Astigmatism

Closeup of a Cornea

Astigmatism is caused by irregular corneal shape and may result in blurred vision. A perfect cornea is spherical, like a basketball. This allows light rays to enter the eye on an even plane and come to a single unified point for a crisp visual image. An astigmatic cornea, on the other hand,  is steeper in one meridian. Therefore, its shape isn’t perfectly spherical; it’s more like a football. You cannot see this difference in the mirror, but this slight abnormality in corneal curvature disrupts light rays entering the eye. The result? Imperfect vision. The degree of blurriness depends on the amount of light ray disruption and a few other factors. Some patients with very minor astigmatism may not even realize they have it, and may function well with no vision correction at all.

Most patients with visually significant astigmatism will have multiple options for correcting it:

  • Glasses: lenses can be specially made to correct even the smallest degree of astigmatism
  • Contact Lenses: significant astigmatism may require a specialty toric contact lens.  Minor astigmatism may be corrected with standard contact lenses, since they are designed spherically. The cornea molds somewhat to that shape.
  • LASIK Surgery

The iLASIK technology offered at West Georgia Eye Care Center includes a component known as Iris Registration. iLasik with Iris Registration is the most precise laser treatment available for astigmatism. Another recent technological advance offered at West Georgia Eye Care Center is the Toric Implantable Lens. Some patients planning to have cataract surgery may be offered a toric implantable lens to correct their astigmatism at the time of their cataract surgery. Patients who meet certain criteria may also be eligible candidates for toric lens implantation on an elective basis to correct their astigmatism without the diagnosis of a cataract.

If you are interested in freedom from glasses or contact lenses, please call our LASIK department at 706.243.2020 to schedule a free consultation!