Cataract Astigmatism

Cataract surgery and astigmatism are related. Astigmatism can effect vision correction after removing cataracts. Astigmatism is a refractive eye condition, depending on its severity and type, it can cause blurred vision. It is caused generally by an irregularly shaped cornea. This article gives information about cataract astigmatism.

Astigmatism always does not require any correction to achieve good vision. Some astigmatism is present in many people. If it is present in small degree, your vision is not disturbed. But greater degrees may cause a shadowing or blurring vision and it requires correction to make your vision better.

Astigmatism can be of two types — pre-existing and post-surgical.
Pre-existing astigmatism can be corrected by cataract surgery to improve vision and help to depend less on glasses or not even required to wear glasses at all. It can be corrected during cataract surgery by two methods:

Limbal Relaxing Incisions or LRI: This procedure helps the surgeon to place peripheral incisions in the cornea. It helps to relax the astigmatism.

Implantation of corneal astigmatism correcting toric lens implants or IOLs.

Depending on the degree of astigmatism, your surgeon decides the suitable procedure.
In some cases, both LRI and toric lens implant is necessary to achieve better vision, of which using glasses or lens is not needed to see distant objects clearly after cataract surgery.

Some of the uses of toric IOLs

• Lens take a phacoemulsification incision, hence recovery is quick.
• The incision mostly does not induce irregular astigmatism.

There are also some disadvantages of toric IOLs.

Post-surgical astigmatism can also be corrected after cataract surgery. It is similar to pre-surgical astigmatism. Two methods of correction:
Limbal Relaxing Incisions and A Laser Eye Surgery Procedure such as PRK or LASIK.
Cataract surgeon will suggest how to achieve vision correction.

This article helps to give patients information or overview of cataract astigmatism.