Laser surgery for astigmatism
Laser eye surgery for astigmatism is very different and rather more complicated than having laser surgery to treat short sightedness or long sightedness. Nonetheless, laser surgery has been found to be extremely effective in dealing with astigmatism.
There are different types of laser eye surgery that can be used to treat astigmatism. One of the most popular procedures is LASIK surgery, which can be used to treat other eye conditions beside astigmatism. This particular type of laser surgery can be done in minutes; you don’t have to stay in hospital overnight.
During a typical laser eye surgery operation the laser eye surgeon has to cut into the cornea, for which you will have been given anaesthetic drops. Once the cut is made, the top layer of tissue is then folded back so that the surgeon can reach the middle layers of the cornea.
Once the cornea is visible, the surgeon uses the laser to send light pulses into the eye, which acts to reshape the cornea into its natural round or spherical shape. Once this is complete, the surgeon covers the cornea with a contact lens to protect it. Your vision may be affected for a short time, but the situation usually stabilises within a month. Over the weeks of healing after laser eye surgery you will have to use antibiotic drops daily to protect the eye from infection.
What is astigmatism?
People with astigmatism are born with the condition because it means that the cornea is elliptical instead of the normal spherical shape. The light rays enter the eye and fall either side of the cornea, which then affects the way they see things.
When you have astigmatism you will have problems seeing objects both close up and at a distance. If astigmatism is left untreated it can result in headaches and squinting. Wearing glasses or contact lenses may help in getting the eye to focus the way it should, but it does not cure the astigmatism and can sometimes make it worse. Sometimes your optician may prescribe night time contact lenses that can help for a time, but the only treatment that actually cures astigmatism are various surgical procedures.