Astigmatism

Astigmatism is an eye disorder that affects the curvature of the eye. This means that the shape of one’s eyes or the eye lens is irregular and this prevents light from being focused on to the retina properly. It is usually characterized by blurred vision. Astigmatism is a very common eye disorder, and it usually occurs along with other common eye disorders like Myopia (short-sightedness) and Hyperopia (far-sightedness).

Research has shown that astigmatism can occur even at birth, or after an eye injury, disease or surgery. It has also been identified to be hereditary. The causes can be known based on the type of Astigmatism one has.

Types of Astigmatism

• Corneal Astigmatism : occurs when the cornea is curved improperly or imperfectly. Thus, in this case, the cornea has a distorted shape that prevents light rays from being refracted properly.
• Lenticular Astigmatism : deals with an imperfect or an improper eye lens. With the lens being curved imperfectly, the image that reaches the retina is imperfect, thus causing blurred vision.
• Symptoms of Astigmatism : astigmatism usually occurs with the onset of headaches, excessive squinting, fatigue, blurry vision, eyestrain, distorted vision and photophobia (sensitivity to light). Diagnosis can be made with the help of visual acuity tests, regular eye tests, use of an astigmatic dial and Keratometre.
• Treatment for Astigmatism can be corrected with the prescription of corrective lenses (eye glasses or contact lenses) or refractive surgery. Eyeglasses are the primary means to correct blurred vision brought upon by astigmatism. Cylindrical lenses are generally prescribed with a single lens to provide clarity of objects at all distances.