What is Astigmatism?
Astigmatism is a condition that causes your vision to be blurry at any distance and is a very common condition. The causes are either due to irregularly shaped corneas or the curvature of the lens inside the eye, which prevents light from focusing properly on the retina. Slight amounts of astigmatism don’t usually affect a person’s vision and don’t require treatment. Larger amounts cause the vision to be distorted or blurred. Astigmatism often occurs with other vision conditions like nearsightedness and farsightedness; these conditions are referred to as refractive errors. Treatment for astigmatism includes wearing corrective eyeglasses, specially designed hard or soft contact lenses or by LASIK surgery. Astigmatism can also be treated during cataract surgery by two different options. One option is a Limbal Relaxing Incision or LRI, which is a small incision(s) made to help relax the cornea and help correct its misshaping. Another option is a special cataract lens called a Toric Lens, which is an intraocular lens that corrects for astigmatism.
If you have astigmatism and have considered treatment, please call Eye Center South at 1-800-NEW-EYES, to schedule an evaluation with Dr. Marnix Heersink, Dr. Sebastian Heersink, Dr. Zsolt Bansagi, Dr. William Bennett or Dr. Amanda Matthews to see if you are a candidate for treatment. Eye Center South, Dothan, Andalusia, Panama City, Destin, and Albany.
