Signs and symptoms of astigmatism may include: Blurred or distorted vision. Eyestrain or discomfort. Headaches.
The best way to find out whether your headaches are related to astigmatism is to come in so that we can perform an extensive eye exam to get to the bottom of the problem. If we find that you have astigmatism and it's severe enough to be causing vision problems and headaches, we typically recommend corrective lenses.
The underlying cause of headaches related to astigmatism is eye strain. Whether you have blurry vision when looking at close or distant objects, your eyes work harder than average to focus. The eye muscles may contract too much, physically fatiguing the eye and triggering headaches.
Ocular Migraines – Different from regular migraines, ocular migraines can temporarily produce flashing lights, blindness, light sensitivity, vomiting, and nausea. Though rare, ocular migraines may lead to permanent vision problems if not treated.
Astigmatism means your eye is shaped more like a rugby ball than a football, so light is focused at more than 1 place in the eye. This can cause: blurred vision. headaches.
Uncorrected astigmatism can mimic all the same symptoms as vertical heterophoria. headaches and dizziness. Often a person with VH is misdiagnosed. Surprisingly, even symptoms such as feeling off-balance when you are eating or going about daily habits might have to do with your eyes.
There are a few causes that can cause your astigmatism to become worse. Some causes are continuing to read or do activities in poor lighting, aging, and not getting the proper treatment in time. During this process, the cornea may expand which can make it even more difficult to treat astigmatism.
A number of sleep or health disorders, as well as personal habits, can trigger a headache when you wake up. Sleep apnea, migraine, and lack of sleep are common culprits. However, teeth grinding, alcohol use, and certain medications can also cause you to wake up with a headache.
Conditions that might cause nonprimary chronic daily headaches include: Inflammation or other problems with the blood vessels in and around the brain, including stroke. Infections, such as meningitis. Intracranial pressure that's either too high or too low.
Avoid glare on TV and computer screens. Place your TV or computer screen where lights do not reflect on the screen. Some people find it easier to work on a computer in a dimly lit room. Special non-glare screens that fit over the computer screen also may help.
Even a slight degree of astigmatism may lead to headaches, fatigue and reduced concentration. Most astigmatism is caused by the shape of the front surface of the eye (the cornea) or by slight tilting of the lens inside the eye.
Some people do experience headaches from their new glasses, but this should only be temporary and last up to two weeks.
Astigmatism does not always require the use of glasses. A person can have slight astigmatism and still see clearly. Similar to the rest of the body, the eyes change over time, so regular eye checks with your local optometrist are of importance.
How Does Astigmatism Impact Vision? Astigmatism leads to distorted or blurry vision at far and near distances. Light focuses on multiple points instead of just one. At night when looking at lights, they appear to bounce off their primary location.
Morning headaches are common, and most of the time, there's no reason for concern. However, if you find yourself frequently waking up with headaches, it's important to pay attention to the type of pain you feel and if you're experiencing any accompanying neurological symptoms.
Tension headaches, which are the most common type of headache, cause mild to moderate pain. They often present as a dull, constant pain felt on both sides of the head, and have no other symptoms. These type of headaches are caused by tightening or tension in the muscles in the head, neck and scalp.
Tension headaches
These are the most common types of headache, and may cause pain behind your eyes, as well as on one or both sides of your head and from your neck down to your shoulders. Triggers include poor posture, lack of sleep, being hungry or dehydrated, or eye strain from staring too long at a computer screen.
Wearing glasses can't make astigmatism worse, even if they are the wrong prescription. Astigmatism is caused by the shape of the eye's cornea or lens, and glasses can't change those.
Do You Need Special Glasses for Astigmatism? You'll need prescription glasses with cylindrical or spherocylindrical lenses, which are different from the lenses found in single-vision glasses that only correct for nearsightedness and farsightedness.
In those that have symptoms, astigmatism may cause: Blurred or distorted vision, which may cause you to squint. Headaches. Lightheadedness.
Astigmatism frequently worsens with age. Your cornea can become more irregular due to pressure from your eyelids as they lose muscle tone. Astigmatism generally stays stable until your turn 50. After then, your lens curvature progressively worsens each decade.