Astigmatism Management with Intraocular Lens Surgery

Corneal astigmatism is common. More than 40% of patients undergoing cataract surgery have 1 diopter (D) power or more of astigmatism, which left untreated is visually significant. Because toric intraocular lenses (IOLs) are available, the current standard of care is to offer treatment of astigmatism at the time of cataract surgery. PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase databases, and the Cochrane Library were systematically searched from inception to October 2019. Search words included astigmatism, corneal astigmatism, toric IOLs, alignment, and IOL calculation. Studies evaluated included review articles regarding the origin and history of astigmatism, the diagnosis and management of the disease, and the history of surgical management options for astigmatism. Other studies evaluated in this review included clinical trials, meta-analyses, and retrospective analysis of surgical refractive outcomes. Prediction of refractive outcomes was evaluated with a review of IOL calculators and their use in lens prediction for cataract surgery. Evaluation of these articles also showed improved uncorrected visual acuity with the use of toric IOLs in patients undergoing cataract surgery. New diagnostic technology, new toric IOLs, updated lens formulas, intraoperative guidance, and advanced imaging technology and software have contributed to improvements in the surgical correction of astigmatism.