Can nearsightedness with astigmatism undergo laser surgery?

Written by Tao Yuan
Ophthalmology
Updated on September 06, 2024
00:00
00:00

Myopia and astigmatism are common eye diseases that are two different types of refractive errors but often occur together. Patients with both myopia and astigmatism who are over 18 years old and have stable prescriptions for more than a year can undergo laser surgery treatment. During the laser surgery, both myopia and astigmatism can be corrected simultaneously. Before undergoing surgery, patients need to visit the ophthalmology department of a hospital for an in-person consultation and examination. The exact degrees of myopia and astigmatism are determined through refraction tests, while corneal topography and ophthalmic ultrasound are used to assess the corneal curvature and thickness to determine if the patient is suitable for corrective laser surgery.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Tao Yuan
Ophthalmology
54sec home-news-image

Why is astigmatism more serious than nearsightedness?

Astigmatism and myopia are both common eye diseases and are two different types of refractive errors. Under the same degree of refractive error, astigmatism can cause more damage to visual function than myopia. This is because patients with astigmatism usually experience abnormal development of the cornea, leading to different refractive powers in different directions. As a result, when light passes through the cornea and enters the eye, it cannot converge to form a single focus, but instead forms a line intersection, which greatly affects the quality of vision. On the other hand, myopia is caused by an overly long eye axis or excessive corneal refractive power. When light passes through the cornea and enters the eye, although it cannot focus accurately on the retina, it can still form a focus. Therefore, the impact on vision is less severe than that of astigmatism.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Hu Shu Fang
Ophthalmology
47sec home-news-image

Astigmatism refers to a type of refractive error in which the eye does not focus light evenly onto the retina, often due to an irregular shape of the cornea or lens.

Astigmatism is a type of refractive error. Because our eyes are not a perfect sphere, they are more like an egg shape, with different meridians having different refractive powers. Thus, after imaging, the axial images may form in front of or behind the retina, rather than forming a focal point on the retina. Normally, astigmatism of some small degrees and with good axial alignment may not significantly affect vision. However, high degrees of astigmatism, especially irregular astigmatism, will definitely impact visual quality and require the prescription of special lenses to correct the astigmatism.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Tao Yuan
Ophthalmology
51sec home-news-image

Can you wear contact lenses with 200 degrees of astigmatism?

Astigmatism of 200 degrees or less can be corrected by wearing regular contact lenses. However, when purchasing lenses, one needs to divide the astigmatism diopter by two and incorporate it into the prescription for myopia during the fitting process. If a patient's astigmatism exceeds 200 degrees, they typically are not suitable for regular contact lenses. Instead, they may opt for custom contact lenses with astigmatism correction or use rigid corneal contact lenses for correction. Patients with astigmatism should promptly visit an ophthalmology department at a hospital for an optometry examination to accurately determine their astigmatism and undergo vision correction tests. Following this, a doctor will issue a prescription for fitting contact lenses.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Tao Yuan
Ophthalmology
46sec home-news-image

Will nearsightedness and astigmatism lead to blindness?

Myopia and astigmatism are common eye diseases and belong to two types of refractive errors, which can occur together. Myopia combined with astigmatism can lead to a decrease in vision, but it will not cause blindness. For patients with myopia and astigmatism, there are various methods to correct and treat these conditions, such as wearing frame glasses, rigid corneal contact lenses, undergoing laser surgery, or implanting artificial lenses to restore vision. In daily life, it is also important to develop good eye habits, avoiding using eyes in dim and shaking environments, and reducing the time spent on smartphones, TVs, and computers to prevent and delay the progression of myopia and astigmatism.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zheng Xin
Ophthalmology
51sec home-news-image

Can farsightedness and astigmatism be corrected with glasses?

Hyperopia is a condition where parallel rays of light entering the eye focus behind the retina, preventing external objects from forming a clear image on the retina. This condition is referred to as hyperopia. Astigmatism is due to the cornea of the eye having a certain curvature, with light bending unevenly across the cornea due to its irregular curvature, causing different refractive indices on each meridian of the cornea. This results in the light rays not focusing on the same focal point, thereby preventing the rays from accurately focusing on the retina to form a clear image. This condition is known as astigmatism. Both hyperopia and astigmatism are types of refractive errors, and wearing glasses can correct them. It is also necessary to wear glasses promptly for correction.