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.
It is easily corrected, and although astigmatism can cause your vision to be blurry it rarely causes any permanent damage to the health of your eyes. If you experience blurred vision, headaches or eye strain, having a complete eye exam may lead to a diagnosis and treatment of this easily-dealt-with condition.
Astigmatism (uh-STIG-muh-tiz-um) is a common and generally treatable imperfection in the curvature of the eye that causes blurred distance and near vision. Astigmatism occurs when either the front surface of the eye (cornea) or the lens inside the eye has mismatched curves.
If left untreated, astigmatism may cause eyestrain, headaches, and blurry vision. If you have astigmatism you may not see objects in the distance or near without some form of distortion.
A minor astigmatism may not cause any vision problems at all, but a significant astigmatism needs to be corrected. Having an astigmatism may complicate your prescription just a bit, but it won't prevent you from getting the type of corrective lens that fits your lifestyle.
How common is astigmatism? Astigmatism is a common refractive error, occurring in about 1 in 3 of all people. Astigmatism is often present at birth but it can also develop over time, and most often occurs with myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness).
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 make your vision blurry and particularly affect your night vision. You may notice that lights look fuzzy, streaky, or surrounded by haloes at night, which can make driving difficult.
Astigmatism is a minor eye condition that occurs when the curvature of the cornea or the eye's lens isn't symmetrical. Wearing glasses for astigmatism is a common way to correct the condition.
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.
Astigmatism surgery
Having surgery is the only way to permanently correct astigmatism. However, your type and degree of astigmatism, corneal thickness, age and other eye conditions are all factors in whether surgery is the best option — and if so, which type of surgery.
Does astigmatism affect night driving? Driving at night is difficult enough for those with perfect vision — but for people with astigmatism, it can be even more difficult. In low light conditions, the blurry vision associated with astigmatism can become worse.
It can go on for a week or 5 to 6 days if you have moderate or severe astigmatism. If the problems are less bothersome then give them enough time of 3 to 4 days but if it goes on to make you feel uncomfortable, visit your eye doctor and get your glasses checked. How to adjust to new glasses without the pain?
What causes astigmatism? Astigmatism happens when your cornea or lens has a different shape than normal. The shape makes light bend differently as it enters your eye, causing a refractive error. Doctors don't know what causes astigmatism, and there's no way to prevent it.
“Assuming they're not myopic or hyperopic with spectacles or after surgery, most patients can tolerate up to a half-diopter of astigmatism, and in some cases 0.75, before they can't read the 20/20 line. So that would be acceptable for most patients.
Moderate Astigmatism 1.00 to 2.00 diopters. High Astigmatism 2.00 to 4.00 diopters. Extreme Astigmatism > 4.00 diopters.
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.
Astigmatism can make it seem like you are nearsighted and farsighted at the same time. You can have 20/20 vision and still have astigmatism.
Worsening astigmatism can be treated with corrective lenses and surgical procedures like LASIK or lense replacement. Talk to your doctor to find the best option for you.
If you've already been diagnosed with astigmatism, you know this condition can cause blurry vision and make it difficult to see at night, especially when driving. If you're seeing beams of light or light halos when driving at night, astigmatism may be the cause—and you should consult your eye doctor.
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.
When you have astigmatism, some of the bold lines will look blurrier than others. It may look like some are drawn with a black marker and others are faded. That's because the abnormal curve of your eye makes parts of a picture more or less clear.
Between . 75 and 2 diopters is considered mild astigmatism. Between 2 and 4 diopters is moderate astigmatism, and 4 or more diopters is considered significant or “bad” astigmatism. Generally, eyes with 1.5 diopters of astigmatism or more require correction.
Yes, uncorrected astigmatism can cause amblyopia, also known as lazy eye. If one eye has significant astigmatism, myopia or hyperopia, the brain can start to “tune out” the visual information from that eye and only use the information from the eye with better vision.