The cornea is the outer surface of the eye. In normal vision, light rays first pass through the cornea and are directed through the pupil. The light is then focused by the lens so that a sharp image is projected onto the retina. With astigmatism, the curvature of the cornea is irregular. The lack of uniform curvature creates a random, inconsistent focus pattern, especially when combined with near-sightedness or far-sightedness.

Ocala Eye ophthalmologists can correct astigmatism in several ways. Two of the most common are limbal relaxing incisions (LRIs) and the use of CustomVue LASIK.

With the LRI, your Ocala Eye doctor creates relief points on the cornea using a precision instrument. These tiny incisions help to even out the curvature of the cornea and reduce the presence of astigmatism. The LRI is a common vision correction option that our cataract patients choose when having their cataract surgery.

Astigmatism can also be treated with the Excimer laser used in the CustomVue^TM LASIK procedure. Wavefront technology provides a treatment pattern for the LASIK procedure that addresses “higher-order” visual defects. This means that greater degrees of astigmatism as well as near-sightedness and far-sightedness can be resolved using CustomVue LASIK.