Refractive surgery. Refractive surgery improves vision and reduces the need for eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Laser refractive surgery can reshape irregularities in the eye causing astigmatism and correct other refractive errors such as nearsightedness and farsightedness. This enables many to be less dependent on glasses and contacts.
Glasses. One of the most common ways to fix an astigmatism, glasses contain a cylindrical lens that compensates for the uneven curves in your cornea or lens. People with a severe astigmatism may be better suited for glasses instead of contacts.
For most people, laser surgery corrects the astigmatism permanently, which means they are cured of this condition. Laser surgery requires very little time in the operating room and minimal recovery at home. Many people who undergo LASIK return to work a day or two after the procedure.
In most people, astigmatism stops progressing at age 25, but there are issues that can cause astigmatism to worsen over time, such as chronic infections, corneal trauma, and keratoconus.
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.
No, not always. Some astigmatism is very mild, and sometimes astigmatism only occurs in one eye while the other eye has clear vision. Prescription eyeglasses for astigmatism are generally considered optional if your uncorrected vision (meaning your vision without corrective lenses) is 20/40 or better.
Blurred vision is the most common astigmatism symptom. It also makes it hard to see details on objects, like the words printed on a menu in front of you, or letters on a road sign in the distance. Other astigmatism symptoms include: Seeing a glare or halos around lights.
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.
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.
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.
A rare condition known as keratoconus, in which the cornea thins and becomes cone-shaped, can also result in severe astigmatism. This condition cannot be corrected with glasses, and has to be treated by the pressure of contact lenses.
Astigmatism Treatment. Glasses or contacts can correct almost all cases of astigmatism. But if you have only a slight astigmatism and no other vision problems, you may not need them. If you have a common level of astigmatism, you'll probably have corrective lenses, like glasses or contacts, or surgery.
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.
The FDA has approved LASIK eye surgery for those 18 years and older, but most providers will encourage patients to wait until their mid-20s after their prescription has stabilized.
Probably the most important thing to note about astigmatism is that it can worsen due to eye rubbing.
Circulatory issues caused by stress and tension are as well as causes of astigmatism. In this case, an accumulation of stress and tension in the neck muscles can lead to a restriction of blood flow to the head and eyes.
The average amount of astigmatism was also significantly increased in dry eye compared to that in normal eyes (P = 0.02).
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.
Astigmatism can distort lights in several ways, and instead of a clear image, you might see: Streaky lights. Haloed lights. Blurry lights.
Why is that? Answer: Some call this "second sight" which has a simple physiological explanation. As the lens of the eye hardens as we age (the predecessor of frank cataracts) it changes the way light is "bent" as it enters the eye much the way different prescriptions in a pair of glasses do.
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.
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.