Astigmatism

Astigmatism is a common visual defect and occurs in almost everybody to some degree. It can be corrected by surgery, contact lenses and eye glasses. Astigmatism is caused due to an irregular shaped cornea or the curvature of the lens in the eye. These do not allow the light from focusing on the retina leading to blurred vision. Astigmatism is not a disease; it just means that there is a variation in the shape of your cornea.

Effects of Astigmatism:

A person’s eye is usually spherical in shape. When light enters the eye, it bends or refracts evenly, leading to a clear view of the object. The eyes of a person with astigmatism, on the other hand, is shaped more like the back of a spoon or a rugby ball. In this case, when light enters the eye, it bends more in one direction than the other. This enables only a portion of the object to be in focus at one particular time leading to distorted images.

Astigmatism may occur along with other vision issues including farsightedness and nearsightedness. Together these conditions are known as refractive errors as they have an effect on the way the eyes refract the light.

Causes of Astigmatism:

The cause of astigmatism is not known. It can be present from birth and increase or decrease as the child grows. Astigmatism may also develop following an eye surgery or eye injury.

There are two kinds of astigmatism – regular and irregular.

• Regular astigmatism – This occurs when the cornea is curved more in any one direction than the others. It can be corrected with eyeglasses or lenses.

• Irregular astigmatism – This occurs when the cornea is curved in more than one direction. It is often due to an eye injury and can be corrected with contact lenses.

Astigmatism in Children:

Astigmatism can affect both adults and children. The less severe condition does not affect vision and, therefore, do not need any treatment. However, the acute condition can lead to distortion of images at all distances, fatigue, headaches, eye discomfort, squinting. Children with the vision problem may have difficulty in focusing on reading from a book. They also may complain of tired eyes and headaches.

All these astigmatism symptoms may not mean that you have the condition but if you experience one or more of these, consult your doctor for a thorough eye test.

Diagnosis of Astigmatism:

Your ophthalmologist can diagnose the condition through an eye test for astigmatism. A visual acuity examination is done to note the focusing power of the eyes at different distances. The doctor may use a process called refraction to determine the refractive error of the eyes. The condition usually increases slowly and might not be easy to detect in the initial stages. It is, therefore, good to visit your eye doctor whenever you notice the slightest change in your eyesight.

For someone with very less astigmatism, there might be no need for corrective lenses as long as other problems such as farsightedness or nearsightedness are also not present. If the degree of the condition is moderate to high, lenses and glasses maybe prescribed by the doctor.

It is possible to have some amount of astigmatism and not be aware of it. It can happen especially with children having astigmatism. It is, therefore, important to have eye tests regularly to ensure that you see your best.

Ways to correct Astigmatism:

People with astigmatism have several options to correct their vision issue. You can consult your doctor to choose the treatment that would suit you best. Depending on the amount of astigmatism present in the eyes, your doctor will prescribe lenses or glasses that will set right the condition by fixing the way light enters your eyes. Other options to cure astigmatism include laser surgery and Orthokeratology.

Another method for correcting the problem is by altering the shape of the cornea with the help of refractive surgery. This enables light to focus properly on the retina. There are different types of refractive surgery and specific treatments are suggested by the doctor as per individual issues. It is crucial that you discuss all options with a qualified specialist before picking the refractive surgery that is right for you.

Left untreated, the condition can cause eye strain, fatigue, and headaches and more so after doing tasks that involve focused attention such as using a computer, seeing a movie or reading.

Conclusion:
Astigmatism may not generally pose a problem in very mild cases but it has the potential of increasing gradually over time. To cure the astigmatism it is very necessary to do proper and regular eye care that will also ensure good vision.