Astigmatism Astigmatism

What is Astigmatism ?

Astigmatism is a condition where the cornea and or the lense form an irregular shape.
The shape generated will be egg shaped.

Symptoms for Astigmatism

Blurry vision
Eye strain
Headaches
Increased glare, especially at night.

Types

Different types of astigmatism include:

Corneal astigmatism: This is the most common type of astigmatism.
Lenticular astigmatism: This type of astigmatism occurs due to changes in the eye’s lens.
Irregular astigmatism: In this type, the curvature of the cornea is uneven.

Astigmatism can also occur with myopia, hyperopia, or both:

Myopic astigmatism: Myopic astigmatism happens when astigmatism combines with myopia, and the two curves in the cornea or the lens — the curves from top to bottom and side to side — are focused in front of the retina.
Hyperopic astigmatism: This occurs when hyperopia combines with astigmatism, and the two curves are focused behind the retina.
Mixed astigmatism: This is when one curve produces symptoms of hyperopia and the other produces symptoms of myopia.

Astigmatism can also be regular or irregular:

Regular astigmatism

If astigmatism is regular, the two curves are at a 90-degree angle to each other, and the curvature of each is uniform.

Irregular astigmatism

In irregular astigmatism, the two curves are not at 90-degree angles to each other, and the curvature of each is not uniform or even. Irregular astigmatism can often result from trauma, surgery, or keratoconus, which is the thinning of the cornea.

Eye astigmatism occurs when images in the eye are not focused to one point, due to the irregular shape of the cornea, lens or retina.Instead of being perfectly round (spherical), they are more oval shaped (cylindrical).

Managing astigmatism

The good news is that optometrists will test for astigmatism during your eye examination, and it can be corrected by wearing glasses to give you clear and comfortable vision.