Kelly Eye Center

Astigmatism

Click to see Procedure

Treatment Options

• LASIK
• PRK
• AK
• LRI

Free Refractive Screening

Common Vision
Problems

• Myopia
• Hyperopia
• Presbyopia
• Terms

Astigmatism in Raleigh-Durham, NC

Astigmatism is a distortion in the shape of the cornea. In eyes with this error, light is not focused into a single point. Instead, the light rays entering the eye at the top and bottom form a different line from the light entering at the sides. Although not as common as being nearsighted or being farsighted, it’s still relatively common in Raleigh-Durham, NC patients and worldwide.

In the normal eye, light enters through the cornea (the clear front surface of the eye) and comes to a focus on the retina in the back of the eye. Astigmatism occurs when the cornea is not spherical in shape (like a baseball) and instead is longer in one direction (like a football). This astigmatism causes the light to focus in more than one place within the eye, causing your vision to be distorted or blurred. Astigmatism is often responsible for starbursts, "ghosting" images, and halos or rings around lights at night.

Astigmatism can be corrected by special eyeglasses, contact lenses, LASIK, PRK, AK or LRI eye surgery.

The Kelly Eye Center proudly serves Raleigh, Cary, Henderson, Knightdale, Wake Forest, Fuquay-Varina, Apex, Durham, Garner, Chapel Hill and Warrenton, NC