Astigmatism Specialist

What is astigmatism?

Astigmatism is an eye condition that leads to blurred vision as a result of your eye having an irregular shape. When your cornea or lens is more oval in shape than circular, you experience impaired vision that most often requires a prescription for eyeglasses or contacts.

An irregularly shaped cornea or lens prevents light from focusing correctly on your retina. Instead of seeing objects in the distance clearly, your eye has trouble focusing at nearly any distance. Most people have slight astigmatism that doesn’t affect vision, but if you have moderate to severe astigmatism, you most likely need glasses or contacts to see clearly.

Astigmatism often occurs with myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness), causing a combination of refractive disorders since your eyes are unable to refract, or bend, light correctly.

What causes astigmatism?

Astigmatism is most likely inherited, so if you come from a family of people with this vision condition, your chances of having it increase. Additionally, astigmatism can develop as a result of an eye injury, disease, or surgery. It’s not a condition that develops from reading without enough light, or from sitting too close to the TV.

What are the symptoms of astigmatism?

Without a professional eye exam, it’s hard to know if the symptoms of astigmatism are actually due to astigmatism or being caused by another vision impairment issue. If you do have any of the following symptoms, the team at Whitson Vision can accurately diagnose the cause so you can get the help you need to see clearly:

• Eyestrain and headaches
• Blurry or distorted vision
• Squinting to see clearly
• Trouble with night vision

If any of these symptoms make it difficult for you to participate in daily activities such as driving a car or performing tasks at work, it’s time to schedule an eye exam. Your physician will determines if astigmatism is the reason for your vision problems, or if another disorder is responsible, so she can prescribe an effective eyeglass or contact lens prescription.

What treatments are available for astigmatism?

In most cases, your physician can correct your vision with prescription glasses or contacts. And, for those who have cataracts as well as astigmatism, you can undergo a single, outpatient surgical procedure in which Dr. Whitson implants a toric intraocular lens (IOL) in your cornea. The toric IOL helps to refocus your vision once your cataracts are removed so you can see clearly.

Adults with astigmatism may also be good candidates for LASIK eye surgery. To find out if you’re a good candidate for eyeglasses, contacts, or laser surgery to correct astigmatism, call Whitson Vision or schedule an appointment online today.