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Is PRK Possible for People Who Have Astigmatism?

  • 6 years ago

Doctor Answers 8

PRK Possible for People Who Have Astigmatism?

February 13th, 2015
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The short answer : In most cases, Yes. But of course, there are degrees of astigmatism which fall outside of teh approved range for laser eye surgery.  

Web reference: http://www.globallaservision.com/vision-services/laser-eye-surgery-2/lasekprk/

Farzad Yaghouti, MD


San Diego Ophthalmologist
4.8 out of 5 stars 4 reviews

PRK Treats Astigmatism

October 5th, 2012
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PRK is very effective in treating astigmatism.  Even very high levels of astigmatism can usually be treated if the eyes are otherwise healthy.

Michael K. Tracy, MD

Michael K. Tracy, MD
San Diego Ophthalmologist
5.0 out of 5 stars 1 review

PRK and astigmatism

May 23rd, 2012
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Astigmatism is a type of refractive error just like myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness). Having astigmatism alone does not discount you as a candidate from any form of laser vision correction.

Ilan Cohen, MD

Ilan Cohen, MD
New York Ophthalmologist

Does PRK treat astigmatism?

September 15th, 2011
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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. 

Mark Golden, MD

Mark Golden, MD
Chicago Ophthalmologist
5.0 out of 5 stars 3 reviews

Astigmatism

September 21st, 2010
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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

Paul C. Kang, MD

Paul C. Kang, MD
Washington DC Ophthalmologist

PRK for Astigmatism

September 1st, 2010
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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.

Sandy Feldman, MD

Sandy Feldman, MD
San Diego Ophthalmologist
4.5 out of 5 stars 2 reviews

Treatment of Astigmatism

August 31st, 2010
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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 gotten so sensitive over the past ten years that itis difficult to find a patient that does'nt have an astigmatism. The excimer lasers have gotten so good that very high levels of astigmatism can be treated. I have treated as high as 6 diopters of astigmatism and routinely(weekly) perform LASIK or PRK on patients with 4 diopters of astigmatism. So, hopefully, the misinformation will cease, but just know that modern lasers are good enough(great!) to easily treat most patients with an astigmatism.

Anthony J. Kameen, MD

Anthony J. Kameen, MD
Baltimore Ophthalmologist
5.0 out of 5 stars 1 review

PRK Treatment for Astigmatism

August 28th, 2010
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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 case with your doctor.  Incidentally, all lasers used to treat the cornea for LASIK and PRK are not the same, either. 

Robert Rivera, MD

Robert Rivera, MD
Phoenix Ophthalmologist

These answers are for educational purposes and should not be relied upon as a substitute for medical advice you may receive from your physician. If you have a medical emergency, please call 911. These answers do not constitute or initiate a patient/doctor relationship.