How Astigmatism is Affecting Your Eyes
- Posted on: Jan 15 2018
Usually, when vision loses clarity and labels, and street signs are no longer easy to read, people say they are nearsighted, or they are farsighted. It’s as if there is no in-between; you’re either one or the other. There is something more than these two common vision complaints: astigmatism. This refractive error may be easy to identify because it involves blurred vision whether you’re trying to read the latest novel you purchased or you’re trying to find your way to a new book store.
The reason why astigmatism causes you to be both nearsighted and farsighted is that it relates to the passage of light through your eyes. The images that we see come from light passing through the cornea and landing on the retina. Of course, there’s more to this process but here is where things often go haywire.
With astigmatism, light gets distorted before it can reach the back of the eye because the cornea isn’t shaped as it should be. The cornea is supposed to be perfectly round. In astigmatism, it is more of an oblong shape. However, this doesn’t mean that the eye has more of a football shape. Irregular astigmatism is a condition in which the cornea is completely asymmetrical, with odd curves that cannot be predicted.
Treatment Follows Type
The way that astigmatism is treated is based on the type of astigmatism you have. LASIK and PRK are two common laser procedures that are suitable for restoring curvature to the oblong cornea. In cases of irregular astigmatism, when distortion is more unpredictable, it may be necessary to prescribe a hard contact lens for daily wear. This lens doesn’t reshape the cornea; it invites tear film into space. Filling the space in such a way allows refraction to occur with greater accuracy. Finally, if cataracts exist in conjunction with astigmatism, vision can be improved during cataract removal surgery. Many people choose to correct astigmatism by replacing the clouded lens with a Toric intraocular lens.
Eye care and the correction of vision irregularities is a personal matter. We recognize the uniqueness of every situation and customized care to obtain the best outcome. For more information on astigmatism and your treatment options, call our Chester, NJ office at 908-879-7297.
Posted in: Eye Conditions
