What is Astigmatism?

Typically, our eyeballs are round, but those with astigmatism will have an eye shape more akin to that of a rugby ball. This means that light entering your eyes bends unevenly, not focusing correctly on the retina, and affects your vision at all distances. You can either be born with astigmatism or it can develop over time.

What Causes Astigmatism?

Astigmatism is usually hereditary. It can also be caused by your eyelids putting too much pressure on your cornea. Health conditions don’t usually cause astigmatism; however, some conditions that can cause astigmatism include:

• Eye injuries
• Keratoconus
• Complications after eye surgery

Types of Astigmatism

A standard eye has a spherical cornea or lens, meaning the curves around the eye are the same. An eye with astigmatism has a steep curve and a flat curve, also known as the two principal meridians.

Regular Astigmatism

Regular astigmatism occurs when the two principal meridians are 90 degrees apart, with one meridian steeper than the other.

This type of astigmatism is the most common and can be corrected by glasses, contact lenses, or laser surgery.

Irregular Astigmatism

Where regular astigmatism occurs when the two principal meridians are always at right angles, irregular astigmatism happens when the two principal meridians are not symmetrical. The curvature of your cornea is uneven. This type of astigmatism is harder to correct than regular astigmatism.

Irregular astigmatism is typically caused by eye diseases such as keratoconus, corneal degeneration, corneal scarring, or ocular surface disease.

What are the Symptoms of Astigmatism?

The most common symptoms of astigmatism are blurred vision and the inability to see details on objects, such as the words printed on a menu in front of you or letters on a road sign in the distance.

Other astigmatism symptoms include:
• Headaches
• Fatigue
• Eye strain
• Squinting to see clearly
• Seeing a glare or halos around lights

Young children might not know that there’s anything wrong with their vision, even if they’re experiencing symptoms. Take your child to the optometrist if you notice them squinting, rubbing their eyes, or having frequent headaches.

Astigmatism in one eye may cause amblyopia, also known as lazy eye. It’s important that this is spotted early so it can be treated.

How is Astigmatism Diagnosed?

Your optometrist can diagnose astigmatism during an eye exam. Your optometrist might use a few tests to diagnose astigmatism, including:

• Visual Acuity Test: A visual acuity test is a test that checks your vision. You’ve had a visual acuity test if you’ve ever looked at a wall chart of letters or symbols during an eye exam.
• Refraction Test: Your optometrist will measure how much light is focused and is bent as it enters your eye.
• Keratometry: Keratometry measures your cornea’s curve.
• Slit Lamp Exam: A slit lamp is a special microscope with a bright light that your optometrist shines into your eye. They’ll adjust the brightness and thickness of the light’s beam to see the different layers and parts of your eye.

Treatments for Astigmatism

Astigmatism doesn’t always require treatment, but treatment options may include glasses, contact lenses, or laser surgery.

Glasses Pros:

• The cheapest option
• May be available free or discounted on the NHS

Glasses Cons:

• Could get lost or broken

Contact Lenses Pros:

• Choice of soft or hard lenses
• It can be a good choice if you have an active lifestyle
• May be free or discounted on the NHS

Contact Lenses Cons:

• It may not be suitable for everyone
• Risk of eye infection through poor contact lens hygiene

Laser Eye or Lens Surgery Pros:

• May be permanent
• It may be better for people with more severe vision problems

Laser Eye or Lens Surgery Cons:

• Risk of complications during or after surgery
• Not available on the NHS
• Can be expensive
• Possible side effects

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Astigmatism is a common vision problem, but it can be easily and effectively corrected. For more on this and other common eye conditions, see our full eye health guide. If you suspect that you may have astigmatism or have experienced a change in your vision, get in contact with your local D.I. Blow Opticians today.

The post What Is Astigmatism and How Is It Corrected? appeared first on D.I.Blow Opticians.

There’s no correct answer. It will depend entirely on your lifestyle and preferences. This guide is to help you decide which is the most convenient option for you.

