Can Astigmatism Be Cured?

Have you heard of astigmatism? This common condition occurs when the eye isn’t perfectly rounded like a soccer ball, but instead is uneven and shaped more like a football. It’s not known exactly why this happens, but genetics and prior eye damage are thought to be contributing factors. The trouble with astigmatism is that it alters the way that light passes through the eyes, making it a refractive eye error just like near or farsightedness. 

The good news is that astigmatism can be corrected and there are three different options available to people who have the condition. 

Glasses for astigmatism

Glasses remain one of the most popular treatments for astigmatism and are usually the first choice of treatment for people when they are first diagnosed. You can get eyeglass lenses that are specifically to correct astigmatism only, or to correct near or farsightedness, along with astigmatism. 

Glasses lenses for astigmatism contain a specific cylindrical lens prescription that compensates for your astigmatism, altering the way that light enters the eye so that it hits the retina accurately and is correctly interpreted by the brain. 

Eyeglass lenses are highly successful at treating most degrees of astigmatism. However, if your level of astigmatism is particularly high, you may need to consider alternative treatments instead. 

Contact lenses for astigmatism

Many people are surprised to learn that contact lenses are a suitable treatment for astigmatism too. However, generic contact lenses don’t work. Instead, patients are recommended to have a specific type of lens, known as toric lenses. 

Toric lenses are shaped in a particular way and look like a slice of a side of a donut. This unusual shape creates different focusing powers on the vertical and horizontal orientations of the lenses to compensate for your astigmatism. However, the shape also means that it’s essential for you to insert the contact lenses in the right way, otherwise your vision won’t be properly corrected. 

Contact lenses also form part of a treatment called orthokeratology or ortho-k for short. Ortho-k can temporarily alter the shape of the cornea, correcting your astigmatism for a number of hours so that, if you wear them frequently enough, you don’t need to wear glasses or contact lenses. Once you stop wearing ortho-k lenses, your eyes will return to their previous shape. 

Laser vision correction for astigmatism

Laser vision correction is a very popular surgical treatment that permanently reshapes the cornea in order to improve your vision. There are different types of laser vision correction, but the most common is LASIK, or laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis. The surgery is painless, takes just a few minutes per eye and is highly successful, with as many as 96% of patients achieving excellent vision following their procedure. 

LASIK is best known for correcting near and farsightedness, but it can also be successfully used to correct astigmatism. Your LASIK surgeon will assess the curvature of your cornea at your consultation appointment to determine if you meet the necessary candidacy requirements. 

If you would like to learn more about astigmatism, or if you have been diagnosed with astigmatism and you would like to talk to us about your treatment options, please contact our friendly and knowledgeable eyecare team.