Astigmatism

Astigmatism is a very common condition which most people have to some degree. Although some people see just fine with a slight amount of astigmatism, if it is more significant, you’ll experience blurry or distorted vision at a variety of distances. LASIK is an excellent option for correction.

What is Astigmatism?

Astigmatism is a refractive error, like nearsightedness and farsightedness, meaning that the eye does not focus light the way it should for clear vision. Light enters the eye through the clear window at the front, called the cornea. With clear vision, the cornea and the lens bend (refract) the light to focus it on a single point on the retina at the back of the eyeball. With astigmatism, the light does not focus onto a single point, causing images to appear blurred or stretched. Astigmatism commonly occurs along with nearsightedness or farsightedness.

What Causes It?

Astigmatism is caused by an irregularly curved cornea and it may improve or worsen with age. In a normal eye, the curvature of the cornea is even like a sphere. In people with astigmatism, the cornea is curved like a football with some areas that are steeper and others that are more rounded.

Symptoms of Astigmatism

A person might have mild astigmatism and not know it. This is especially true in children, who may not be aware that their vision is even distorted.

Symptoms may include:

Eye strain
Headaches
Distorted or blurred vision at different distances

How We Treat

Some people may find that glasses or contacts provide the vision correction they need. Other people may use specially designed rigid contact lenses to reshape the cornea. The Vision Care Center offers a more permanent treatment solution through LASIK surgery. LASIK will permanently reshape the cornea for long-term vision correction.

LASIK often produces results that are better than 20/20, and liberates patients from the discomfort, expense, and hassle of corrective lenses. Learn more about our personalized approach to LASIK.

Learn about LASIK

Please click on this link to The American Academy of Ophthalmology for further information:

https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-is-astigmatism