diff --git a/src/Psalm/Internal/FileManipulation/FileManipulationBuffer.php b/src/Psalm/Internal/FileManipulation/FileManipulationBuffer.php
index 1f47aac9d..ca7103532 100644
--- a/src/Psalm/Internal/FileManipulation/FileManipulationBuffer.php
+++ b/src/Psalm/Internal/FileManipulation/FileManipulationBuffer.php
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ class FileManipulationBuffer
             return;
         }
 
-        $comment_end = strpos($file_contents, '*/', strlen($file_contents) - $bounds[1]);
+        $comment_end = strpos($file_contents, '*/', $bounds[1]);
 
         if ($comment_end === false) {
             return;
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@ class FileManipulationBuffer
         $var_type_comment_end = $bounds[1] - $comment_start;
 
         $var_start = strrpos($comment_text, '@var', $var_type_comment_start - strlen($comment_text));
-        $var_end = strpos($comment_text, "\n", $var_type_comment_end - strlen($comment_text));
+        $var_end = strpos($comment_text, "\n", $var_type_comment_end);
 
         if ($var_start && $var_end) {
             $var_start = strrpos($comment_text, "\n", $var_start - strlen($comment_text)) ?: $var_start;
diff --git a/tests/FileManipulation/UnnecessaryVarAnnotationManipulationTest.php b/tests/FileManipulation/UnnecessaryVarAnnotationManipulationTest.php
index dc6e35482..a44841d43 100644
--- a/tests/FileManipulation/UnnecessaryVarAnnotationManipulationTest.php
+++ b/tests/FileManipulation/UnnecessaryVarAnnotationManipulationTest.php
@@ -35,6 +35,30 @@ class UnnecessaryVarAnnotationManipulationTest extends FileManipulationTest
                 ['UnnecessaryVarAnnotation'],
                 true,
             ],
+            'removeSingleLineVarAnnotationFlipped' => [
+                '<?php
+                    function foo() : string {
+                        return "hello";
+                    }
+
+                    /** @var "a"|"b" */
+                    $b = foo();
+
+                    /** @var string */
+                    $a = foo();',
+                '<?php
+                    function foo() : string {
+                        return "hello";
+                    }
+
+                    /** @var "a"|"b" */
+                    $b = foo();
+
+                    $a = foo();',
+                '5.6',
+                ['UnnecessaryVarAnnotation'],
+                true,
+            ],
             'removeSingleLineVarAnnotationAndType' => [
                 '<?php
                     function foo() : string {