Jules Stein Eye Institute
UCLA Laser Refractive Center
100 Stein Plaza
Los Angeles, California 90095
(310) 825-2737
(310) UC LASER lrc@jsei.ucla.edu
Astigmatism
Astigmatism is a condition in which objects, both near and distant, appear blurred. The cornea and lens of the eye should be spherical. When one or both are curved more steeply in one meridian than another, the optics take on a toric shape (like a football). This uneven curvature prevents light rays entering the eye from focusing to a single point on the retina, blurring the visual image somewhat like a funhouse mirror at an amusement park. Astigmatism often occurs in combination with myopia and hyperopia.
Light focuses in two different locations in the astigmatic eye
