Astigmatism happens when the eye’s curvature is imperfect or abnormal, causing blurred distance and near vision. It can occur in the cornea, the clear front layer of your eye, or the lens, an inner part of your eye that helps it focus. Instead of having one curve like a round ball, the surface is egg-shaped.
Astigmatism is often present at birth and may happen along with nearsightedness or farsightedness. It’s usually not pronounced enough to require corrective action, but when it does, treatment options include corrective lenses or surgery.
Astigmatism Symptoms
The most common symptoms of astigmatism are:
- Blurry vision
- Squinting to focus
- Headaches
- Eye strain
- Trouble seeing at night
- Seeing blurred lights at night
If you have mild astigmatism, you may not notice any symptoms. Eye exams are the only way to tell if you have it.
Does LASIK Fix Astigmatism?
In addition to correcting nearsightedness and farsightedness, LASIK can treat astigmatism. If you have very high astigmatism, thin corneas, or another condition that precludes you from getting LASIK, there are alternatives available. Another option is PRK, another type of laser vision correction procedure. While they have different healing processes and one may be more suitable for you than the other, LASIK or PRK both treat astigmatism.
Because your eyes continue to change as you age, you still need to receive eye exams after getting LASIK or another vision correction procedure. This is the best way to maintain healthy eyes and your clearest vision.
You can also wear astigmatism glasses, which are prescription glasses with cylindrical or spherocylindrical lenses. These lenses are different from the ones in single-vision glasses that correct nearsightedness and farsightedness.
Astigmatism vs. Normal Corneas
Normal eyes can correctly focus light on your retina so that light doesn’t appear blurry. When you have astigmatism, light is not focused correctly, so lights appear blurry or have a halo around them. This can cause symptoms of night blindness, which is especially problematic when driving at night because of headlights and street lamps.
Astigmatism: Seeing Lights at Night
Astigmatism Causes
The eye has two structures with curved surfaces that bend, or refract, light onto the retina, which creates the images you see:
- The cornea, the clear front surface of the eye along the tear film
- The lens, a clear structure inside the eye that changes shape to help the eye focus on near objects
In a perfectly shaped eye, both of these parts have a round curvature like the surface of a ball. Corneas and lenses with round curvatures refract all incoming light equally to make a sharply focused image directly on the retina at the back of the eye.
Refractive Errors
If the cornea or the lens is egg-shaped with two mismatched curves, light rays are not refracted equally, which creates two different images. These two images overlap and result in blurred vision. Astigmatism is a type of refractive error.
If your cornea has mismatched curves, you have corneal astigmatism. If your lens has mismatched curves, you have lenticular astigmatism. Either type can cause blurred vision, and blurred vision may occur in one or more directions: horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.
Astigmatism may be present from birth or develop after an eye injury, disease, or surgery. Astigmatism is not caused or worsened by reading in low light, sitting too close to the television, or squinting.
Astigmatism can occur in combination with other refractive errors:
Nearsightedness (Myopia)
Myopia is when the cornea is curved too much, or the eye is longer than usual. Instead of being focused directly on the retina, light is focused in front of the retina, making distant objects appear blurry.
Farsightedness (Hyperopia)
Hyperopia is when the cornea is curved too little, or the eye is shorter than usual. This has the opposite effect of nearsightedness—light never focuses on the back of the eye, making nearby objects appear blurry.
Check Your Eyes for Astigmatism at NEOES
If you’re experiencing blurry vision, difficulty seeing at night, or any other unusual eye symptoms, visit Northeast Ohio Eye Surgeons for a comprehensive eye exam. Exams are the only way to be sure that you have astigmatism, and our experienced eye doctors can provide ideal treatments that work for you, from corrective lenses to more burden-free options like LASIK.
Schedule your appointment at one of our convenient Ohio locations today.
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