Cataract Surgery and Astigmatism...Riverhead and Smithtown Long Island
The cataract experts at North Shore Eye Care in Smithtown and Riverhead in Long Island are committed to reducing or eliminating astigmatism in cataract surgery if the patient desires. We have several methods of astigmatism reduction that are routinely used by our board certified eye doctors.
What is Astigmatism?
Astigmatism means that a patients cornea is more football shaped rather than basketball shaped. The oblong nature of an astigmatic eye causes blurred vision at far and near. Patients with significant astigmatism have difficulty with near and far vision. With routine cataract surgery, astigmatism is not managed. In our typical cataract surgery, we use a small incision that does not induce or reduce astigmatism. Our typical cataract technique takes only a few minutes and our patients are able to stay in their own clothes and return home the very same day without an eye patch or stitches in their eye. There is no needle around the eye and IV sedation is used to help our patients become as comfortable as possible. With the advent of new technology, our Smithtown eye doctors in New York are now able to manage astigmatism with ease.
How do we fix Astigmatism?
There are three main methods of astigmatism reduction that our used routinely by our doctors. If there is only a small amount of astigmatism and the patient does not desire a premium toric intraocular lens implant, we perform a limbal relaxing incision at the time of cataract surgery. This extra step that helps the eye become more spherical and hence clearer is easy to perform and takes about one minute. We perform a relaxing incision at the start of surgery using a diamond blade. In order to get the astigmatism to maximally decrease, we use a special computerized program designed just for this type of surgery.
If astigmatism is more significant, we elect to use a Toric implant. When a cataract or cloudy lens of the eye is removed, we replace it with an intraocular lens implant. The standard implant does not correct for astigmatism, but now there is a premium implant that patients can elect to have. The premium toric implant is designed to reduce or eliminate astigmatism and there is also a special computerized formula that helps us pick the right lens. The toric implants go up to high degrees of astigmatism currently and represent an excellent safe way to correct astigmatism.
A third way to correct astigmatism is with laser vision correction or LASIK. If there is residual astigmatism following cataract surgery, we can use the bladeless custom LASIK techniques that we use on younger patients with nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. This laser eye surgery procedure takes only a few minutes and erases astigmatism with great accuracy. Even if we use a toric implant and there is some fine residual astigmatism, we are happy to correct it with LASIK for our patients as no extra charge in the setting of Toric implants.
If you have cataracts and are told that you also have astigmatism and will continue to need to wear glasses, give us a call. We would love to discuss your options with you.