What is astigmatism? Astigmatism is a common refractive error caused by an uneven curvature of the cornea, which scatters light entering the eye and produces blurry or distorted vision at all distances. Can LASIK eye surgery correct astigmatism? Yes. With modern laser technology, roughly 94% of astigmatism cases can be corrected with LASIK, including many prescriptions patients were previously told would never qualify. At 20/20 Institute, we treat astigmatism every day, and most of our patients walk out of their procedure on a clear path to 20/20 vision.
At 20/20 Institute, we treat astigmatism every day, and most of our patients walk out of their procedure on a clear path to 20/20 vision.
What Exactly Is Astigmatism?
Astigmatism is not a disease and not an injury. It is simply the shape of your eye. A healthy cornea, the clear front surface of the eye, is round like a basketball, curving evenly in every direction. A cornea with astigmatism is shaped more like a football, steeper in one direction than the other. The natural lens of your eye can also have astigmatism. The uneven curvature of the cornea or lens bends light unevenly as it enters and travels through the eye, so images don’t land cleanly on the retina.
The result is vision that can feel blurry, doubled, or smeared, often at every distance. Many people with astigmatism also notice glare and halos around lights at night, eye strain after reading, or headaches at the end of a long screen day.
Astigmatism rarely shows up alone. Most patients we see have astigmatism combined with nearsightedness (myopia) or farsightedness (hyperopia). It can be present from birth, and it can change slightly over the years, which is why a stable prescription matters before any vision correction decision.
Can LASIK Eye Surgery Correct Astigmatism?
Yes. if the patient is an otherwise good candidate for the procedure then LASIK is one of the most effective ways to correct astigmatism, and the answer for most patients researching whether they can have laser vision correction eye surgery for astigmatism is a confident yes.
How LASIK Corrects Astigmatism
LASIK uses a cool excimer laser to reshape the cornea, smoothing out the uneven curvature that causes astigmatism so that light can focus cleanly on the retina. The laser doesn’t “remove” astigmatism in a generic sense. It precisely sculpts the cornea based on a custom digital map of your eye to reduce or remove that eye’s amount of astigmatism. At 20/20 Institute, we use the WaveLight EX500 excimer laser, the fastest excimer laser approved for use in the United States, paired with a custom Wavefront-Optimized treatment. That combination allows us to address each patient’s unique corneal shape with a high degree of precision, which matters enormously when astigmatism is part of the picture. You can read more about our advanced LASIK technology and how it applies to astigmatic eyes.
If you’ve been told by a general eye doctor that you can’t have LASIK because of your astigmatism, please don’t take that as the final word. In many cases, that opinion is based on older technology or the limits of a general practice, not the capabilities of a dedicated LASIK center. Our published 99.67% success rate from our 2022 cases includes a substantial number of astigmatic patients many thought LASIK wasn’t an option for them.
Can You Get 20/20 Vision With Astigmatism After LASIK?
Yes. The whole point of LASIK is to correct the refractive error causing blurry vision, and astigmatism is no exception. The overwhelming majority of our astigmatism patients achieve 20/20 vision or better after their procedure.
We’re not asking you to take that on faith. 20/20 Institute publishes a 99.67% success rate drawn from all of our 2022 cases. That number includes patients with nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism across a wide range of prescriptions.
Who Qualifies for LASIK With Astigmatism?
If you’re wondering whether you can get LASIK eye surgery with astigmatism, the candidacy criteria are the same as for any LASIK patient:
A stable eyeglass or contact lens prescription for at least one year
Sufficient corneal thickness
No diagnosis of keratoconus or irregular astigmatism
Pupils within an acceptable size range
No active eye disease or uncontrolled systemic conditions affecting the eyes
Age 18 or older
Many patients arrive at our doors after being told by a general optometrist or another clinic that they “are not a LASIK candidate” because of their astigmatism. Often, that conclusion was made without the kind of advanced diagnostic mapping a specialist LASIK center performs.
The diagnostic technology we use at 20/20 Institute goes beyond what most general clinics have available. We routinely qualify patients with higher degrees of astigmatism, patients with stronger prescriptions, and patients who had given up on the idea of LASIK years ago. The only way to know for certain whether you qualify is a thorough specialist evaluation, which is exactly what your free consultation is designed to deliver.
When LASIK May Not Be the Right Fit
We promised honesty, so here it is. Not every astigmatism patient is an ideal LASIK candidate. Patients with very high degrees of astigmatism, thin corneas, keratoconus, or irregular astigmatism may be better served by another procedure or simply staying in their eyeglasses.
Other procedure options may mean visual freedom is not off the table. PRK reshapes the cornea similarly to LASIK but without creating a corneal flap, which makes it a strong option for thinner corneas and certain corneal irregularities. EVO ICL is an implantable lens option that can correct high prescriptions without altering the cornea at all. You can read more about PRK as an alternative to LASIK and our other LASIK alternatives.
Our commitment to every patient is simple. We’ll recommend what is genuinely best for your eyes, even when that means pointing you toward a procedure we don’t perform ourselves. A clean recommendation matters more than a booked surgery.
