Does Somebody in Your House Have an Astigmatism?
What is it?
Astigmatism takes place when the front end part of the eye, the cornea, isn’t a regular proportionate bulbous shape. Rather, its shape is rather like that of the back of a spoon - longer in one direction than another. Due to the fact that the cornea is an wavy shape, the eye can’t focus light passing through it sharply on to the back of the eye or retina. So vision is blurred at all distances.
What causes it?
As the eye originates in the womb, various factors define the shape of it, including inherited genetic factors and nurture. It turns out that these factors can lead to an irregular curvature of the cornea, although the exact cause isn’t known.
Who’s affected?
Actually most of us have an astigmatism - but generally it is very mild
Astigmatism is not unusual and is commonly present when a person is born. Most people have a slight astigmatism - it’s infrequent for the cornea to have developed in a dead symmetrical fashion. But in mild cases, the eye can adjust to focus light adequately.
In many examples of astigmatism the individual also has different optical troubles like short-sightedness or long-sightedness. Two-thirds of people with short-sightedness also have significant astigmatism.
What are the symptoms?
In severe astigmatism, vision is smudged or distorted whether the individual is reading close up or looking further into the distance.
In milder cases the person may complain their vision is hazy at certain distances, that they’ve tired or dry eyes, that it is a struggle to focus or read, or that they’ve headaches, especially when trying to focus.
How is it diagnosed?
Astigmatism should be diagnosed by a certified optometrist, ophthalmic surgeon or eye specialist. A thorough optometric examination should be done to assess the degree and extent of the problem.
Small children, who may not be able to answer the optometrist’s interrogations about what they can see, can be assessed using a test called retinoscopy that involves reflected light.
What’s the treatment?
Most of the time, astigmatism can be corrected by wearing properly fitted specs or contact lenses.
Milder astigmatism may not need treatment unless the individual is doing a job that puts intensive demands on the eyes, for example, computer work.
There are instances when you will be able to surgically correct your astigmatism using a technique termed refractive surgery.
Some may choose laser surgery. Try to obtain a balanced view about how good or dangerous laser surgery may be by speaking to your surgeon first.
