What is Astigmatism and How Is It Treated?

Defining Astigmatism

Your cornea, the transparent dome on the surface of the eye, controls the way light enters your eye. When light hits a smooth, round cornea, it is sharply focused and results in clear sight. However, if your cornea isn't perfectly round, light cannot hit the cornea properly.   

In a person with astigmatism, the cornea is shaped like a football or an egg. This means that when light hits their cornea, rays don't refract or bend properly, leading to distorted vision. People can also experience nearsightedness or farsightedness alongside astigmatism.  There are two types of astigmatism:

• Corneal Astigmatism: This type occurs when the cornea is shaped more like a football than a perfectly round basketball. Because the cornea is uneven, light focuses at more than one point in the eye. This can cause blurry or distorted vision at both near and far distances and can cause glare or halos around lights. 

• Lenticular Astigmatism: This form comes from the eye’s internal focusing lens instead of the cornea. In this case, the lens inside the eye is slightly irregular or tilted, which bends light unevenly. People with lenticular astigmatism may have similar symptoms as those with corneal astigmatism, including blurred, shadowy vision or “double” edges on letters and objects, even if the cornea is a normal shape. 

Risk Factors for Developing Astigmatism

Experts don't know exactly what causes cornea shapes to vary. However, astigmatism is primarily genetic and usually present from birth. A kid's eye exam at eyecarecenter can help determine if young children are experiencing astigmatism or other refractive errors.   It is also possible for astigmatism to develop later in life due to risk factors like:

• Eye disease 

• Eye injury 

• Eye surgery (like cataract surgery) 

Astigmatism Signs and Symptoms to Watch For

Both types of astigmatism have very similar symptoms and many patients experience symptoms that are common in other eye problems. Blurry and distorted vision is common in people experiencing nearsightedness and farsightedness. If you're not sure your blurry vision is due to astigmatism, other potential symptoms may include:

• The need to squint to bring things into clearer focus 

• Headaches 

• Eye strain or discomfort 

• Difficulty seeing at night 

The best course of action if you suspect any kind of vision problem is to schedule an exam at eyecarecenter. A simple and painless comprehensive eye exam is the only way to diagnose astigmatism. The exam will measure the way your eyes focus light, the curvature of your cornea, and how well you can read a distance chart. 

How to Treat Astigmatism

While astigmatism can sound scary, there are many treatment options that can restore visual clarity. The skilled optometrists at eyecarecenter specialize in refractive errors like astigmatism, working with you to determine the best treatment for your unique vision problems.

LASIK Surgery

LASIK surgery is one of the most common ways to correct astigmatism. This refractive surgery procedure uses a computer-controlled laser to remove a thin layer of tissue and flatten the cornea. For astigmatism, the laser is programmed to smooth out the “steeper” and “flatter” areas of the cornea, so it becomes more round instead of football-shaped. No stitches are required, recovery is usually quick, and discomfort is minimal. However, possible complications include dry eye, sensitivity to light, corneal haze or glare, or infection.

Your eye doctor at eyecarecenter uses detailed corneal measurements and a personalized laser treatment plan to correct the specific pattern of your astigmatism. Not everyone is a candidate for LASIK, but for many people with mild to moderate astigmatism, it can be a safe, effective way to reduce dependence on corrective lenses.

Eyeglasses

Eyeglasses are a popular option for correcting astigmatism. Lenses made to treat astigmatism contain a special cylindrical lens that corrects how light passes through the cornea. Correction is generally accomplished with a single prescription lens. Those 40 or older who have farsightedness may need bifocal or progressive lenses.

During an eye exam, your eye doctor at eyecarecenter determines the exact amount and axis (direction) of your astigmatism and writes a prescription that tells the lab how to design your lenses. With the right prescription, eyeglasses provide a simple, non-surgical way to sharpen vision and reduce astigmatism-related distortion. 

Specialty Contact Lenses

For some people, contact lenses provide clearer vision than glasses because of their wider scope of view. But contact lenses require regular care and cleaning, and they may not be for everyone. Additionally, the most worn types of soft contact lenses often don't effectively treat astigmatism. 

However, eyecarecenter provides a variety of specialty contact lenses made specifically for astigmatism. There are soft lens options, known as toric soft contact lenses. For some, though, rigid contact lenses, which maintain their shape, can better compensate for an irregularly shaped cornea. 

Orthokeratology is a treatment that involves wearing a series of rigid contact lenses overnight or for specific stretches of time. These contacts reshape the cornea, and in moderate cases they can temporarily treat astigmatism. However, this will not permanently improve your vision. If you stop wearing these lenses, your vision may return to its normal baseline.