If you’re experiencing signs and symptoms of eye-related problems (such as headaches, blurry vision, or sensitivity to light), you might be a little alarmed. Vision changes can be concerning, but they these symptoms don’t necessarily mean anything serious. You could have astigmatism, one of the most common eye problems in the United States.
The good news is that these types of vision problems are nothing to be concerned about from a eye health standpoint. The simplest, most frequent eye issue to address, astigmatism, can frequently be completely eliminated with a quick LASIK procedure. Many of our ClearSight patients are excited to learn that LASIK is a great option for treating a wide range of astigmatism and can provide the clearer vision they have dreamed of. In fact, LASIK is the most popular vision correction procedure for treating astigmatism.
What is Astigmatism?
Although it sounds serious, astigmatism is just a “refractive error” like nearsightedness or farsightedness. Many people don’t even realize they have astigmatism. This very common vision problem is frequently not severe enough for the patient to experience any negative effects. Therefore, laser vision correction might not be required if there is only a minor amount of astigmatism. But occasionally, the effects are so severe that they can force the patient to change their way of life. If this applies to you, LASIK may be the best choice to improve your vision and get the freedom you want from corrective lenses.
A series of conditions known as refractive errors impact how light bends or refracts when it enters the eye. Similar to hyperopia, myopia, and presbyopia, astigmatism is a common type of refractive error. Astigmatism is typically present at birth, but it can change over the course of a lifetime. The cornea, the clear tissue at the front surface of the eye, is most frequently the source of astigmatism. This type of astigmatism is called corneal astigmatism. Additionally, the crystalline lens of the eye can develop astigmatism. Astigmatism of the lens is referred to as lenticular astigmatism.
Instead of having a perfect sphere-like curvature, the cornea has an irregular shape in cases of corneal astigmatism. Rather than a basketball or soccer ball shape, the astigmatic corneal contour can be compared to a football. The human eye is not perfect and each person’s eye shape is a little different.
The light that enters the eye splits into two focal points when the cornea or lens is not symmetrical. The two focal points can focus either in front of, or behind the retina, depending on whether someone also has nearsightedness (myopia) or far-sightedness (hyperopia). People with astigmatism have blurred vision when light does not focus properly.
Wearing a corrective lens, such as glasses or special contacts called toric lenses that corrected the refractive error, was once the only approach to improve visual acuity. Thanks to advances in ophthalmology and laser eye procedures, LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) can fix astigmatism without patients having to wear glasses or contact lenses. If you would like more information about the vision benefits of treating astigmatism with LASIK, call ClearSight today to learn more.
How Does LASIK Fix Astigmatism?
In short, LASIK corrects astigmatism by using a laser to make the corneal tissue more symmetrical. When astigmatism is corrected, vision improves. Since astigmatism affects a large portion of the population, researchers have worked hard to develop treatments for astigmatism, myopia, and hyperopia that have outstanding success rates. The Modern excimer laser provides LASIK surgeons with more options for treating patients who have mild to moderate astigmatism, and newer techniques like SMILE, implantable contact lenses (EVO ICL), refractive lens exchange (RLE), and advanced surface ablation (ASA/advanced PRK) were also created specifically with astigmatism in mind.
At ClearSight, our goal is to help everyone see life clearly, and we work hard to assist every patient in achieving the improved vision they have always desired. To find out if LASIK is the best vision correction technique for you, call our office today to arrange your initial consultation with an eye doctor. It’s time to break free from the burden of glasses or contacts.
FAQ’s About Can LASIK Fix Astigmatism
After LASIK eye surgery, can astigmatism recur?
Residual astigmatism is what astigmatism that still exists after LASIK is performed. Poor corneal markings, posterior corneal curvature, inadequate preoperative measurements, or other surgical procedure issues could all be at cause.
Working with a qualified and experienced LASIK surgeon like those at ClearSight greatly reduces the risk of residual astigmatism after LASIK surgery.
Is there an astigmatism limit that LASIK can fix?
Your eyes must meet a number of requirements in order to be candidates for LASIK. As eye health varies from person to person, a LASIK evaluation is required to determine your candidacy for the procedure. Thanks to the state-of-the-art technologies we utilize at ClearSight, we can usually treat patients with mild to severe astigmatism.
Make an appointment for a comprehensive eye exam at our Oklahoma City office to find out whether you are a good LASIK candidate.
Can astigmatism be permanently cured with LASIK?
The only way to treat astigmatism permanently is through vision correction procedures. However, whether treatment is the best option for you and what kind of procedure you require will depend on your astigmatism type and degree, corneal thickness, age, and other eye
conditions.
