1 Hospitals For Astigmatism In Illinois

Astigmatism (click for worldwide facilities list): Astigmatism may accompany farsightedness or nearsightedness. Usually it is caused by an irregularly shaped cornea, called corneal astigmatism. But sometimes, lenticular astigmatism results from an irregularly shaped lens, which is located behind the cornea. Either kind of astigmatism can usually be corrected with eyeglasses, contact lenses, or refractive surgery.

Usually astigmatism is hereditary: many people are born with an oblong cornea, and the resulting vision problem may get worse over time. But astigmatism may also result from an eye injury that has caused scarring on the cornea, from certain types of eye surgery or from keratoconus, a disease that causes a gradual thinning of the cornea.

Many people with astigmatism believe that they can't wear contact lenses or that only rigid contact lenses (RGPs, also called GP lenses) can correct astigmatism. The development of soft toric contact lenses now offers a choice. Toric lenses have a special correction built into them and may also contain a prescription for nearsightedness or farsightedness if you need it. If you have severe astigmatism, you'll likely do better with RGP contact lenses or eyeglasses. Your eye care practitioner will advise you.

Depending on the type and severity of your astigmatism, you may also be able to have it corrected with refractive surgery. Discuss with your eye doctor which procedure is best to correct your astigmatism.

http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/astigmatism.htm