Astigmatism and Lasik surgery

According to some eye experts, all of us have astigmatism to some degree or other. But not all of us suffer from the eye strain, headaches, and fatigue that comes with the more severe cases. For this, unless you like spending your days squinting and rubbing your temples, you need some sort of corrective eyewear to function properly — or at least you used to.

In the past, the best way and only way to treat astigmatism was with glasses or toric/hard contact lenses. Both are good at temporarily giving you some relief from symptoms, however, they do nothing to lessen the irregular curvature of the cornea that’s at the root of the problem.

This is where Laser Eye Surgery comes in. LASIK, the most popular type of refractive surgery, involves removing tissue from the cornea and permanently changing its shape so that it functions more like in a normal eye. The treatment takes no longer than it takes to nip to the opticians, is completely pain-free, and even comes with fewer risks and safety concerns than contact lenses.

LASIK: A safe and effective way to treat astigmatism

In a correctly functioning eye, the cornea and lens are smooth and curved in such a way that they direct light sharply onto the retina. In an astigmatic eye, imperfections in either the shape of the cornea and/or the lens cause light to fall either in front or at the back of the retina.

The main job of the cornea — the transparent dome-like membrane on the surface of the eye — is to prevent anything from disrupting the delicate layers underneath. It’s also the first layer through which light rays pass and therefore plays a big part in how well we can see. When the shape of the cornea is distorted, this is known as corneal astigmatism.

Underneath the cornea is the lens. In much the same way as a lens in a camera, the lens in the eye focuses light so that it can be transmitted to the retina (the film) and translated into the images we see (the prints). When the lens is an irregular shape, it is known as lenticular astigmatism.

No matter the origin and severity, virtually all symptoms of astigmatism are treatable today with LASIK surgery.

This is a surprise to most people, with many, even after hearing it straight from the horse’s mouth, continue to believe it can’t be true. They think after speaking with one surgeon at one high street clinic that their prescription is simply untreatable, and they’re destined to wear contacts or glasses for the rest of their life. 

But this couldn’t be further from reality — check our out results for yourself. Clear and comfortable vision is well within your reach, you just have to know where to find it.

Have a question about treating astigmatism with LASIK? Ask us in the comments below! Or to book a consultation today, contact one of our friendly Patient Care Coordinators.