Astigmatism: symptoms and treatment options
The cornea is curved unevenly, so light is focused differently across different axes and the blur is not the same in every direction. It commonly occurs alongside short or long sightedness.
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Quick answer
The cornea is curved unevenly, so light is focused differently across different axes and the blur is not the same in every direction. It commonly occurs alongside short or long sightedness.
General educational information about a subject, not an assessment of your own eyes. Suitability and treatment decisions are made by a qualified ophthalmologist who has examined you.
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Astigmatism
The cornea is curved unevenly, so light is focused differently across different axes and the blur is not the same in every direction. It commonly occurs alongside short or long sightedness.
Also known as astigmatism, astigmatic, cylinder
Questions about Astigmatism
Each answer below is the short version; the question links to the page that carries it in full, with sources.
- What is astigmatism?
Astigmatism is a refractive error caused by the cornea or lens being curved more in one direction than another, so light is focused unevenly and vision is blurred or distorted rather than simply out of focus.
- What causes astigmatism?
Most astigmatism comes from the natural shape of the cornea, and it is often present from birth. It can also be caused or worsened by injury, surgery or a condition such as keratoconus that changes the cornea over time.
- Can astigmatism be corrected?
Astigmatism can be corrected with glasses, contact lenses, laser surgery or, in some cases, lens-based surgery. Which one is appropriate depends on the amount, the regularity of the cornea and whether it is stable.
- Can astigmatism be treated with laser eye surgery?
Yes, astigmatism is routinely treated with LASIK, often together with short or long sightedness in the same procedure. Very large amounts, or astigmatism from an irregular surface, may need a different approach.
- Can SMILE correct astigmatism?
Yes. SMILE treats short sightedness with astigmatism, which is the combination it was designed around.
- Can astigmatism return after surgery?
Small residual or regressed astigmatism is possible after any refractive procedure. It is usually measured at follow-up and may be small enough to leave alone, correctable with glasses, or worth a further treatment.
- Which lens is suitable if I have astigmatism?
Where astigmatism is present and significant, a toric lens is usually the option considered, since it corrects the corneal shape as well as replacing the clouded lens.
- Can LASIK correct astigmatism?
Yes, astigmatism can be treated with LASIK, and the treatment is often combined with correction of short or long sightedness in the same procedure. How much can be corrected depends on your measurements.
- Can I have LASIK with astigmatism?
Astigmatism does not by itself rule out LASIK, and correcting it is a routine part of many treatments. What matters is the amount and the regularity of the astigmatism, along with the corneal measurements.
- Which procedure is suitable for astigmatism?
LASIK, SMILE and PRK can all treat astigmatism within limits set by your measurements. Larger amounts, or astigmatism from an irregular corneal surface, may point towards a different option entirely.
- What is irregular astigmatism?
Regular astigmatism is an even curvature difference that glasses can correct. Irregular astigmatism is an unevenness that ordinary glasses cannot fully correct, and it is associated with conditions that change the corneal surface, such as keratoconus or scarring.
- Does astigmatism get worse with age?
It can change slowly, and a small amount of against-the-rule astigmatism is common as people get older. A rapid change in one eye, or a new difference between the two eyes, is worth examining rather than watching.
All 19 Astigmatism questions, searchable
Related subjects
- Keratoconus
The cornea thins and becomes irregular, so vision is distorted in a way glasses do not fully correct. It changes which refractive options are open, and it is usually the reason a laser procedure is ruled out.
- Cataract
The natural lens becomes cloudy, so vision loses contrast and sharpness. It is treated by replacing the lens, and the lens chosen at that point is what decides reading and distance correction afterwards.
- LASIK vs SMILE
A flap procedure against a flapless one. The difference readers care about is what happens to the surface of the eye, not which laser is better.
- How LASIK works
The flap, the two lasers, and what the surface of the eye does afterwards.
- Dubai
The emirate where most of the UAE refractive surgery capacity is, and the one most international patients travel to. Licensing, clinic choice and what a quote should contain are the local questions.
- LASIK
Flap-based laser vision correction: a thin surface layer of the cornea is lifted, the tissue beneath it is reshaped, and the layer is replaced without stitches.
- Femto LASIK
LASIK in which the flap is created by a femtosecond laser instead of a mechanical instrument, which is a difference in how the flap is made rather than in what the procedure corrects.
- SMILE
Lenticule extraction: a lenticule is shaped inside the cornea and removed through a small incision, so there is no flap.
- SMILE Pro
The current generation of the SMILE platform, built around a faster laser and an automated centring step. The clinical idea is unchanged: a lenticule is removed through a small incision.
- PRK
Surface treatment: the outer layer of the cornea is removed and the tissue beneath it is reshaped, with no flap and no lenticule. The surface then regrows, which is why the first week is slower.
- TransPRK
A surface treatment in which the outer layer of the cornea is removed and the reshaping are done by the same laser pass, without a separate step and without touching the eye.
- Myopia (short sightedness)
The eye focuses light in front of the retina, so near objects are clear and distant ones are blurred. It is the refractive error most commonly treated with laser vision correction.
This page describes what is generally true about astigmatism. It is not a diagnosis, and it cannot say whether a treatment is suitable for you, because suitability depends on measurements taken during an examination.
Sources & further reading
We prefer primary sources. Where a claim comes from a manufacturer, a single study or a regulator, it is labelled as such below.
- Laser In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) Clinical reference StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf
The equivalent clinical reference chapter for LASIK, used so that comparisons describe both procedures symmetrically.
Used for How LASIK creates and manages a corneal flap; LASIK complication categories.
Link checked 22 September 2026
- Small Incision Lenticule Extraction (SMILE) Clinical reference StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf
A continuously updated clinical reference chapter covering SMILE indications, technique, outcomes and complications, written for clinicians.
Used for How the lenticule is created and removed; Indications and contraindications; Complication categories; Corneal biomechanics compared with flap-based surgery.
Link checked 22 September 2026
- Eye Health Information Patient information National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health (US)
Condition-by-condition eye health information from a US government research institute, written for patients rather than for clinicians.
Used for Plain-language explanations of eye conditions and their symptoms; Healthy vision and screening guidance.
Link checked 23 September 2026
- EyeSmart: eye health information for the public Patient information American Academy of Ophthalmology
Patient-facing material from the largest ophthalmology professional body, covering conditions, tests and treatments outside refractive surgery.
Used for Cross-checking patient-facing explanations of non-refractive eye conditions; Describing what tests such as dilation and OCT involve.
Link checked 23 September 2026
- Cataracts in adults: management (NG77) Clinical reference National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (UK) · 2017
Clinical guidance on when cataract surgery is indicated, what should be discussed before it, and what follow-up is expected.
Used for When cataract surgery is considered appropriate rather than cosmetic timing; What patients should be told before cataract surgery.
Link checked 23 September 2026
- American Academy of Ophthalmology Professional body American Academy of Ophthalmology
A large professional body publishing both clinical guidance and plain-language patient education on refractive surgery.
Used for Cross-checking patient-facing explanations of refractive surgery.
Link checked 22 September 2026
- ZEISS VISUMAX 800 Manufacturer documentation ZEISS Medical Technology
The manufacturer’s own product page for the femtosecond laser platform used for SMILE pro.
Used for What describes the technology behind SMILE pro; The distinction between SMILE and SMILE pro; Claimed workflow features such as automated centration.
Link checked 22 September 2026