Astigmatism for many patients is very confusing.  A lot of patients think it is really bad to have Astigmatism, when in reality astigmatism is just another type of refractive error.  Astigmatism by definition is an optical defect in which vision is blurred due to the inability of the optics of the eye to focus a point object into a sharp focused image on the retina.  This means that having astigmatism, much like being nearsighted or farsighted blurs the optical image.  Some people have Astigmatism because of a corneal injury or because of a condition known as Keratoconus which is a pathological thinning of the cornea.  Before you can be treated with LASIK or PRK for astigmatism your doctor must do testing to see the amount of your astigmatism and access the health of your eye in order to deem you a good candidate for LASIK or PRK.  We do have the technology to treat astigmatism safely.  Dr. Holzman uses the Intralase laser to make the corneal flap and he has the Allegretto Wavelight and VISX Star lasers to reshape the cornea.The lasers routinely correct high astigmatism without any issues. We have done PRK and LASIK both for the correction of astigmatism with excellent results.  Which procedure you have is not as important as the technology and surgeon that does your procedure.  Astigmatism, as with nearsightedness or farsightedness can be treated but the key is to find a doctor who is experienced.  Dr. Holzman is a board certified corneal specialist and he will not compromise on the health of your eyes.  If you are not a good candidate for the procedure he will tell you.  The best way to know if your astigmatism can be treated with LASIK or PRK is to come in for a consultation and have your eyes thoroughly evaluated.  In the past, we could not treat  patients who have Keratoconus.   We now have the technology combined with excellent surgeon technique perform a procedure known as corneal cross linking.