Everything you would like to know about astigmatism, but are afraid to ask
The terms nearsightedness and farsightedness evoke apt associations in most patients and do not cause concern for their health. But when the name astigmatism is uttered, patients are sometimes bewildered – is it some kind of eye disease? Something serious? A cause for concern?
If you know that Myopia causes blurred vision of objects located far away, and farsightedness (hyperopia) that blurred vision of objects located close (this is a somewhat simplified description of this defect, but this very symptom is crucial in its case), we can say about astigmatism that it combines the symptoms of both defects, providing additional “attractions”. What are they?
An astigmatic still feels as if he or she is on a rash – perceives straight lines as wavy, is unable to catch visual acuity, has a disturbed sense of space, the shape of observed objects is altered and blurred vision seems to defy the laws of physics and makes daily activities very difficult. It doesn’t help to squint or blink. Rubbing the eyelids won’t help. The distorted image of the world is very annoying.
Add to this the fact that astigmatism rarely occurs solo, and most often accompanies myopia, and it’s easy to imagine what a troublesome as well as annoying set of symptoms some of us live with.
But astigmatism is not a verdict, although in more complicated cases of the disease, the selection of eyeglass correction or contact lenses can be a real challenge. It can be successfully operated on. Laser correction of astigmatism is aimed at equalizing the curvature of the cornea. 99% of astigmatism cases are laser-correctable defects. The latest surgical technologies make it possible to combine short/long-sightedness surgery with simultaneous astigmatism removal.
If you are interested in such complicated cases of astigmatism and the classifications that ophthalmologists use to diagnose specific varieties of it, read this text.
Astigmatism is hereditary in nature. Therefore, one should not accuse oneself of contributing to its development.
Laser correction of astigmatism
The state-of-the-art lasers used to treat astigmatism are very precise, and through the use of so-called static cyclorotation compensation, allow maximum accurate correction of the defect.
Astigmatism surgery is performed using the following methods:
Femto-LASIK (All-Laser-LASIK): With a precision femtosecond laser, the surgeon makes a cut into the cornea, creating a thin flap 0.1 mm thick – a flap. He uses an excimer laser to reshape the previously exposed cornea for a few seconds, then the flap is closed back up; it attaches and forms a protective corneal barrier.
LASIK (laser assisted in situ keratomileusis): a two-step technique; the cornea is incised with a scalpel (microkeratome), and then the corneal surface is modeled so that it can properly focus the image onto the retina.
LASEK/PRK: The procedure involves either deflecting (LASEK) or removing (PRK) the upper cellular layer of the cornea (epithelium) and then appropriately reshaping the underlying corneal tissue with an excimer laser. The goal of the procedure is to properly model the central surface of the cornea with a laser beam so that it focuses the image precisely on the retinal surface.
