Astigmatism is a common condition where the cornea is curved irregularly, causing blurry vision. It can go undetected and worsen over time, but can be treated with corrective lenses or refractive surgery. Annual eye exams are recommended.
Ocular astigmatism is a common condition that affects vision. When a person has eye astigmatism, their cornea is curved irregularly and the condition is called refractive error. Most people have some level of astigmatism and often require no treatment. When there is a high amount of curvature, however, treatment is required.
Astigmatism can affect people of any age. It may also go undetected at first and then be discovered during a routine eye exam. This is because it can get worse over time. School-age children frequently have astigmatism that goes undetected right away. It can be discovered as it gets worse.
To understand how eye astigmatism works, it helps to consider the normal shape of the eye. Usually, an eye is shaped like a sphere. With this shape, the eye refracts light evenly and the result is clear vision. A person with astigmatism, however, is more likely to have a soccer ball-shaped eye. With this shape, incoming light is unevenly refracted and vision is obstructed.
To a person with eye astigmatism, objects can appear blurry, no matter how close or far they are. A person with this condition may also experience headaches and eye strain. An eye exam can reveal whether or not a person has eye astigmatism. Often, the condition is found alongside other types of vision problems. For example, people with ocular astigmatism may also be nearsighted or farsighted.
A person’s level of eye astigmatism can increase over time. For this reason, annual eye exams by an optometrist or ophthalmologist are necessary. Treatment can vary, depending on how much astigmatism a person has. A person with only a slightly irregular corneal curvature may not even need corrective lenses. However, a person with a significant amount of astigmatism will likely need corrective lenses, which can be eyeglasses or contact lenses.
A person with this vision condition will need special corrective lenses called toric lenses; they bend light more in a particular direction, correcting astigmatism. Some people may opt for refractive surgery instead of corrective lenses. Such surgery can alter the shape of a person’s cornea, permanently fixing eye astigmatism. There are several types of refractive surgery that can help a person with this condition, including laser eye surgery. Each person may be better suited to a different type of eye surgery, and an optometrist or ophthalmologist is qualified to evaluate a patient and recommend one.
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