What is the Best Way to Cure Astigmatism?
If you’ve learned that you have astigmatism, you may be wondering, “Can you cure astigmatism?” You have several options when it comes to vision correction for astigmatism. Understanding what astigmatism is and the correct methods for treating astigmatism are essential to correcting your vision effectively.
What is Astigmatism?
Astigmatism is a type of refractive error caused by an irregularly shaped cornea or lens in your eye. Rather than focusing the light perfectly on the retina to produce a clear picture, the irregular curvature of the cornea or lens causes blurry, fuzzy, or distorted vision. Astigmatism can also cause double vision and poor night vision. People with astigmatism often experience eye strain and headaches, and often squint to attempt to see clearly.
Astigmatism is usually genetic and present at birth. This condition can resolve in babies as their eyes grow, or it may become more pronounced over time. Astigmatism can also develop later in life due to eye trauma, disease, or surgery.
What are the Different Types of Astigmatism?
There are several different ways of classifying astigmatism, which can be assessed and identified by your eye doctor. Each type of astigmatism will be treated slightly differently, so it is important to know what type of astigmatism you have.
- Corneal Astigmatism: This means you have defects in your cornea.
- Lenticular Astigmatism: This means you have defects in the lens of your eye.
Your astigmatism can also be defined by the principal meridians in your eye. Think of your pupil as the very center of your eye. If lines are drawn around your eyeball vertically and horizontally, and they intersect at the center where your pupil is, the steepest and flattest meridians of your eye are the principal meridians.
- Irregular Astigmatism: This type of astigmatism is less common and refers to principal medians that are not perpendicular. The curvature is not uniform at each meridian, but instead changes across the pupil. This is often due to scarring of the cornea or an eye injury.
- Regular Astigmatism: This is the most common type of astigmatism and refers to principal meridians that are 90° apart from each other. The curvature of each meridian is uniform across the pupil.
- Myopic Astigmatism: This is when the principal meridians of the eye are nearsighted, so you have a combination of astigmatism and nearsightedness.
- Hyperopic Astigmatism: This is when the principal meridians of the eye are farsighted, so you have a combination of astigmatism and farsightedness.
- Mixed Astigmatism: This is when the principal meridians of the eye are both far and nearsighted. In this case, astigmatism is the primary refractive error.
Still wondering, “Can you cure astigmatism?” Understanding what type of astigmatism you have is an essential part of understanding how to cure astigmatism in your eyes.
How is Astigmatism Diagnosed?
In order to diagnose your type of astigmatism, your eye doctor will administer a vision test. During this test, your doctor will scan the surface of your eyeball to measure it three-dimensionally. They will then use the meridian measurements to identify the variances in the curvature of your cornea or lens. The differences between the meridians of your eye are used to determine your prescription for glasses or contact lenses. Alternately, these areas are identified as needing to be corrected during laser eye surgery.
Additionally, during your vision test, your doctor will estimate how much refraction happens in each meridian. From there, your eye doctor can determine what needs to be done to correct your vision most effectively.
Can Astigmatism Be Cured?
Because astigmatism is an error in the shape of your cornea or lens, it can be corrected in a number of different ways. But can astigmatism be cured?
Your doctor can give you a prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses that will correct the refractive errors in your vision, allowing you to see more clearly. This solution allows you to see clearly when you’re wearing your corrective glasses or lenses, but it does not cure your astigmatism.
Alternately, you can look into laser eye surgery, which can actually reshape your cornea or lens. By correcting irregularities in the curvature of your cornea or lens, your eye doctor is able to address your astigmatism and potentially correct your vision completely. In that way, laser eye surgery could essentially cure your astigmatism.
Treating Astigmatism
Because most astigmatism makes it difficult to see properly, treating astigmatism is essential for the majority of patients. While wearing glasses or contact lenses can be an acceptable solution for treating astigmatism, a more permanent solution is possible. Several different kinds of laser eye surgery are capable of correcting the curvature of your cornea or lens.
Now that you know how to cure astigmatism, the next step is to learn which type of laser eye surgery is best for you and your eyes. It’s important to talk to your eye doctor about whether you’re a candidate for laser eye surgery. If you are, your eye doctor will likely be choosing between LASIK and PRK. If you are a candidate for LASIK, it is typically the first choice as recovery is faster. However, PRK is an excellent option for patients who are not LASIK candidates. PRK candidates can also achieve fantastic vision correction results.
How to Cure Astigmatism at Dello Russo Laser Vision
If you are ready to learn how to cure astigmatism, we invite you to call us at Dello Russo Laser Vision. We have been providing LASIK eye surgery since the 1990s, and our doctors have more than 40 years of experience correcting vision for patients in the Northeast.
Our team is led by Dr. Joseph Dello Russo, a pioneer in laser eye surgery and a key contributor to the initial clinical trials that led to the approval of laser eye surgery technology. With decades of expertise and over 190,000 successful LASIK surgeries provided by the Dello Russo doctors, you can trust our team to know the best option for treating astigmatism.
At Dello Russo Laser Vision, we are committed to helping you find the right solution for your astigmatism. We offer a free initial consultation to discuss your options with one of our doctors. From there, they will ascertain whether you are a LASIK candidate, or whether PRK is a better option for you. Once we know which procedure is right for you and your eyes, we’ll make a comprehensive, personalized vision plan to help correct your unique astigmatism.
Every eye is unique, which means that every plan for treating astigmatism should be unique as well. We can provide you with the precise treatment you need to achieve the best vision correction possible. So can your astigmatism be cured? Give us a call today and find out how we can address your astigmatism and improve your vision today. We look forward to helping you soon.