Glasses, The Obvious Choice

You’re in an optician’s and surrounded by glasses displays. Naturally, glasses are the most obvious choice. More recently, glasses have become not just a tool to help with vision but also a fashion accessory.

Glasses have lots of benefits:

• They’re Easy To Use: Just place them on your face and you’re good to go. They also don’t require much care – you can just use a microfibre cloth to wipe away any dust or smudges.
• They Are Available in Many Styles and Colours: You can find a pair that suits you and your personality with lots of different shapes, sizes, and colours to choose from.
• They Don’t Need to be Replaced Often: Unless your prescription changes every eye test, there’s no need to replace your glasses.
• They Don’t Increase Your Risk of Eye Infections: Glasses don’t touch your eyes, so they don’t pose any increased risk of eye infection.

However, glasses also have their drawbacks:

• They Might Distort Your Vision: If you have astigmatism or a strong prescription, your field of vision with glasses may be distorted.
• They Might be Uncomfortable: You might not like how glasses feel on your face – the weight of your frames and lenses can cause pressure on the bridge of your nose and your ears.
• They Can Become Foggy or Dirty in Certain Conditions: The lenses in your glasses can also become foggy or dirty in certain conditions, such as outside in the rain or a dirty or dusty environment.
• They May Not Be Good For Sports or Certain Activities: Glasses can fall off your face or get broken more easily during sports or other physical activities.
• They’re More Expensive to Replace: Having a single pair of glasses means you’ll have to buy new ones if those frames get lost or irreparably broken.

Contact Lenses, The More Practical Choice?

You can get a variety of types of contact lenses nowadays, they’re much less limited than they had been in the past. You can get contacts for daily, monthly, or fortnightly use. There are also different types of contact lenses depending on your vision problems. You can use toric lenses for astigmatism, multifocal lenses for presbyopia, or spherical lenses for myopia and hyperopia — if presbyopia affects both your near and distance vision, our guide to varifocal contact lenses covers this option in more detail.

Thinking of trying contacts? Here are some benefits:

• They Provide Better Peripheral Vision: An advantage of contacts is that they sit right on the eye and move with it. For that reason, contacts are a great choice for people who lead active lifestyles.
• They’re Difficult to Damage: Contacts can’t be damaged in the same way as glasses by sitting on them, falling off your face, or being stepped on.
• There Are Different Options Based on Your Needs: You are able to decide which type of contact lenses work best for you.
• They Aren’t Obvious on Your Face: It’s hard to tell if you’re wearing contact lenses, so they can be a good option for those who want to have a natural appearance or highlight their makeup.
• You Don’t Need to Buy Prescription Sunglasses: When wearing contacts, you can choose any standard sunglasses you like as opposed to buying a special prescription pair.

However, there are certain disadvantages to contact lenses:

• There’s a Chance of Infection: The biggest risk with contact lenses is an eye infection. Infection risks are lowest with daily disposable lenses because you are using a fresh pair every day. For all other lens types, you need to follow good hygiene practices to reduce the risk.
• They Require Special Cleaning: You need to clean your contact lenses every night with a contact solution and store them properly in a case.
• They Require You to Touch Your Eye: For some people, it can take a while to get used to placing and removing your contact lenses from your eyeballs. Some people might never be comfortable with this.
• They May Blur Your Vision at Times: If you have astigmatism, your lenses are typically designed not to move around a lot, but in some cases, your vision may become blurry if your lenses rotate.
• They Can Cause Dryness and Irritation: Some people may experience eye dryness and irritation whilst wearing contact lenses.

To learn more about the contact lenses we offer at D.I. Blow Opticians, click here.

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Alternating between glasses and contacts gives you the best of both worlds. Each kind of eyewear compensates for the drawbacks of the other and gives you the flexibility to do whatever you like during the day with the clearest vision possible.

The most important thing to remember overall though, is to always follow the advice given by your optician.

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