What type of lens corrects astigmatism

If you live with astigmatism, you have the luxury of several excellent options to correct your vision. The best option is the one that you and your eye doctor choose to address your specific diagnosis. LASIK is not recommended for everyone. If your cornea is too thin or your refractive error too high, you might not be a good candidate. Some patients need more than one procedure to correct all of their refractive error. Your eye doctor will discuss what is best for you.

If you are looking for an eye doctor to talk to about surgical or corrective options for astigmatism, contact the eye care professionals at Barnet Dulaney Perkins Eye Center.

Patient Login Referring Doctors. Types of Astigmatism Astigmatism often occurs with myopia nearsightedness or hyperopia farsightedness : Myopic astigmatism Light rays focus in front of the retina in the myopic eye, making objects in the distance blurred.

Hyperopic astigmatism In people who are farsighted, the light focuses beyond the retina. Mixed astigmatism In people with mixed astigmatism, one curvature of the cornea or lens focuses light in front of the retina and the other focuses light behind the retina.

Signs and Symptoms of Astigmatism To be diagnosed with astigmatism, you must be examined by your eye doctor. Instruments used to diagnose astigmatism The American Academy of Ophthalmology identifies three instruments that an eye doctor uses to measure astigmatism : Auto refractor — This tool measures how a light that is shined into your eyes changes as it refracts off the back of your eye.

Glasses for astigmatism are usually associated with two conditions; myopia and hyperopia, which are also known as refractive errors. Astigmatism is usually present from birth, but can develop at any time throughout your life and will be diagnosed in a routine eye examination.

If you have astigmatism, it means your eye is shaped more like a rugby ball. There are two types of astigmatism , regular and irregular. Regular astigmatism occurs when the cornea is curved more in one direction and can be treated with a range of lenses, including glasses and contact lenses. Irregular astigmatism occurs when the cornea is uneven and curved in a number of directions. This could be the result of an eye injury that has led to a scar on the cornea.

Irregular astigmatism can only be corrected with contact lenses. If you notice symptoms such as blurred near or far vision, difficulty distinguishing shapes and details, or frequently experience headaches, eye strain or fatigue, it is likely you have some degree of astigmatism.

If you find yourself struggling with daily activities such as driving, reading, or computer work, consult your eye doctor. Other signs you may need glasses include:. The eye doctor can examine your eyes to ensure you do not have serious eye conditions that may cause similar symptoms.

There are different types of materials used for your corrective lenses. They include, in order from thickest to thinnest:. Choosing the right type of lens for vision correction depends on the degree of astigmatism.

Generally, the higher your prescription, the thinner the lens you should choose. Thinner lenses also tend to be lighter, although Trivex material is lighter than high-index plastic. Read more about the different types of lenses available at Warby Parker. This number indicates how much astigmatism you have, which is measured in diopters D :. Read about the best contact lenses for astigmatism. LASIK is a form of laser eye surgery that corrects astigmatism, along with myopia or hyperopia.

An alternative laser eye surgery is PRK photorefractive keratectomy. Other refractive surgeries that correct astigmatism involve placing a lens implant inside the eye. A refractive lens exchange removes the natural lens inside your eye and replaces it with an intraocular lens implant IOL. These steps are the same as cataract surgery. The other type of surgery is called a phakic intraocular lens implant surgery. Instead of removing the natural lens, the surgeon leaves it in place and inserts an IOL in front of your natural lens.

This IOL can be removed or replaced later. If you experience any of these symptoms from astigmatism, you may require glasses to correct your vision: blurry vision, headaches, squinting, eye strain, reduced night vision, double vision, difficulty reading, distortion in your vision, halos when driving at night. OS Oculus sinister. This means the left eye sometimes the abbreviation LE is used.

This number measurement reflects how much nearsightedness or farsightedness. This number measurement shows the amount of astigmatism an irregularly shaped cornea which causes blurring. This number measurement describes the direction of the astigmatism in degrees. Bifocal is additional power in the lens. It has an additional measurement listed on the prescription as "add" to show the strength of the lens. The type of lenses used in eyeglasses depends on the type of vision problem, and may include:.

Concave lenses. These are thinnest in the center. The numerical prescription in diopters is always marked with a minus - symbol. These lenses are used to correct nearsightedness myopia. Convex lenses. These lenses are thickest in the center, like a magnifying glass. They are used to correct farsightedness hyperopia. Cylindrical lenses. These curve more in one direction than in the other. They are used to correct astigmatism.