LASIK, SMILE, and PRK are the three most popular laser eye procedures performed to cure astigmatism. With LASIK, an excimer laser is used to reshape the cornea by creating a tiny flap in the epithelium that is then folded back. Reshaping the cornea cures astigmatism and improves vision. The epithelium is left unaltered during SMILE eye surgery, and a small incision is used to remove a pinpoint-sized piece of corneal tissue to reshape the curvature of the cornea and correct vision. By entirely eliminating the corneal tissue, the photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) treatment corrects astigmatism and promotes vision correction. These laser vision correction methods can treat astigmatism and improve eyesight by changing the cornea’s curvature.
Can irregular astigmatism be treated by LASIK?
Irregular astigmatism can be brought on by eye trauma or a specific eye disease including keratoconus, pellucid marginal degeneration, and epithelial basement membrane dystrophy, among others. When addressing irregular astigmatism, refractive surgery is more difficult and risky, and LASIK is frequently not an option.
Because the treatment criteria for LASIK are so broad, even astigmatism that is regarded as severe may be cured. If severe astigmatism still warrants vision correction, a very skilled ophthalmologist must make that determination. If irregular astigmatism prevents LASIK from being advised, PRK or other refractive procedures might be appropriate.
How long does astigmatism treatment with LASIK take to recover from?
Even though the majority of patients have immediate improvements in visual perception after LASIK for astigmatism, it typically takes your eyes three to six months to fully recover and heal.
It is crucial to closely adhere to your surgeon’s post-LASIK instructions in order to ensure a thorough recovery, avoid any unanticipated issues or complications.
Will insurance cover the cost of LASIK for astigmatism?
No matter how necessary the procedure is, insurance plans classify the cost of LASIK for astigmatism as a an “elective procedure.” At ClearSight, we work to make the cost of LASIK as affordable as we can. We accept checks, credit cards, cash, and other common payment methods.
Additionally, we accept flexible savings accounts (FSAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs). Tax deductions are available for the vast majority of laser vision correction procedures. We also work with a variety of financial institutions to provide monthly payment options that fit the majority of budgets.
Can astigmatism get worse after LASIK?
It is unusual to see a rise in corneal astigmatism after laser vision correction. Age is the most frequent factor when astigmatism does worsen, although there are others that can make astigmatism worse.
Until about age 50, astigmatism, a common eyesight issue, usually remains steady. After that, your eyelids lose muscle tone over the next several years, and the pressure they exert may cause your cornea to become more irregular. Since the curvature of your cornea and lenses change with age, your situation will change. Aging is a part of life and the impact is has on astigmatism cannot be prevented. A LASIK procedure however, does not make astigmatism worse.
Fortunately, at ClearSight, a highly skilled eye surgeon will perform your LASIK treatment, and the visual results for our patients are astounding. During your initial visit, your doctor would be happy to address any concerns you may have about developing astigmatism following LASIK.
If I am not a candidate for LASIK, how can I address my astigmatism?
If you have thin corneas, dry eye syndrome, infection, other eye illnesses, or are not a candidate for laser therapy for some other reason, you still have options to improve vision and treat astigmatism. Your highly trained eye specialist at ClearSight will assess your eyes during your LASIK consultation to determine whether you are a good candidate for astigmatism-related laser vision correction.
Your eye doctor will talk to you about other vision correction choices, such as Custom Lens Replacement (also known as refractive lens exchange or RLE), Lens Implants, or Cataract surgery with Lens Replacements, if you are not eligible for laser eye correction procedures. With today’s cutting-edge technology, we can provide our patients with solutions to practically any issue. If you are not a candidate for LASIK, don’t be disheartened. Our experts will work hard for you to discover the best vision correction procedure to repair your vision issues and free you from corrective lenses.
Why Choose ClearSight to Correct Astigmatism?
Our team of board-certified eye surgeons and highly qualified medical professionals are committed to making sure your time with us is relaxing, fun, and most importantly, life-changing. With decades of combined experience ClearSight has been devoted to serving the people of Oklahoma and beyond since 1994.
We have made it our mission from the start to provide everyone who enters our facility with the clearest vision possible and the freedom from glasses and contacts. When it comes to your results, we take them seriously. Because we are confident in the effectiveness of our work, if you don’t have 20/20 vision or greater, we will refund the enitre cost of your procedure.
To schedule your consultation and learn more about using LASIK to fix astigmatism, contact our office right away.
