Astigmatism Treatment

Astigmatism is a common vision problem, but most people don't know what it is.

It may accompany nearsightedness or farsightedness and is usually
caused by an irregularly shaped cornea (called corneal astigmatism).

Watch 3D Eyemagination Astigmatism Animation

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In a normal eye, with a round corneal curvature, light rays passing through the cornea and focus exactly at one spot on the retina. With corneal astigmatism, the surface of the cornea has an uneven curvature. As a result, light rays are not focused at one spot on the retina and your vision becomes distorted.

If you have only a small amount of astigmatism, you may not notice it or have just slightly blurred vision. But sometimes uncorrected astigmatism can give you headaches or eyestrain, and distort or blur your vision at all distances.

Unfortunately, cataract surgery by itself will not correct astigmatism. However, the AcrySof® Toric IOL now makes it possible to treat the cataract and correct the corneal astigmatism at the same time. For cataract patients with astigmatism, successful cataract surgery is only half the battle for regaining quality vision.

Until recently, the only viable vision correction options for astigmatism correction after cataract surgery were eyeglasses or contact lenses, both of which are not only inconvenient in terms of lifestyle but can also be expensive over your lifetime.

The AcrySof® Toric Intraocular Lens (IOL) is an advanced technology that now makes it possible to correct the cataracts clouding your vision — AND the corneal astigmatism distorting your vision — all at the same time.

The technology behind the AcrySof® Toric IOL offers precise astigmatic correction that reduces or eliminates corneal astigmatism and delivers significantly improved distance-vision without glasses or contacts for cataract patients with pre-existing astigmatism. With the AcrySof Toric lens, your distance vision can be clear and vibrant, all in just one step.