Astigmatism and Your Eyes
What Is Astigmatism?
A simple astigmatism is a common eye condition that's easily corrected by eyeglasses, contact lenses, or surgery.
Astigmatism occurs in an eye which is not completely round. This is one type of refractive error. Astigmatism occurs in nearly everybody to some degree. For vision problems due to astigmatism, glasses, contact lenses, and even vision correction procedures are all possible treatment options.
A person's eye is naturally shaped like a sphere. Under normal circumstances, when light enters the eye, it refracts evenly, creating a clear view of the object. However, the eye of a person with astigmatism is shaped more like a football or the back of a spoon. For this person, when light enters the eye it is refracted more in one direction than the other, allowing only part of the object to be in focus at one time. Objects at any distance can appear blurry and wavy.
What Causes Astigmatism?
Astigmatism is a natural and commonly occuring cause of blurred vision. The exact cause in not known.
What Are the Symptoms of Astigmatism?
People with undetected astigmatism often have blurred vision which can be associated with fatigue, eyestrain, and blurred vision. While these symptoms may not necessarily be the result of astigmatism, you should schedule an eye exam if you are experiencing one or more symptoms.
How Is Astigmatism Diagnosed?
Your eye doctor can diagnose astigmatism with a thorough eye exam. Astigmatism may occur with other refractive errors such as myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness). Unfortunately, astigmatism often goes undetected in school-age children.
Because astigmatism may increase slowly, you should visit your eye care specialist whenever you notice significant changes in your vision. An eye care specialist can be an optometrist or an ophthalmologist. Optometrists are trained to examine the general health of the eyes, diagnose and treat certain eye conditions, and prescribe eyeglasses and contact lenses. Ophthalmologists provide these services as well as treatment of all eye conditions and perform surgery.
How Is Astigmatism Treated?
Almost all degrees of astigmatism can be corrected with properly prescribed eyeglasses or contact lenses. For a person with only a slight degree of astigmatism, corrective lenses may not be needed at all, as long as other conditions, such as nearsightedness or farsightedness, are not present. If the astigmatism is moderate to high, however, corrective lenses are probably needed.
- Corrective lenses (eyeglasses or contact lenses). For astigmatism, special contact lenses called toric lenses are prescribed. Toric lenses have greater light bending power in one direction than the other. After performing various tests, your eye doctor will determine the ideal prescription for your astigmatism.
- Refractive surgery. Another method for correcting astigmatism is by changing the shape of the cornea through refractive or laser eye surgery. While there is more than one type of refractive surgery, specific treatments are recommended on an individual basis.
Refractive surgeries require healthy eyes that are free from retinal problems, corneal scars, and any eye disease. As technology progresses, it is becoming more and more important that you explore all options and possibilities before deciding which refractive surgery and treatment is right for you.
WebMD Medical Reference
On Eye Health
Today in Eye Health
Health Solutions From Our Sponsors
©2005-2012 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.