Disclaimer

This website is only for basic information. It is not to be considered medical advice or a substitute for obtaining your own medical consultation, during which you will be informed also about possible risks, side effects and restrictions of refractive & cataract surgery. Not all treatment options are approved or offered in every country and approved labeling and instructions may vary from one country to another. This site is also not intended for patients and healthcare providers residing in the United States of America and Japan.

Blurred vision

LASIK for astigmatism

Can glares and halos be treated?

If you experience blurred vision or encounter halos or glare when viewing lights, particularly at night, you may have astigmatism. Astigmatism is a common condition which occurs when either the front surface of the eye (the cornea) or the lens inside the eye has mismatched curves. Incoming light is therefore refracted unevenly and images arrive at the back of your eye unfocused. Blurry vision due to astigmatism can cause headaches or eye fatigue when you focus on distant objects or work with screens or monitors for a long time.

LASIK is often used to treat astigmatism and, along with other vision correction procedures such as Lenticule Extraction with ZEISS SMILE, can represent an option to improve your sight. Laser vision correction can be particularly effective if your astigmatism is associated with other conditions, such as near- or far-sightedness, as it can correct multiple sight problems in a single procedure.

Clinic Finder

Myopia or hyperopia with astigmatism

Is laser vision correction an option to improve my sight?

With myopia, also called near-sightedness, you cannot clearly see objects that are far away, whereas hyperopia (far-sightedness) means distant objects are in focus, but things nearby are blurry. Both conditions can impact people of any age.

It is not uncommon for myopia or hyperopia to be accompanied by astigmatism. The cause of astigmatism is not clear, and people of all ages can suffer from it. If left untreated, it could lead to amblyopia (sometimes referred to as “lazy eye”), where your brain prefers input from one eye over another.

If you have astigmatism with additional myopia, laser vision correction such as LASIK or ZEISS SMILE may be a solution to improve your vision.

Laser vision correction specialists near you

Providers offering LASIK for astigmatism

If you want to know more about treating your astigmatism with LASIK, talk to your eye doctor about your options. Together with your doctor, you can discuss laser vision correction procedures like LASIK, ZEISS SMILE Lenticule Extraction or other treatments and determine which ones are right for you.

In addition to LASIK, Lenticule Extraction with ZEISS SMILE is an advanced laser vision correction procedure offered by many clinics and hospitals across the world. Using the ZEISS SMILE technology, your ophthalmic surgeon corrects your eyesight by making a small incision to remove a lenticule from your cornea. As a result of this, recovery times are usually shorter.

Find a clinic or hospital near you

If you are wondering if astigmatism can be treated with LASIK, the answer is usually yes. There is a common misconception that astigmatism rules out LASIK as an option. However, the fact is that LASIK has been used for many years to treat most types of astigmatism.
As LASIK surgery adjusts the shape of the cornea, it is unsuitable for the less common high levels of astigmatism. Furthermore, astigmatism caused by certain normally rare conditions including keratoconus or pellucid marginal degeneration cannot be corrected by laser eye surgery.
It is difficult to put an exact price on laser vision correction as several factors determine the overall cost. However, many patients see LASIK for astigmatism as a long-term investment in their vision. Over the years, surgery costs are easily recouped against the long-term savings made – e.g. by not having to pay for glasses or cover ongoing contact lens subscriptions.
Go to our FAQ page