What Is Astigmatism? ?
February 15, 2010 by admin
Filed under FAQ on advance for astigmatism
I’ve failed my school eye test twice and so today I went to the doctor and one eye is bad, the other is twice as bad and so I have to get glasses. The doctor said I have astigmatism? Can somebody tell me what that means? Thanks! (:
This is the definition from MayoClinic.com:
“Astigmatism is a mild and easily treatable imperfection in the curvature of your eye. The condition can cause blurred vision.
Astigmatism occurs when the front surface of your eye (cornea) or the lens, inside your eye, has a slightly different surface curvature in one direction from the other. Instead of being even and smooth in all directions, the surface may have some areas that are flatter or steeper. When the cornea has a distorted shape, you have corneal astigmatism. When the lens is distorted, you have lenticular astigmatism. Either type of astigmatism can cause blurred vision.
Astigmatism blurs your vision at all distances. Astigmatism is often present at birth and may occur in combination with nearsightedness or farsightedness. The condition tends to remain constant, neither improving nor deteriorating much over time.
Astigmatism is common and affects most people to some degree. Often it’s not pronounced enough to require corrective action. But when it is, treatments include corrective lenses and surgery.”
What I have also been told by my Optometrist is the actual shape of your eyeball may contribute to astigmatism (mine is more egg shaped than round). You may wear either glasses or contacts with no problem. I use both. As far a surgery goes, Most insurances considers corrective eye surgery like LASIK as cosmetic, and don’t cover the cost. The last time I looked, it was around $2,000 per eye in my area.
Here’s the link to the Mayo Clinic article:http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/astigma…
Usually it is caused by an irregularly shaped cornea (called corneal astigmatism). But sometimes it is the result of an irregularly shaped lens, which is located behind the cornea; this is called lenticular astigmatism. Either kind of astigmatism can usually be corrected with refractive surgery, contact lenses, or eyeglasses.
you may not notice it or have just slightly blurred vision. But sometimes uncorrected astigmatism can give you headaches or eyestrain and distort or blur your vision at all distances.
it means your two eyes have different perspectives.
It can be corrected by using a special type of eyeglasses for a few years.