Prescription eyeglasses for astigmatism are generally considered optional if your uncorrected vision (meaning your vision without corrective lenses) is 20/40 or better. However, even if your vision is 20/40 or better, you might still end up with eye strain or headaches if you don't wear glasses.
If the astigmatism is very mild (and doesn't affect your vision), you might not need glasses or contacts. Your eye care specialist will measure any changes in your eye during future eye exams. Astigmatism can change over time and get worse, so you might need glasses or contacts eventually, even if you don't at first.
Astigmatism is important to catch early on, especially in children. If left unnoticed, it can lead to more serious and permanent eye conditions such as amblyopia (the scientific term for what's commonly known as lazy eye).
Wearing glasses or other astigmatism treatment is typically only necessary if you have moderate astigmatism (1.00 to 2.00 diopters) or worse. Some eye doctors prescribe glasses for people who have a 0.75 diopter.
However, you must consider the fact that astigmatism can impact your vision in a very adverse manner when left untreated for prolonged periods of time. You should only use contact lenses that are specifically designed for people with astigmatism because if not, you can experience increased retina irritation.
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.
On a prescription, your eye doctor lists this measurement under “cylinder.” Typically, most people have an astigmatism between 0.5 and 0.75 diopters. A measurement of more than 1.5 diopters usually requires contacts or glasses to correct the astigmatism.
If there is only a small amount of astigmatism -0.25 or -0.50 then you might not need this corrected, especially if it is fairly straight (near to 90 axis or 180 axis on your prescription).
Astigmatism is measured in diopters. A perfect eye with no astigmatism has 0 diopters. Most people have between 0.5 to 0.75 diopters of astigmatism. People with a measurement of 1.5 or more typically need contacts or eyeglasses to have clear vision.
The amount of astigmatism (visual distortion) that is caused by an irregularly shaped cornea. If this box is empty, it means that there is no astigmatism and your eyes are perfectly spherical. A low number like 0.25 means your eyes are not quite round and a higher number like 3.00 means your eyes are quite oval.
For the majority of people, mild astigmatism does not cause significant vision changes and therefore does not need correction. However, when astigmatism causes blurred or distorted vision, correction is necessary.
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.
Eye Yoga It strengthens eye muscles, sharpens focus and improves vision. Stand, sit in the chair or on the floor and keep your posture straight. Close your eyes and breathe while concentrating. Slowly and start moving your eyeballs from side to side.
Overuse of Electronic Devices: The excessive use of smartphones, tablets, computers, and other electronic devices could lead to astigmatism, as well as dry eye. Improper Light Levels: Watching TV or using electronic screens in the dark can cause eye strain and eye fatigue and possibly be a cause for astigmatism.
Astigmatism is linked to genetics
Mom and Dad can be to blame for your football-shaped corneas.
The result is blurry vision. People with astigmatism may experience mild to severe distorted vision, depending on the degree of astigmatism. While myopia (nearsightedness) makes far-away objects blurry and hyperopia (farsightedness) makes close-up objects blurry, astigmatism makes things blurry at every distance.
What Could Cause Sudden Vision Improvements? It's much more common for vision improvements to be caused by medical conditions than lifestyle changes. Conditions like diabetes, cataracts, or even the development of something called “second sight” could be what's causing your vision to suddenly be better.
While astigmatism cannot be cured, glasses and contact lenses can be used to treat the blurry vision that results from having astigmatism. For those wishing for a more permanent solution to blurry vision, refractive surgery is required.
Mild vision loss: From 20/30 to 20/60 is a common range of poor eyesight for people who have myopia, presbyopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. It is near-normal vision. When corrected vision measures in this range, it may be treated with a new eyeglass prescription.
20/200+: This means you have a significant vision issue. You will most likely need to wear glasses all the time. Your eye doctor may also recommend specific lenses to improve your overall sight.
The higher this number, the stronger the prescriptive lens to correct your vision needs to be, for example, a correction of +0.25 is small compared to one of +6.00.
Treatment. Mild astigmatism may not need to be corrected. Glasses or contact lenses will correct astigmatism, but do not cure it. Laser surgery can help change the shape of the cornea surface to eliminate astigmatism, along with nearsightedness or farsightedness.
The different levels of severity for astigmatism are measured in diopters, and they are: Mild astigmatism (less than 1.00 diopter) – Mild astigmatism is considered normal, and individuals who have it often don't need corrective lenses or surgery to see clearly.
Higher levels of astigmatism often require a thinner type of lens than standard lenses. High index or Trivex lenses are often used for high prescriptions. Standard plastic lenses are less expensive and can be helpful for low levels of astigmatism.