You will learn how astigmatism affects the eye and how toric intraocular lenses are used during RLE to correct it. I will also explain how precise the treatment can be, how stable the results remain over time and whether you are likely to be a suitable candidate.

Astigmatism occurs when the front of the eye or lens is more curved in one direction. Specially shaped implants can offset this, giving clearer distance and sometimes near vision. Some people may still have a small amount of astigmatism after surgery.

There are several different types of artificial lenses that can be implanted, depending on your particular needs, such as multifocal lenses to help you see clearly at all distances and toric multifocal lenses, which correct for astigmatism too.

During the procedure, the toric lens must be rotated to align with the precise axis of astigmatism identified in preoperative testing. Proper alignment is essential to ensure the implant corrects the uneven curvature of the cornea and enhances visual perception.

It is performed to correct short-sightedness, long-sightedness and astigmatism to reduce the need for glasses or contact lenses. The eye lens replacement procedure can also improve vision for those suffering from cataracts. Refractive lens surgery and cataract surgery are exactly the same operation.

In the majority of cases, Refractive Lens Exchange at Tersigni Vision can correct your astigmatism. Each case is unique, however. Results depend on how strong the astigmatism is, if the cornea is irregular, or if there are other refractive errors like myopia or presbyopia.

In lens replacement surgery, the natural lens is removed and replaced with an intraocular lens (IOL). If you have astigmatism, we use a toric lens —designed specifically to correct that rugby-ball shape and focus light accurately onto the retina.

When a patient with astigmatism undergoes RLE, a toric lens can be used as the replacement lens. The toric IOL is carefully selected and positioned to counteract the eye’s existing astigmatism, potentially providing clearer vision without the need for additional corrective eyewear.

Surgeons typically consider a minimum threshold of astigmatism to be between 0.75 D and 1.0 D to justify the specialized lens. Astigmatism amounts below 0.5 D generally offer limited visual benefit from precise correction, and the added complexity may not be worth the cost.

Your options include Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) Surgery, Laser Vision Correction and Refractive Lens Exchange. Each surgery tackles astigmatism in different ways and it depends how much astigmatism you have to qualify.