Astigmatism is when the eye has an football-shaped or asymmetrical front lens curvature rather than a perfect round shape. As a result, an astigmatic eye requires a special dual-power lens to focus light evenly. About 85-90% of all eyeglass prescriptions contain some correction for astigmatism. Correction for astigmatism may occur alone or may be combined with correction of nearsightedness or farsightedness. Uncorrected astigmatism may cause blurred and distorted vision at all distances. Eye glasses and/or special astigmatic (toric) contact lenses are available to correct this condition accurately. LASIK is also an option for appropriate candidates.
