ASTIGMATISM INFORMATION FOR OUR CATARACT PATIENTS

‘Astigmatism’ is a common visual condition among people and may accompany other visual conditions such as nearsightedness or farsightedness.

Astigmatism is defined as “without a point of focus” and occurs when the cornea is shaped like an oval football. The cornea without astigmatism is round like a baseball in shape. The oval shape causes light rays to land on two points in the back of the eye, rather than one, blurring both near and distance vision. Some people have more astigmatism than others, and thus more difficulty with blur than others.

Many people are born with astigmatism, while others develop it over a period of time. Other diseases, conditions, or injuries affecting corneal health may also cause astigmatism.

If astigmatism is found during a regular exam in our office, we can use a test called ‘topography’ to map the shape of the cornea. This test allows the doctor to see the corneal astigmatism in detail. If astigmatism is found, glasses, contact lenses, or surgery may correct it.

When cataract surgery is scheduled, it may be an optimal time for astigmatism correction to be addressed. New intraocular lenses have been developed to help correct astigmatism and patients may opt for these, though at some out-of-pocket expense, as they are more expensive than the usual intraocular lenses. Also, corneal relaxing incisions can be done at the time or surgery or after, but this portion of the cataract surgery is not covered by insurance. Patients now have more than one choice.

Your doctor will discuss with you your options, and what he feels would be successful for you. Please understand that an astigmatic correcting lens or the corneal relaxing incisions may not eliminate the total amount of astigmatism.

If you have any questions, our eyecare professionals will be glad to answer them. We look forward to assisting with your eyecare needs and we hope your experience in our office is a valuable one.