What is Astigmatism?
Astigmatism is not an uncommon vision problem, and it can also accompany farsightedness or nearsightedness. It is caused by an irregularly shaped cornea that prevents images from focusing clearly on the retina
In higher astigmatism prescriptions, patients often complain of blurriness, starbursts at night, and sometimes complain of discomfort if their contact lenses are weighted vision requiring correction.
Astigmatism can occur in one or both eyes and can be accompanied by hyperopia or myopia. Patients with astigmatism may experience eyestrain and headaches without the aid of glasses or contact lenses.
Instead of the cornea imitating the curved shape of a baseball, it imitates that of a football. This type of curve causes light to hit the eye at multiple points, rather than a single point, sending mixed signals to the brain which then causes images to look distorted. Individuals can inherit astigmatism from their parents. It can also be caused by an injury or ocular disease. Most patients with astigmatism are required to wear glasses or contact lenses to correct the problem.
We often hear from people that they didn’t believe astigmatism could be treated with LASIK. Many patients have had their astigmatism and have positive results from LASIK eye surgery.
