Astigmatism Specialist

What is astigmatism?

Astigmatism, like nearsightedness and farsightedness, is a type of refractive error. A refractive error means that your eye doesn’t focus light properly because of its shape. As a result, your uncorrected vision is blurry.

Eyes with astigmatism have an irregular shape, similar to an egg. They bend light unevenly, resulting in vision that’s blurry at any distance. Uncorrected astigmatism can also cause symptoms like headaches and eye strain.

An eye without astigmatism is round, like a ball, and it bends light evenly, producing clear, uncorrected vision. It’s rare for eyes to be perfectly round, so most people technically have at least some astigmatism. It’s only necessary to treat astigmatism if it’s significant enough that you can’t see clearly.

Astigmatism isn’t a disease, and it doesn’t pose a threat to your eye health. It just means that you need some form of vision correction to see clearly, such as glasses, contact lenses, or laser eye surgery.

What causes astigmatism?

People are usually born with astigmatism. Children are often diagnosed when they start school and find it difficult to read or concentrate. In fact, it’s common for children to be misdiagnosed with learning or behavioral disorders when they just need glasses, which is one reason it’s important for your child to get regular pediatric eye exams.

As children grow, their astigmatism usually gets worse. Children tend to need new corrective lens prescriptions more often than adults. Usually, the degree of astigmatism stabilizes around age 20.

In some cases, astigmatism develops after an eye injury or eye surgery. In older adults, the curvature of the eye can become more severe, resulting in worsened astigmatism. This can be an early sign that you’re going to develop cataracts.

How is astigmatism diagnosed and treated?

When your optometric physician at Stockdale Optometry performs an eye exam, they test you for refractive errors, including astigmatism. If you have astigmatism, they write a corrective lens prescription for glasses or contacts.

Many people with astigmatism wear glasses or contact lenses so they can see clearly. Stockdale Optometry offers a selection of contact lenses for “hard to fit” eyes, including eyes with significant astigmatism. 

If you’d like to permanently correct your astigmatism, one popular option is laser eye surgery, also known as LASIK. LASIK is a quick, effective, safe procedure. Your optometrist can provide you with a referral to an ophthalmologist who performs LASIK. 

To schedule an eye exam at Stockdale Optometry, call or use the online booking tool.