Astigmatism Causes and Correction Through Laser Eye Surgery

What is Astigmatism?
Astigmatism is a refractive error that occurs when the front surface of your eye (cornea) or the lens inside the eye is slightly irregular or cylindrical in shape, resulting in vision being blurred or distorted at all distances. Simply put, astigmatism is a condition derived from a cornea or lens that’s stretched into an irregular shape. Instead of being shaped round, the corneas of people with astigmatism are often oblong. This causes a refractive error, distorting light as it enters your eyes. As a result, images appear blurry. Astigmatism is not a disease, but a common visual condition.

What causes Astigmatism?
When the front surface of your eye (the cornea) or the lens inside the eye is more oval than round, light does not focus properly on the back inside surface of your eye (retina). Astigmatism is caused by small differences in the growth and alignment of the components of the eye. In some cases, it may be hereditary or it may result from such factors as pressure of the eyelids on the cornea. Blurry vision doesn’t automatically mean you have astigmatism. It may mean something else and it is recommended to see your eye doctor immediately. 
 
How common is Astigmatism?
Most people have some degree of astigmatism. It is rare to have a perfectly round optical surface. Small amounts of astigmatism may not require correction with glasses. However, moderate to highly astigmatic eyes will need corrective lenses.
What are signs/symptoms of astigmatism?
Even people with mild to moderate astigmatism will usually have blurred or distorted vision. They may experience headaches, eyestrain, fatigue, blurred vision or distortion at certain distances. Kids with astigmatism and adults may have difficulty reading text or seeing fine details in objects both near and far.

How is Astigmatism diagnosed?
A comprehensive eye examination by your ophthalmologist or optometrist will include tests to check for astigmatism.

Is there anything for Astigmatism Correction
Almost all levels of astigmatism can be optically corrected with properly prescribed and fitted eyeglasses or contact lenses. Laser eye surgery is another option for those who are candidates. Wavefront technology has helped with astigmatism correction, it is recommended to have your laser eye surgery done with Wavefront technology. 
 
Does astigmatism get progressively worse?
Astigmatism may change with time. Regular care from an ophthalmologist or optometrist can, however, help to insure that proper vision is maintained.

Best Lasik Eye Surgery In Toronto

Many clinics are offering Lasik surgery in Toronto that do not have a full time Ophthalmologist on a staff. An Ophthalmologist is an eye doctor that not only specializes in the health of one’s eyes but has also gone to medical school and has their M.D. This is a priceless assurance that there is a doctor there that can thoroughly care for your eyes from the initial assessment to the follow up care. Everyone that is looking for Lasik is looking to have the best eye surgery in Toronto and in order to get this, research must be done.


Make sure that you are able to meet your surgeon AT your consultation, even better if he/she is the one performing your assessment. Many of you will ask why this is so important and there are a few reasons. Firstly, feeling comfortable with your surgeon is imperative. One shouldn’t be entering into a surgical room with an ‘off’ feeling about the surgeon they just met. Second, you should feel that if you have any concerns that they will be there to support you. If they come in for the procedure only, how can you connect with them if you have concerns? You will now be passed onto either a technician or an optometrist. Providing you with the Best Eye Surgery Toronto should be your surgeon’s main concern and one that will take care both before and after the procedure.


There are many clinics that provide Lasik surgery in Toronto. It ultimately is up to you to make sure that you are going to the best clinic that is for you. After you know that pre-surgical needs are met, check into your after care. Once the bill is paid and the procedure is done, clinics can leave you feeling a little abandoned. Look into the support that is given during and after healing. When having a contact person available after hours can sooth any anxiety over questions. Who will you visit in your follow up appointments? Having your surgeon be the one that cares for you the ENTIRE time shows each patient that he/she is 100% dedicated to their recovery.


There are risks and benefits that range from procedure to procedure and this includes from surgeon to surgeon. Checking into the experience that your surgeon has will let you know the level of their experience and having a surgeon that performs other eye surgeries lets you know that they are an overall skilled surgeon.


Finally, don’t base your decision on price alone. Many companies hire marketing companies that use different media outlets to lure in patients. Remember to take this decision seriously – when a skilled surgeon performs eye surgery it can be life changing and very rewarding.

