Treating Astigmatism with Laser Eye Treatment

Laser eye treatment for those with astigmatism is very successful with advanced surgical techniques.

Anyone who suffers from astigmatism has the cornea of the eye shaped like an egg or rugby ball, instead of a regular sphere. This irregularity can also be found on the intraocular lens inside the eye.

With this oval shaped optical surface, rays of light entering the eye do not focus at a single spot. From a length, a spot of light produces two focal lines at the back of the eye; both perpendicular to each other and at differing planes.

The end result is fuzzy vision. Compared to short or long sightedness, objects don't look clearly in a particular length. With astigmatism, objects at all distances will seem to be fuzzy and out of focus.

Corresponding symptoms of astigmatism include eyestrain, headaches, lack of concentration when reading and fatigued eyes. To correct astigmatism, contact lenses and specs can be worn. Depending on the severity of the astigmatism, specs would be worn on an as needed basis or constantly.

Laser eye treatments are also another way of correcting astigmatism. The initial examination performed prior to laser eye treatment consists of a corneal topography in which the contours and curvatures of the front of the eye is mapped. Doing so creates the geography of the front of the eye and the curvature changes needed with surgery are carefully considered.

Lasik and PRK are some of the usual laser eye treatment methods to right astigmatism. Lasik involves forming a flap on the top layer of the cornea and vaporising the underlying bed with a well controlled laser. The flap is thoroughly placed back on to the eye without stitches.

Likewise, PRK employs the same means; however, no flap is formed during this process. With PRK, the eye's uppermost bed is completely removed before remodelling the underlying cornea, which is performed by the laser. Recovery is typically longer with PRK and the outcomes comparable in terms of the final visual results.

Laser eye surgery cannot, however, correct all types of astigmatism. "Irregular astigmatism", a term used if the front of the eye does not have a natural smooth surface, is a type of astigmatism that surgery cannot right. Irregular astigmatism can be caused by injury to the eye leading to scarring. Some eye diseases also cause changes to the front of the eye, one of the most widespread is called keratoconus.

"Regular astigmatism", on the other hand, is a more general astigmatism condition and can be successfully corrected with laser eye treatments performed repeatedly. As with all types of sight problems correctable with surgery, eye sight must be stable for at least 12 months before laser eye treatment is a viable consideration.