Seeing Clearly: Correcting 6 Misconceptions About Astigmatism
At your last visit to your eye doctor, you found out you have astigmatism. This explains your occasional blurry vision. It even explains your eye pain and headaches.
You worry about your new diagnosis. You’ve heard the term “astigmatism” before, but you’re not sure what it is and how it might affect you.
Unfortunately, there are some false beliefs about astigmatism that can give you the wrong idea about this condition.
1. It’s Rare and Dangerous
You might worry that astigmatism is a dangerous and rare condition. Actually, astigmatism is very common. In fact, most people have some level of astigmatism. For many people, it’s mild enough to avoid treatment. Some people don’t even experience any astigmatism symptoms.
Astigmatism is when the cornea is slightly curved rather than completely round. In other words, your cornea is shaped more like a football than a basketball. With astigmatism, light focuses on several points of the retina rather just one point. This can cause blurry or distorted vision.
2. It’s Harmless
On the other end of the spectrum, some people believe that astigmatism causes no problems and can be ignored. While this is true for some people, others develop symptoms such as:
- Eye strain
- Headaches
- Fatigue
Many people with astigmatism squint, which can worsen symptoms. And of course, living with blurry, distorted vision can be annoying, stressful, and even dangerous.
3. It’s Caused by Poor Vision Habits
Some people believe astigmatism is caused by poor vision habits, such as reading in the dark or sitting close to the TV. There’s no evidence for this, however. In fact, many people are born with astigmatism. Some people develop it after an eye surgery or eye injury. It can worsen or improve over time just like other vision conditions, but not because of someone’s vision habits.
4. It’s Not Treatable
If your eye doctor didn’t prescribe any special treatment for astigmatism, you may believe the condition isn’t treatable. However, this could simply mean your astigmatism isn’t serious enough to warrant correction.
If your astigmatism is serious, there are several treatments available.
Soft contact lenses.
Your optometrist may give you a contact-lens prescription that addresses your astigmatism. Contact lenses that correct astigmatism are shaped like a sphere in the front and a cylinder in the back. You’ll also see a third number in your prescription. This is the axis of astigmatism, indicating which way your astigmatism is oriented.
Gas-permeable contact lenses.
Instead of soft contact lenses, your eye doctor might prescribe gas-permeable contact lenses. These contact lenses maintain their shape while on your eyes, and this corrects your eyes’ irregular shape.
Glasses.
As with contacts, your eye doctor can give you a glasses prescription that addresses your astigmatism. The specific cylindrical shape of your lenses is built to correct your astigmatism.
Orthokeratology.
Your optometrist might prescribe a series of special contact lenses designed to slowly reshape your cornea. You’ll wear a pair of these contact lenses for a time period each day, such as overnight. You must continue to wear these lenses, or else your vision could return to what it was before.
Surgery.
By changing the shape of your cornea, laser surgeries like LASIK and PRK can correct astigmatism.
Ask your optometrist about the best treatment for you. He or she can explain more about each treatment option and help you weigh the benefits of each.
5. Everyone’s Astigmatism Is the Same
In reality, astigmatism differs for each individual. To understand the different types of astigmatism, you should know that your eye has two meridians, or sections. There are three main types of astigmatism:
- Hyperopic. Your eyes are farsighted in one or both meridians.
- Myopic. Your eyes are nearsighted in one or both meridians.
- Mixed. Your eyes are nearsighted in one meridian and farsighted in the other.
Regular astigmatism is where your two meridians are 90 degrees from each other. Irregular astigmatism is where your meridians are at a different angle from each other.
Glasses or contacts to correct astigmatism are adjusted to correct your unique astigmatism prescription.
6. Astigmatism Makes Night Driving Impossible
People with astigmatism often struggle to drive at night. The glare from street lights and headlights looks blurry and distorted. This is because the pupils dilate at night. While this lets in more light, it also increases the blurring effect.
This doesn’t mean people with astigmatism can never drive at night. Astigmatism treatments can correct blurred vision and make night driving possible.
If an eye doctor told you that you have astigmatism, you might feel confused or concerned. Knowing the truth behind astigmatism’s misconceptions can help you understand how common and treatable this condition really is.
Don’t let astigmatism lower your quality of living. If you want to learn more about your treatment options for astigmatism, set an appointment with All About Eyes.