Induced Astigmatism. What Is It?

If you've heard of astigmatism being induced, but don't know what that means, this article may clear up the confusion.

Induced astigmatism is astigmatism that is the result of laser eye surgery. In other words, a person may go into surgery without any history of astigmatism, but due to complications from the surgery, then show signs of astigmatism.

Although rare, complications during laser eye surgery do occasionally happen. If the laser treatment does not apply the right amount of energy to the correct places in the cornea, or if the surgeon fails to program in the appropriate amount of correction, or if there is a flux in the amount of laser energy delivered to the eye, the results can cause problems. Simple scarring to the cornea can cause astigmatism.

Unlike irregular astigmatism, which can also result from eye surgery, induced can be corrected with glasses or toric contact lenses. So, in result, the patient will find he or she must continue to wear glasses or contact lenses. In contrast, irregular astigmatism is not correctable.

As you can see, surgery is not always the best answer. Although most patients receive very satisfactory results from surgery, problems do occasionally arise. Take some of the risk out of your eye care needs and review all your options. Also make sure and get a referral before seeing a new eye care provider. And the time to ask questions is before going into surgery, not after. Know the risks. It's possible, after weighing all the risks and your comfort level with taking risks, you may decide that toric contact lenses or eyeglasses are the best option for you.