Eye Care > Common Eye Conditions > Astigmatism

Astigmatism

Astigmatism occurs when the cornea is shaped like an oblong football, rather than a spherical baseball, which is the normal shape. In most astigmatic eyes, the oblong or oval shape causes light rays to focus on two points in the back of your eye, rather than just one. This can cause areas of blurry vision.

Astigmatism usually is hereditary. Many people are born with an oblong cornea, and the resulting vision problem may get worse over time. But astigmatism also may result from incidents, such as an eye injury, that caused scarring on the cornea, from certain types of eye surgery or from keratoconus, a disease that causes gradual thinning of the cornea.

Unless it is extreme, astigmatism can be corrected with eyeglasses, contact lenses or refractive surgery.

Eyeglasses

If eyeglasses are the best option to correct your astigmatism, careful attention to lenses is important. Because our lenses are crafted in our own laboratory, you can be sure they meet our strict guidelines for quality and service and are exact to the prescription from your doctor. Visit our Optical site for more information on the types of lens solutions we have available.

Contacts

At one time, rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses were the only option for contact lens wearers to correct astigmatism. Today, however, soft contact lenses, called toric lenses, can correct this problem. Toric lenses have a special correction built into them, and also may contain prescriptions for nearsightedness or farsightedness, if needed. People with severe astigmatism, however, likely will do better with RGP contact lenses. Visit our Contact Lens site for more information on the types of lenses and accessories we have available.

Refractive surgery

For some, refractive surgery is another option to correct and treat their astigmatism. Park Nicollet’s refractive surgery department offers you the latest technology in refractive surgery. Our experts can discuss the various types of refractive surgery available – LASIK, photo refractive keratectomy (PRK), Conductive Keratoplasty (CK) and Verisyse Phakic IOL – that best suit your individual needs. You can learn more about refractive surgery at Common Terms.

Your Park Nicollet Eye Care professional can help determine what treatment is correct for your condition. Call 952-993-3150 for appointments.