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.
If you have astigmatism, light that enters your eye is bent more than it should be. The light can't properly focus on your retina. This means only parts of an object you're looking at are in focus. That uneven focus makes objects look blurry or wavy.
Normal people without astigmatism see the world from the perspective of the right side and people with astigmatism see the world from the perspective of the left side. Astigmatism, though in most cases, causes short or far-sightedness and blurred vision, it may not affect your vision at all.
First things first: Astigmatism is a common eye condition that impairs how your eyes function together to generate a clear vision. It's similar to nearsightedness (myopia) or farsightedness (hyperopia), however, with astigmatism you have hazy or distorted vision whether you're trying to see things close up or far away.
What do people with astigmatism see? Individuals with astigmatism have blurred, fuzzy, or distorted vision at near and far distances alike.
Astigmatism is a common visual impairment for which many veterans may not realize they could collect disability compensation.
But if you have astigmatism, the cornea is shaped more like a football, and the light rays entering the eye meet at different points causing blurred vision. At night, or in other low light conditions, the blur gets worse. That's because when the lighting dims, the pupil dilates to let in more light.
Astigmatism Makes Everything Look Blurry
However, astigmatism causes light to hit multiple focal points in the eye, resulting in blurred vision. Unlike myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness), distance does not matter with astigmatism. Nearby objects are just as blurry as objects that are far away.
Astigmatism can distort lights in several ways, and instead of a clear image, you might see: Streaky lights. Haloed lights. Blurry lights.
Astigmatism is very common. Doctors don't know why the shape of the cornea or lens varies from person to person. But they do know the risk of getting astigmatism is inherited (passed down from parents).
Prevalence of significant refractive errors, specifically hyperopia, astigmatism, and anisometropia, varied by group, with the highest rate of hyperopia in non-Hispanic whites, and the highest rates of astigmatism and anisometropia in Hispanics.
Astigmatism ran fairly high in each group, with Hispanic children having the highest prevalence (37 percent), followed by Asian children (34 percent), white children (26 percent) and, finally, African-American children (20 percent.)
There are three options to correct astigmatism – glasses, contact lenses or laser eye surgery. Prescription glasses or contact lenses can correct astigmatism (along with long-sightedness or short-sightedness, if necessary). Alternatively, laser eye surgery can correct astigmatism and give you clearer vision.
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.
Astigmatism can affect both your closeup and far away vision and can make objects look distorted. Astigmatism is not as common as nearsightedness and farsightedness, but about 8.4 percent of the population has it.
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.
One natural way to treat astigmatism is to be aware of your head tilting. If you're tilting to one side, try tilting your head in the opposite direction of what feels most comfortable. It will feel uncomfortable at first. Your muscles are used to doing the wrong thing and need retraining.
Some people are born with astigmatism, but many people develop it as children or young adults. Some people may also develop astigmatism after an eye injury or an eye surgery.
Most times astigmatism is not a serious eye condition, but causes eye strain and fatigue – impacting school and office performances. However, astigmatism can sometimes hide a sight-threatening eye condition. Astigmatism, like myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness), is a common refractive error.
If you're struggling with blurry vision, eyestrain, headaches, or difficulty seeing at night, there is a good chance that you have astigmatism. Often referred to as stigmatism, astigmatism is a clinical term used to describe vision problems that stem from a misshaped cornea, the protective outer layer of the eye.
Astigmatism almost always occurs in both eyes. The condition can occur in only one eye, but that is usually the result of a physical injury.
Non-glare lenses can help reduce the amount of light entering your eye, helping people with astigmatism see better at night.
Blue light blocking lenses
In fact, excessive screen time can even cause digital eye strain, particularly for those with uncorrected astigmatism. Fortunately, blue light blocking lenses can alleviate this discomfort, and make working on your laptop or texting on your phone much more enjoyable.
With astigmatism, driving at night is dangerous. Proper glasses can lessen that danger, bending the light before it reaches your eyes to reduce glare, halos, streaks, and general blurriness so that you can keep your focus on the road.