treatments for astigmatism. The goal for both these treatments is to correct the vision by addressing the cause of the blurriness – uneven curvature. Here are the treatments:

• Corrective Lenses: Wearing corrective lenses may treat astigmatism efficiently. Corrective lenses can counter the abnormal size of the eyes or the uneven curvature of the cornea. There are two types of corrective lenses which can be used for this purpose. The first are eyeglasses, which are most commonly used. These lenses can compensate for any unevenness in the shape of the eyes and can correct other vision problems such as near sightedness and far sightedness. In case, you are not too keen on getting eyeglasses, you can also get yourself contact lenses which are worn on the cornea. There is a large variety of these lenses available and you can choose from hard, soft, disposable and extended wear lenses, depending on your preference, budget and the doctor’s prescription. Your ophthalmologist may be able to indicate the advantages and disadvantages of eyeglasses and contact lenses.
• Refractive Surgery: This is a treatment for astigmatism in which the eye is reshaped and the curvature of the cornea is restored. There are several methods of refractive surgery and the most popular of them is the LASIK surgery. This is a laser assisted surgery in which a doctor uses a special instrument known as keratome to cut into the cornea and sculpt it to the proper shape. Photorefractive surgery or photorefractive keratectomy is another method. In this surgical procedure, the surgeon attempts to remove the outermost layer of the cornea. This is done with the help of an excimer laser. This procedure effectively changes the curvature of the cornea and improves sight.
• Just like the LASIK surgery, there is also the LASEK Surgery: Laser assisted subepithelial keratomileusis. In this surgery, a thin layer of cornea is carved and folded back. This not only adjusts the curvature of the cornea, but also makes the eyes less vulnerable to physical injury. For those who are at high risk of sustaining eye injuries or those who have a very thin cornea, LASEK is the ideal choice for surgery. In the past a similar surgery was used to correct astigmatism. However, this procedure is no longer used in light of better surgical procedures such as LASIK.