If your eye doctor has told you that you have astigmatism, you aren’t alone. Astigmatism is a pretty common eye disorder — it is an irregularity in the curve of the cornea. The worse the curve is, the more help your eyes will need. Astigmatism can quickly and easily be corrected by wearing glasses or contact lenses.
An eyeball is a sphere. In a normal eye, light enters the eye and refracts evenly to create an image of the object for your brain to process. If you have astigmatism, your eyeball may be shaped more like the back of a spoon — kind of football shaped. The light may be reflected more in one direction than in another, making it difficult to focus on the whole object being viewed. You may only see part of the object clearly; things may appear blurry or wavy.
Astigmatism is generally hereditary. However, astigmatism can develop as a result of eyelid pressure, bad posture, and heavy use of the eyes for close work. If you have astigmatism, you may notice these symptoms:
- Eye strain
- Blurred vision
- Headache
- Fatigue
A simple eye exam can tell your eye doctor whether or not you have astigmatism. The irregularity of the cornea curve can increase over time, so you should visit your eye doctor for an exam yearly. Astigmatism can be present with other eye disorders like nearsightedness and farsightedness.
A very slight astigmatism may not need corrective lenses. If you do need glasses or contact lenses, your eye doctor may set you up with special corrective lenses called toric lenses. These lenses can bend the light more strongly towards the place where your vision is weakest. Your doctor may also suggest refractive surgery, which will correct the cornea curve with laser surgery. To be a good candidate for refractive surgery, you must have healthy eyes without retina problems or scars on the cornea.