Is PRK Possible for People Who Have Astigmatism?

The laser used for PRK and LASIK is the same and both can treat even high amounts of astigmatism. The only difference is the amount of healing time between the two.

The laser that is used to treat your nearsightedness or farsightedness is the same laser that treats your astigmatism, whether you have PRK or LASIK. There are maximum amounts of nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism that the FDA has approved these laser for, but assuming you fall within the range, you should have no problem have your astigmatism treated during your PRK procedure. Thanks, Dr. Kang

Astigmatism is a condition of the eye in which the cornea or front surface is oval rather than round.  Laser vision correction, both PRK and LASIK, is possible with this condition.

One of the comments I hear from patients in my office,  or even people I meet in public,  is "I am not a laser vision correction candidate because I have an astigmatism." I have heard this for 20 years and it just never seems to go away through patient education. A colleagueof mine told me that people look at astigmatism almost as a disease(like rheumatism!) when, in fact, it is just the way the cornea is shaped. In fact, our customized corneal analysis has... more

Astigmatism is simply a difference in curvature of the corneal surface of the eye, where the curve is steeper in one direction than another.  Think of it in terms of the curvature on the surface of a football (astigmatism), versus the curvature on the surface of a basketball (no astigmatism).  Astigmatism actually can be treated quite successfully with both LASIK and PRK.  All forms of astigmatism are not the same, however, so be sure to discuss your particular... more