Laser Eye Surgery Comparison: LASIK vs LASEK

Both Lasik and Lasek are common options for laser eye surgery yet many don’t know the difference between the two. Although both procedures are extremely safe, Lasek is however considered to be the safer procedure. Due to Lasik being a procedure that involves creating a flap in the cornea, Lasik is able to eliminate the risks involved in the creation and aftercare of the flap. Below is a list of some differences of Lasik vs Lasek.


Lasik vs Lasek


Complications: although the risks associated with laser vision correction are low, there are more risks with Lasik than LASEK as the vast majority of complications are associated with the creation and healing of the flap. Due to there being no flap with LASEK, any complications are easily treatable by your surgeon.


Corneal thickness: Corneal thickness is an important factor in choosing which surgery you are a candidate for. Cutting a flap results in the need for a thicker cornea, thus thinner corneal patients will not be eligible for Lasik. LASEK can be performed on thinner corneas, due to the lack of the corneal flap.


Dry eyes: One of the main complaints with Lasik is dry eyes. This is due to the cut in the stroma part of the cornea. When a cut is made to the cornea, corneal nerves are cut and never grow back - the corneal nerves play a role in the feedback mechanism that keeps your eyes lubricated. Because of this it results in the possibility of being left with chronic dry eyes. There is no cut to the cornea with LASEK therefore Lasek does not create dry eyes.


Larger Pupils: Lasek is able to be performed on patients with larger pupils because there is no flap being cut. If you have been told you are not a candidate for Lasik because of large pupils, you may still be a candidate for other eye correction surgeries such as Lasek.


Higher prescriptions: By not cutting a flap, 100-150 microns of cornea tissue is being saved with Lasek –which is enough to safely treat another 10 diopters of prescription. Lasek is able to treat higher degrees of myopia than Lasik laser eye surgery.


Contact sports/Trauma/Active lifestyle: Lasek is ideally suited for patients whose lifestyle predisposes them to possible trauma; police, firefighters, members of the armed forces or athletes. Additionally, if you are involved with contact sports you will be advised to have Lasek. When a flap is made in the cornea it never 100% heals and although rare, it can become dislodged with trauma.


Recovery: Following Lasik, most people experience only very mild discomfort (e.g. dryness, irritable, stinging) and most people can return to work and drive 24-48 hours following surgery. Discomfort level for Lasek is similar to Lasik. Following the Lasek surgery however, it is normally advised to have approximately 4-5 days off work.

What Exactly Is Astigmatism?

Refractive errors that occur when the surface of your eye (cornea) is slightly irregular in shape is called an astigmatism which results in vision being blurred or distorted no matter the distances. Astigmatism is a condition in which the cornea or lens is stretched into an irregular shape. Instead of being round, the corneas with astigmatism are often shaped like a football as opposed to round like a basketball. This causes a refractive error; it distorts light as it is entering the eye. This results in images appearing blurry. It is important to know that astigmatism is not a disease, but is a common refractive error.

What causes astigmatism?

When the front surface of the cornea or the lens inside the eye is more oblong than round like a circle, light will not focus properly on the retina that is located at the back of your eye. In some cases, astigmatism may be hereditary or may be a result from such things as pressure on the cornea. If you have blurry vision it doesn’t automatically mean you have astigmatism. It can possibly mean something else so it is recommended to make an appointment to see your eye doctor immediately.

How common is it?

There are not many people that do not have astigmatism; most do have a certain level of astigmatism. It is quite rare to have a perfectly shaped corneal surface. Those with small degrees of astigmatism may not even require correction with corrective lenses. However, anything above this will need some sort of corrective lenses.

What are the signs/symptoms of astigmatism?

Even those with mild to moderate levels of astigmatism will usually find they have blurred or distorted vision. They may experience straining of the eyes, migraines, tiredness, unclear vision or distortion at certain times. Both youth with astigmatism and adults may have troubles when reading text.

How is it diagnosed?

An eye exam by your eye doctor would include a wide range of tests that would include checking for astigmatism.

Is there anything for Astigmatism Correction?

Most levels of astigmatism can be optically corrected with properly prescribed and fitted eyeglasses or contact lenses. Laser eye surgery is another option for those who are candidates. Wavefront technology has helped with Astigmatism Correction, it is recommended to have your laser eye surgery done with Wavefront technology.

Does astigmatism get progressively worse?

Astigmatism may change with time. Regular care from an ophthalmologist or optometrist can, however, help to insure that proper vision is maintained.