Can astigmatism be corrected with cataract surgery?

Although cataract surgery itself does not correct corneal astigmatism, this eye disorder can sometimes be corrected during a cataract-surgery procedure that uses limbic relaxing incisions, toric-intraocular-lens implantation or both. Toric intraocular lenses, produced by Staar Surgical, are silicon lenses that help correct the corneal plate.

Peripheral corneal arcuate incisions can also be used to correct astigmatism in come cases. Depending on the case, a combination of both methods may be used. The amount of correction for corneal astigmatism can depend on age. For young patients, 2.5 diopters of astigmatism can be correctable, and 4 diopters can be correctable in older patients.