In this new modern era, vision problems or refractive errors are very common than you think. Most of the people develop some type of refractive errors such as myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia, and astigmatism. Nowadays, refractive errors can also be found in Children.
Every year a huge number of people go through the LASIK surgery and other eye surgeries to get rid of their contact lenses and eye glasses and get clear vision. But, astigmatism is much different than the other refractive errors.
In this article, you will get detailed information about Astigmatism, including cost of lasik surgery with astihmatism in India and US and the various eye surgeries which are used to cure it.
What is Astigmatism?
- It is a very common vision problem which is found in majority of the people world-wide.
- Since maximum people have little percentage of astigmatism therefore it doesn’t affect much of the vision clarity and so the need of treatment or surgery never arises.
- However, the people who develop higher amounts of astigmatism get blurry visions which are needed to be corrected through either surgery or by using glasses and contact lenses.
- Astigmatism develops due to the irregular shaped cornea or due to the curvature of lens inside the eye.
What happens in Astigmatism?
- The irregular shaped cornea or lens prevents the light from focusing at the right position on the retina (the light-sensitive surface at the back of the eye).
- As a result, your vision becomes blurry or hazy for any distance both near and far.
- The change in the curvature of the cornea causes the light to hit at multiple points instead of one single focused point on the retina. This makes it’s difficult for the brain to read the image and the image appears distorted or blurry.
- This can occur in one eye or both the eyes and is generally accompanied by hyperopia or myopia.
- Astigmatism is an inheritable condition and it can also develop due to any sort of injury or even ocular disease.
- The patients having astigmatism require wearing eye-glasses or contact lenses to correct the problem for a short time and surgeries are required for permanent solution.
- Sometimes, these patients also suffer from eyestrain and headaches without the aid of the contact lenses and glasses.
Can LASIK Eye surgery cure Astigmatism?
- Many patients have a doubt whether LASIK eye surgery can cure ‘Astigmatism’. Well, LASIK eye surgery can cure the problem of Astigmatism depending on the severity of the problem.
- If the Astigmatism is less in amount then LASIK surgery shows positive effect on the patient. However, in case of high Astigmatism which generally occurs in children, it is recommended to wait till 18 or above 18, when the vision stabilizes.
- Before the surgery, each and every patient is evaluated for the surgery which involves testing of eyes, health and health history. If the patient qualifies, he or she is allowed for the surgery. LASIK may not be good for every patient.
How does LASIK Surgery work for Astigmatism?
- LASIK Surgery procedure involves reshaping of the cornea to correct the light path entry to the back of the eye or retina.
- Once the surgery is done, the spherical curve allows the eye to focus light rays efficiently on the retina and hence the vision is clearer than before.
- Glasses and contact lenses do the temporary job of fixing Astigmatism but LASIK surgery gives a permanent solution.
What are the other types of surgery you may opt for other than LASIK?
LASIK surgery is the most popular eye surgery, and there are manytypes of lasik eye surgery for curing refractive errors using cool laser beams, but there are many other options for Astigmatism treatment. Your ophthalmologist will recommend you the best one according to your eye and health conditions.
Some of the other surgeries for curing Astigmatism are:
Astigmatic Keratotomy: In this eye surgery, shallow cuts (limbal relaxing incisions) will be made into the cornea to relax the steepest curves. This surgery is effective but laser surgery is deemed much better for the patients who have developed severe astigmatism.
Astigmatism-Correcting Cataract Surgery: This surgery cures both the problem of Astigmatism and cataract. It is done at the time when the patient develops the problem of cataract. If IOLs or Intraocular lenses are used which replace the natural eye lens, then it is suitable for both astigmatism and cataract problems.
How much does LASIK Surgery cost in India?
It costs around 4000-6000 Euros in Europe and in USA it will cost you $9000. However, In India, cost of LASIK surgery with astigmatism is pretty reasonable. It is done using all the latest technology according to the International Standards.
In the private hospitals of India, you will get a good LASIK eye surgery at a cost range of Rs.25000-Rs.40000, depending on the hospital and the surgeon you have chosen. The Lasik eye surgery minimum cost in India is less than Rs.10,000 and the maximum cost can rise up to Lakhs.
Some of the Hospitals which provide LASIK eye surgery are listed below:
- SankaraNethralaya (Chennai)
- Manipal hospital (Bangalore)
- Vasan Eye care (Chennai)
- Kenia Eye Hospital (Mumbai)
- JJ Hospital (Mumbai)
The Top rated LASIK eye surgery clinics in USA are:
- LasikPlus (starting at $250)
- QualSight LASIK ($995 to $2,700 per eye)
- LaserVue LASIK & Cataract Center ($2,100 – $3,100 per eye)
- Eye Doctors of Washington
- Manhattan LASIK centre (monthly payments less than $100)
- Laser Eye Center of Los Angeles and Orange County
Astigmatism is a very common eye problem which is found in majority of people around the world. Some people have higher astigmatism whereas some have lower. Since lower astigmatism doesn’t cause much vision problem therefore, in such cases the treatment is not needed. However, people suffering from higher astigmatism require Eye surgery to correct the vision problem. Although, yes, glasses and contact lenses can be used for clearer vision but on a temporary basis. For a permanent solution, refractive correction eye surgery is required such as LASIK, Astigmatic Keratotomy etc. However, these surgeries may not be suitable for people below 18. In India, you can easily get a LASIK eye surgery at a very affordable price in top private hospitals. The price varies according to the hospital and the expertise of the surgeon. So, if you are facing astigmatism vision problem and your doctor has suggested you surgery as an option then you should go for it.