Astigmatism

Say good bye to Cataracts and Astigmatism at the same time

For years people have suffered with the affects of Astigmatism. Astigmatism is a defect in which light entering the eye is unable to be brought to a single focus resulting in blurred vision at all distances.  Until recently treatment consisted of wearing glasses or contact lenses for your vision correction. Now the latest technology in lens implants after cataract surgery makes it possible to reduce or actually eliminate corneal astigmatism and significantly improve your distance vision.  The AcrySof ® Toric IOL provides quality distance vision leaving you without the need for glasses and contact lenses.  If you have been diagnosed with cataracts and astigmatism call our office at (239) 936-8686 to see if you might be a candidate for the new AcrySof ® Toric IOL lens implant after your cataract surgery.

Astigmatism occurs when the cornea is shaped oblong more like a football than round such as a baseball, which is the normal shape. 
Usually astigmatism is hereditary: many people are born with an oblong cornea, and the resulting vision problems may get worse over time. Astigmatism may also result from eye injury that caused scarring on the cornea, from certain types of eye surgery, or from keratoconus, a disease that causes gradual thinning of the cornea.

It is not only adults who can astigmatic.  A recent study from the Ohio State University School of Optometry, found in 2,523 children, more than 28 percent of them had astigmatism.  Children may be even more unaware of the condition than adults, and more unlikely to complain of blurred or distorted vision.  Unfortunately, astigmatism can affect the ability to see well in school or during sports related activities.  Yearly eye examinations are key to the detection of astigmatism in both children and adults.

If you have a slight amount of astigmatism you may not notice it at all.  In some cases uncorrected astigmatism can produce headaches, eyestrain and blurred vision at all distances.

Astigmatism can only be detected through a comprehensive eye examination by an eye care specialist.

Astigmatism can usually be compensated for by wearing eyeglasses or contact lenses.  Previously people with astigmatism believed they would not be able to wear contact lenses, this was true many years ago however; technology has produced soft toric contact lenses that have a special correction built into them for both nearsighted and farsighted vision.  Depending on the type and severity of  your astigmatism, you may also be able to have it corrected with refractive surgery.  Your eye care specialist will be able to discuss all option with you at the time of your exam.