How Much Does LASIK Surgery Cost for Astigmatism?
One of the most common questions we hear is how much LASIK surgery costs for astigmatism. The good news is that LASIK for astigmatism is priced the same as standard spherical (without astigmatism) LASIK at 20/20 Institute. The laser is already programmed to treat whatever refractive error is present in your eye, so astigmatism doesn’t add a separate surcharge to your procedure.
Pricing is transparent. You can call us and receive a price estimate over the phone before you ever set foot in one of our locations, with no obligation to schedule anything. We also offer flexible LASIK financing options so the investment fits comfortably into your monthly budget.
We’d rather tell you a real number on the first call rather than ask you to come into our office to find out. That’s part of the no-pressure approach we’ve built our practice around.
Does LASIK for Astigmatism Last Permanently?
This question comes up so often that we want to put it to rest directly. LASIK doesn’t “wear off.” The tissue removed by the laser during LASIK from the cornea is for life. However, that doesn’t mean your vision will not change.
What can change as we age is everything else about the eye. As we age other parts of the eye can change which may change your vision. The effects of LASIK may change over time as well. Also, around age 40 to 45, most adults start to develop presbyopia, the natural age-related loss of near focus that has nothing to do with LASIK. You may eventually need reading glasses for small print, just like everyone else. That is a separate issue from your astigmatism correction, which usually remains.
So if you’re weighing whether the result is worth the investment, please understand: the astigmatism correction you receive at 20/20 Institute is built to last.
Why Colorado Patients With Astigmatism Choose 20/20 Institute
We serve Colorado patients from four locations: Denver, Englewood/DTC, Westminster, and Colorado Springs. If you’re anywhere along the Front Range, LASIK eye surgery in Denver or any of our other locations is close at hand.
Colorado patients have a particular reason to want astigmatism gone. Skiing with goggles fogged over glasses, hiking in dry mountain air that wrecks contact lenses, biking with prescription sunglasses sliding down your nose, all of it is friction that disappears the moment your eyes work on their own. Our patients tell us that the visual freedom they are experiencing here in Colorado feels great, and perhaps that’s different than it might feel somewhere else.
What also feels different is how we run our practice. Every patient is paired with a dedicated patient counselor from the very first phone call. Once you become our patient, ou’ll have direct access to Dr. Danzo’s personal mobile phone, 24 hours a day, during your treatment and recovery journey. Our facilities are calm, welcoming, and built around the experience of being cared for rather than processed.
Dr. Danzo has co-managed more than 30,000 refractive surgery procedures, including LASIK and PRK, over 35-plus years. He’s also a LASIK patient himself, which means the guidance you receive comes from someone who has sat on both sides of the procedure.
Schedule your free LASIK consultation and take the next step toward unencumbered, natural vision.
Frequently Asked Questions About LASIK and Astigmatism
Can LASIK eye surgery correct astigmatism?
Yes. Roughly 94% of astigmatism cases can be corrected with modern LASIK. The excimer laser reshapes the uneven curvature of the cornea so light focuses correctly on the retina. At 20/20 Institute, we use the WaveLight EX500 laser with Wavefront-Optimized treatment, which is built for the precision astigmatic eyes require.
Can you get 20/20 vision with astigmatism after LASIK?
Yes. Most patients with astigmatism achieve 20/20 vision or better after LASIK. 20/20 Institute publishes a 99.67% success rate from all 2022 cases.
Does LASIK help astigmatism long term?
Yes. LASIK physically reshapes corneal tissue, and that change usually has lasting effects. The cornea cells that are removed by the laser cannot grow back. Age-related changes and conditions like presbyopia may eventually call for glasses or reading glasses, but presbyopia is unrelated to your LASIK correction, which lasts.
Can I get LASIK eye surgery with astigmatism if I have a high prescription?
Often, yes. Many patients with higher degrees of astigmatism are surprised to learn they qualify when evaluated at a specialist LASIK center. The best way to know is a full diagnostic evaluation. If LASIK isn’t ideal for your situation, PRK or EVO ICL may be excellent alternatives.
How do I know if I qualify for LASIK with astigmatism?
The only way to know with certainty is a specialist evaluation. Your free consultation at 20/20 Institute includes advanced corneal mapping, a thorough review of your prescription history, and a clear recommendation. If you’ve more questions before scheduling, our common LASIK questions page is a good place to start.
Take the First Step: Schedule a Free Consultation
If you’ve been waiting on the sidelines because someone once told you that astigmatism ruled out LASIK, this is your invitation to get a second opinion from a team that does this every day.
Your consultation is free.
There’s no obligation, no pressure, and no commitment to schedule anything.
You can even get a price estimate over the phone before you visit.
From the moment you come to see us, you’ll be paired with a dedicated patient counselor whose job is to answer your questions on your timeline, not ours.
Schedule your free LASIK consultation and find out, finally, whether the answer you were given years ago still holds today. Most of our astigmatism patients are very glad they asked again.
