flap and reshaping the
cornea. In another
type of surgery, the
flap is created with a
manual incision,
rather than a laser.
Astigmatism correc-
tion surgery can also
be combined with
cataract surgery when
the surgeon inserts a
corrective toric lenses
directly into the eye.
There are many con-
versations to be had — and decisions to be made — before the
patient arrives for surgery. Here's what you should know about help-
ing patients get to the post-operative finish line with no more astigma-
tism.
1
See it
When a patient wants to end her dependence on glasses or con-
tact lenses, one of an ophthalmologist's first steps is to analyze
the type of astigmatism the patient has. The 3 primary types of astig-
matism are myopic (nearsightedness), hyperopic (farsightedness) or a
combination of the two. Because astigmatism can be masked by prior
contact lens use, patients should stop wearing their contacts before
their baseline astigmatism levels are measured: 1 week for soft daily
wear lenses and 3 to 4 weeks for hard, or rigid glass permeable, lens-
es. This lets the eye unmold for an accurate measurement revealing
the patient's true baseline astigmatism. It's also important before sur-
O C T O B E R 2 0 1 7 • O U T PA T I E N TS U R G E R Y. N E T • 8 5
Because astigmatism correction is all
about alignment, it's key for the surgery
to hit the eye at just the right axis.
