What Is Astigmatism and How to Correct it Using Glasses?
Besides, myopia and hyperopia, Astigmatism is the most common eye condition that results in blurred vision. Astigmatism is a result of the irregular shaped cornea or because of the curvature of the lens inside the eye.
What Is Astigmatism?
Astigmatism is developed from birth or later in life and can increase or decrease over time. It occurs due to unequal curvature in the shape of the cornea or the lens. The cornea is the outermost covering of the lens and iris.
Known for protecting the internal delicate matters of the eye, Cornea helps to transmit light rays through the eye. Along with the lens, it’s responsible to focus light on to the retina, the portion of the area that sends the light signals further to the brain, creating an image to see.
Once astigmatism results in blurred vision, the cycle is broken. We all carry some degree of astigmatism in our eyes, as it’s difficult to find a perfect formed vision. It is also hereditary, so watch out for its risk factors that can make your eyes more vulnerable. If you have astigmatism, your kids are also likely to develop them.
Risk factors of Astigmatism
- Develops due to an injury or eye surgery
- Hereditary — family history with astigmatism
- Eye disease or disorder like keratoconus
- Eye surgery or injury
- History of corneal scarring or thinning
- Excessive nearsightedness or farsightedness
What are the types of astigmatism?
Astigmatism mostly occurs with the onset of myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness). Here are the different types of astigmatism:
Myopia Astigmatism
In nearsightedness, the light rays focus in front of the retina, creating a distance blurry vision. People with myopia and astigmatism experience greater blurriness than other refractive eye conditions due to mismatched curvatures of the lens or cornea.
Hyperopic Astigmatism
In farsightedness, the light focuses beyond the retina. People who have hyperopia with astigmatism experience blurred vision when items or objects become close.
Mixed Astigmatism
In mixed astigmatism, the curvature of the cornea or the lens focuses the light in front of the retina while the other light rays focus the light rays behind the retina.
Symptoms of Astigmatism
The symptoms of astigmatism vary from person to person, while certain people experience no symptoms at all. Here are the most common symptoms of astigmatism -
- Blurred vision
- Eyestrain
- Headache
- Irritated eyes
- Squinting
- Difficult to see, at night or in dim light
- Distorted or fuzzy vision
If you have experienced any kind of symptoms of astigmatism, then an early eye check-up would greatly help. Seek eye care professional help or visit us, at our stores for a free eye test to confirm the cause behind the new changes in your eyes. Always, priorities your eye health and remain on the safe side.
Glasses for Astigmatism
Astigmatism glasses are for correcting refractive errors, such as myopia and hyperopia. Wearing glasses to correct your astigmatism and see clearly, like before requires the right type of prescription glasses to be selected.
The primary step, to know about the correct glasses for astigmatism is by visiting regularly for a comprehensive eye test. It takes only 30 minutes out of your busy schedule but saves you from the possibility of more than 30 eye diseases. With your optometrist help, it’s easy to confirm if you are shortsighted or long-sighted, or a combination of both. With an eye test, your optometrist would be also able to calculate the severity of astigmatism to suggest immediate prescription glasses that are custom fit for your vision requirements.
Astigmatism, as mentioned before, can progress or decrease with age, and there’s no permanent cure to it. The glasses that are prescribed for astigmatism is helpful to eliminate the symptoms.
Prescription glasses for astigmatism can restore your clear vision back to normal. Glasses for astigmatism are single vision lenses or varifocal lenses, depending on the refractive error your eyes are under. Selecting from any of the two helps to correct vision caused by astigmatism as it allows the eyes to pass the light through the lens and focus it on the retinal accurate place to gain the sharp image.
Depending on your needs and lifestyle, you might opt for reading glasses if you indulge in hours of reading or varifocals lenses for a much-advanced view.
