With Hattiesburg Clinic, you can say goodbye to blurred and distorted vision caused by astigmatism. Our team of board-certified optometrists and ophthalmologists helps patients suffering from astigmatism through a range of treatment options, including glasses, contact lenses and eye surgery. No matter your level of astigmatism, Hattiesburg Clinic has the solution you need.
Astigmatism is a very common condition of the eye that causes blurred vision due to an irregularly shaped cornea (clear front cover of the eye) – or is sometimes due to the curvature of the lens inside the eye. Either of these can prevent light from focusing properly on the retina, a light-sensitive surface located at the back of the eye. This results in blurry vision from any distance.
Most people only find out they have astigmatism after an eye exam from an optometrist or ophthalmologist, as it often does not present any symptoms. Astigmatism usually occurs with other vision conditions like nearsightedness and farsightedness. Together these conditions are referred to as refractive errors due to how the eyes react to light.
Symptoms of astigmatism may also include:
In addition, sometimes astigmatism can be caused by corneal growths, scars and other irregularities due to other conditions such as keratoconus.
Treatment for astigmatism can include two procedures: Toric and Limbal Relaxing Incisions (LRI), which are also options for cataract surgery. Glasses and contact lenses are the most common ways to treat astigmatism.
Toric is an advanced artificial lens designed to reduce an astigmatism and may be an option for patients who are having lens exchange surgery with or without cataracts.
Limbal Relaxing Incisions (LRI) is a surgical process used to treat low to moderate degrees of astigmatism. LRI has emerged as a less expensive and simpler alternative to laser eye surgery. As a result, the procedure has risen to become one of the most widely used procedures to fix cases of astigmatism as part of cataract surgery.
At Hattiesburg Clinic, we are here to help you find out if you have astigmatism and explore corrective treatments if needed. Book an appointment with our astigmatism specialists today.