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 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 is a common eye problem that can make your vision blurry or distorted. It happens when your cornea (the clear front layer of your eye) or lens (an inner part of your eye that helps the eye focus) has a different shape than normal. The only way to find out if you have astigmatism is to get an eye exam.
When it comes to refractive errors such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism, the outer appearance of the eyes does not change. Instead, myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness) affect the length of the eyeballs, something your eye doctor can see during an eye exam.
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.
Astigmatism is very common. 1 in 3 people has astigmatism.
Astigmatism is a common visual impairment for which many veterans may not realize they could collect disability compensation.
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.
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.
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.
Most cases of astigmatism are hereditary and appear at birth. For some people, the condition can develop later in life. Eye injuries or surgeries may also cause astigmatism due to corneal damage. Vision problems due to astigmatism can get worse as time goes on.
Astigmatism is thought to be hereditary, so if you have astigmatism, chances are good your children will have it also. The condition often occurs with other vision conditions such as nearsightedness (myopia).
Astigmatism Symptoms
The main symptom of astigmatism is blurred vision. This blurriness can lead to squinting, headaches, and even lightheadedness. Most people notice that the blurriness is worse at night.
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.
Someone with astigmatism has an irregularly shaped cornea instead of a round shape. This football shape prevents light from focusing directly on the retina causing blurry, distorted vision, headaches, and eyestrain. At night you will see starbursts or glare around lights making night driving dangerous.
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.
You can have 20/20 vision and still have astigmatism. Unlike presbyopia that makes focusing on close objects difficult or impossible or myopia that makes focusing on distant objects difficult or impossible, astigmatism gives you sometimes clear vision and sometimes blurry vision at all distances.
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.
Not wearing glasses for astigmatism won't make your astigmatism worse, however. The severity of your astigmatism has nothing to do with whether or not you're using corrective lenses to treat it.
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.
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.
People with astigmatism often report that it is more difficult to see and focus at night than during the day. The reason for this is that the pupil dilates in low light to allow more light into the eye to see.
You have corneal astigmatism if your cornea has mismatched curves. You have lenticular astigmatism if your lens has mismatched curves. Either type of astigmatism can cause blurred vision.
The prevalence of astigmatism was 20.5% in the autism group, 17.9% in the Asperger syndrome group, 20.3% in the PDD-NOS group, and 21.1% in the group of other disorders.
The benefits of astigmatic keratotomy include: Corrected vision, often to 20/40 or better. Money saved on glasses and contacts each year. No bandages or stitches required.