health

Astigmatism may be managed with prescription eyeglasses or so-called
“toric” contact lenses. The latter are available in soft lenses and rigid gaspermeable
(RGP) lenses, although some patients find that RGP lenses
offer better visual acuity (sharpness). Both glasses and toric contact lenses
help change the way that images are focused as they pass through the cornea
and the lens, and both allow clear images to arrive at the retina.
Besides eyeglasses and contact lenses, astigmatism can be treated with
refractive surgeries. One of the most common is the laser eye surgery
called laser assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK), which reshapes the
cornea and can correct both astigmatism and either nearsightedness or
farsightedness. Other surgical options are conductive keratoplasty (CK),
which uses heat rather than a laser to correct vision and is sometimes recommended
for patients over 40 years of age, and astigmatic keratotomy
(AK), which involves incisions to help reshape the cornea.
Some people with astigmatism report some improvement after doing
various eye exercises, but exercise alone cannot eliminate the need for
other means of vision correction.