Astigmatism Treatment
Astigmatism is a refractive error in which the cornea or lens is curved more steeply in one direction than another, so light focuses at more than one point and images look stretched or blurred at every distance.
Speak to a specialist about Astigmatism Treatment in Agartala.
What is Astigmatism Treatment?
Astigmatism is a refractive error in which the cornea or lens is curved more steeply in one direction than another, so light focuses at more than one point and images look stretched or blurred at every distance.
Also known as: Cylindrical power · Cylinder number · Irregular corneal curvature
Astigmatism is what the “cylinder” figure on your prescription describes. Unlike short- or long-sightedness, it blurs vision at both near and distance, and even a small uncorrected cylinder can cause persistent eye strain.
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Talk to our specialist about Astigmatism Treatment.
Call 8583948238 or message on WhatsApp- Location
- Colonel Chowmuhani, Agartala
- Serving
- All 8 districts of Tripura
- Cashless
- TPA & insurance
How astigmatism feels
- Blurring or stretching of images at all distances, not just far away
- Streaks or starbursts radiating from lights at night
- Constant mild headache and eye strain, particularly after reading
- Tilting the head or narrowing the eyes to sharpen an image
- Difficulty telling similar letters apart at a distance
What causes it
- A naturally oval rather than spherical corneal curvature — usually present from birth
- Keratoconus and other conditions that thin and distort the cornea
- Scarring from an old corneal injury, ulcer or infection
- Astigmatism induced by previous eye surgery or a corneal graft
- Occasionally, a chronically drooping eyelid or a lid lump pressing on the cornea
Treatment options at Wills Eye
Cylindrical spectacles
The simplest correction, and the axis matters as much as the power — a lens set on the wrong axis is worse than no cylinder at all.
Toric contact lenses
Lenses designed to stay rotationally stable on the eye, fitted and verified in the clinic.
Laser correction
LASIK, Contoura or PRK correct regular astigmatism along with any accompanying spherical power.
Toric IOL during cataract surgery
For patients with both cataract and significant cylinder, a toric implant corrects both in one operation.
What to expect — step by step
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1
Refraction with axis verification
The cylinder power and its precise axis are established and cross-checked, since small axis errors cause large symptoms.
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2
Corneal topography
A map that distinguishes regular astigmatism, which can be corrected optically, from irregular astigmatism, which cannot.
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3
Rule out keratoconus
Rapidly increasing cylinder in a young patient is investigated for keratoconus before any correction is planned.
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4
Choose the correction
Glasses, toric lenses, laser or a toric IOL, depending on your age, cornea and whether a cataract is also present.
Why timing matters
A cylinder that climbs steadily year after year in a teenager or young adult is a warning sign, not a nuisance. It is one of the earliest indications of keratoconus, and detecting it early means cross-linking can stabilise the cornea before vision is permanently affected.
Astigmatism Treatment — frequently asked questions
Does astigmatism get worse over time? +
Ordinary astigmatism is fairly stable and changes slowly. Rapid increase, particularly in a young patient, needs corneal mapping to rule out keratoconus.
Can astigmatism be cured permanently? +
Regular astigmatism can be corrected permanently by laser surgery or by a toric lens implant during cataract surgery. Irregular astigmatism needs specialised contact lenses instead.
Why do my new glasses make the floor look tilted? +
A first or substantially changed cylinder correction takes a few days of adaptation. If it has not settled within a week, come back and we will recheck the axis.
Can I wear contact lenses with astigmatism? +
Yes — toric soft lenses work well for regular astigmatism, and rigid gas-permeable lenses are used for irregular corneas.
More in Vision Correction & Spectacle Removal
This page is written for general information about astigmatism treatment and is not a substitute for examination and advice from a qualified eye doctor. Treatment recommendations depend on your individual findings.
Related treatments
Conditions and procedures often assessed alongside astigmatism treatment.
Keratoconus Treatment
Keratoconus is a progressive condition in which the cornea thins and bulges forward into a cone shape, distorting vision in a way that ordinary glasses cannot fully correct.
Learn more →
Contoura Vision LASIK
Contoura Vision is a topography-guided form of LASIK that maps thousands of points on the cornea and treats its individual irregularities in addition to the spectacle power.
Learn more →
Cataract Surgery
A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens that blurs vision, and cataract surgery removes the cloudy lens and replaces it with a clear artificial intraocular lens (IOL).
Learn more →