Most of the people think that astigmatism cannot be corrected with laser eye treatment. There is no reality in it. Laser surgery can treat all types of regular and irregular astigmatism. Laser surgery reshapes the corneal surface and thus it makes the corneal surface smoother. Hence it lessens irregularity in curvature and vision is restored. Even the patients with up to six dioptres astigmatism can be treated with laser technology.
Though laser eye surgery is very effective but it is not good to use it for all astigmatism patients since it may not suit all. To avoid complications all involved factors must be carefully considered. The factors may include degree of optical error, existence of other eye disease, thickness of cornea, size of pupil, wave front analysis results and corneal mapping data.
Astigmatism can also be corrected with cataract implant. In this process the natural lens is emulsified with the help of some precise chopper. The chopped residue of natural lens is then removed. A new synthetic lens is placed in place of natural lens. The placement is done with the help of two gentle, flexible loops. The implantation process is capable of restoring the vision to nearly normal level but after the treatment the patient still has to use regular glasses for reading.
There are many ways to cataract implant. Little description of some important and widely used ways is given bellow.
A very precise way is to use a Foldable Monofocal lens. The lens is bendable. Medical man bends it in a small roll. The lens is inserted in eye in the form of small roll which needs only a small applicator to apply the lens. Lens unfolds itself when it is placed in the eye. It spreads in eye up to its full length. This is the most common and widely used technique for laser implant. It improves the vision significantly and makes objects clearer.
Another way to implant lens is multifocal lens. Multifocal lens has a special property to offer a wide range of vision. Just like monofocal lens it also provides clearer vision but it also provides with good vision for midrange and up close vision.
One more way to implant lens is Acrysof of Narural IOL by Alcon. It includes a foldable monofocal lens which has an additional property to filter ultra violet and blue light. It is based on the belief that ultra violet light and blue light can damage the retina and result in vision problems thus these lights should be blocked. The color of lens is usually yellow since it filters blue light but the yellow color does not alter the natural color of other things.
There are so many types of lens available in the market. A patient of cataract has to choose the one which suits him best on the advice of his doctor. The choice may depend on a patient’s life style, and kind of his activities (indoor or outdoor).