Treating Astigmatism

Astigmatism is a fairly common eye problem and treating the disorder has equally common options that can quickly help correct blurred vision. These treatments, to deal with the uneven curvature of the cornea that is causing the blurred vision, include wearing some sort of corrective lenses or having corrective refractive surgery. Corrective lenses - whether eyeglasses or contacts - counteract the affects of the uneven curvature of the cornea. Eyeglasses also have the ability to compensate for other refractive problems like near or farsightedness. A consultation with your eye care professional can help decide which corrective lens is the best option for your situation. Refractive surgery, where a laser is used to reshape the surface of your eye, has become an everyday surgical procedure around the world with over 2 million laser eye surgeries performed globally each year. The surgery has an extremely high success rate with a fairly short recovery process. There are three laser surgery options for your eye care professional to recommend depending on your disorder. The most common is LASIK (Laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis) when an eye surgeon makes a small cut, creating a flap in the cornea in order to reshape the cornea under the flap. LASEK (Laser-assisted subepithelial keratomileusis) surgery is also an option, when an eye surgeon uses a laser to make a much thinner flap in the cornea before reshaping the cornea. LASEK is used more often for people with a thin cornea, play sports or have a high risk of eye injuries at work. PRK (Photorefractive keratectomy) surgery is when an eye surgeon uses a laser to remove the protective outer layer of the cornea before changing the curvature of the cornea.