Glasses can fix most astigmatism
DEAR DR. K: My eye doctor says I have astigmatism. He told me what it means, but I still don’t really understand. Please explain it to me.
DEAR READER: Astigmatism means that the eye’s cornea has an irregular shape, which causes vision problems. The corn e a is normally round. In people with astigmatism, the cornea may be oval-shaped. This causes light to scatter instead of focus on a single point as it passes through the cornea.
Blurred vision is the most common symptom. Some people describe it as double vision but in only one eye. You may develop eyestrain, squinting and headaches from working to focus.
Many people have some degree of astigmatism; in fact, it is rare to find a perfectly formed eye. Though people are born with astigmatism, it is often not noticed until a child attends school or learns to read. Astigmatism tends to remain stable, but it may slowly worsen over time.
(This column originally ran in September 2014).
Glasses are a good, reliable choice for correcting astigmatism. Patients who prefer contact lenses may be limited to hard contact lenses. Soft lenses are sometimes an option, but they aren’t as effective for severe astigmatism.
Another option is corrective surgery. The most common type used to correct astigmatism is LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis).
In LASIK, the doctor makes a small incision on the surface of the eye to create a small flap of tissue, which is lifted up. Then the doctor uses a cool laser beam to correct the irregular shape of the cornea. Recovery is usually quick and painless.
When LASIK surgery was introduced, I took a wait-and-see attitude. The surgery clearly produced short-term improvement in vision, with minimal risks. But I was concerned about the possibility that over the longer term the surgery would become less effective, or there would be adverse effects. Today, after nearly 30 years of its use, I’m much more confident in recommending this procedure to my patients.