Astigmatism

Astigmatism ; Blurred vision occurs as a result of the curvature of the eye lens or cornea not being in the normal shape. It is known as a very common eye defect .

Light entering the eye cannot be focused correctly on the retina due to abnormal curvature, resulting in an unclear image. It is a disorder that is seen in both children and adults. Although it is generally present at birth, it can also develop due to some eye trauma.

What is Astigmatism?

Astigmatism can be explained as an eye defect that occurs when the outermost layer of the eye, called the cornea, or the lens inside the eye, curves outside the normal.

Abnormal curvatures of the cornea or lens result in light not being fully focused on the retina, resulting in an unclear image.

What Causes Astigmatism?

Astigmatism is a defect caused by the curvature of the cornea or lens layer of the eye. The most common reason is that the normally dome-shaped corneal layer outside the eye turns into an elliptical shape.

If treatment is applied at an early age, it will be much easier for children or young people to adapt to glasses. However, young, adult or older people may experience some adaptation problems due to wearing glasses for the first time.

Astigmatism Symptoms

The most common symptom in people with astigmatism is difficulty driving at night due to light scattering. In addition, blurred and wavy vision of distant objects is among the common symptoms. It may also cause significant headache and eye pain complaints. Astigmatism symptoms can be generally listed as follows;

  • Seeing objects as shadows
  • blurred vision
  • double vision
  • Eye fatigue and headache after focusing on an object for a long time and reading for a long time
  • Squint your eyes to see clearly
  • Difficulty seeing while driving, especially at night

These symptoms seen in astigmatism can make it difficult for you to carry out your daily activities and can also seriously reduce your quality of life. If you have the above symptoms, do not forget to consult a specialist physician.

Astigmatism in children is a much more difficult condition to diagnose. It is much more challenging to detect this situation because children are not aware of the situation or cannot express it. Therefore, regular eye examinations in children are extremely important.

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How is Astigmatism Treated?

It is possible to talk about many different methods used for the treatment of astigmatism . Treatment may not be needed in mild astigmatism . However, in more severe astigmatism, some treatments are applied to keep the individuals’ quality of life at an optimal level. These treatment methods are as follows;

Use of glasses : The first method used to correct vision in individuals with astigmatism is the use of glasses. The glasses used by astigmatism patients contain a special cylindrical shaped lens. This allows additional power to be achieved in certain sections of the lens. In glasses with astigmatism, the focusing point must be adjusted very precisely.

Contact lenses : Some individuals achieve much better vision by using contact lenses instead of glasses. Contact lenses are generally considered advantageous because they provide clearer vision and a wider field of view. However, lenses come into direct contact with the eye. Therefore, cleaning and maintenance rules must be followed completely. Soft toric contact lenses, which are used as standard, may not be sufficient to eliminate astigmatism . Specially produced hybrid or rigid contact lenses can be used in patients with higher degrees of astigmatism.

Laser Surgery : With the use of methods called LASIK or PRK, the cornea is reshaped and the degree of astigmatism is reduced.

Astigmatism Defect

How is Astigmatism Diagnosed?

Astigmatism can be diagnosed by a specialist physician during routine eye examinations. Methods such as corneal topography measurement, autorefractor or retinoscopy are used.

Diagnosing astigmatism at an early stage is extremely important in terms of treating the disease and preventing the development of amblyopia . Then, corneal curvature is examined using a keratometry device. Thanks to this measurement, it is also determined whether the eyes are suitable for contact lens use. 

Who Can Have Astigmatism Surgery?

Laser astigmatism surgery; It can be applied to people whose eye temperature has not increased in the last year, who are over 18 years of age, and whose intraocular pressure, retinal health and corneal thickness are ideal.

In addition, patients should not have conditions such as eye infection, uncontrolled diabetes, rheumatological disease, pregnancy and breastfeeding. Individuals with these conditions may undergo laser surgery. Although laser surgery is a permanent solution, it does not have a lifetime guarantee. Over time, individuals may develop astigmatism again .

What are the Degrees of Astigmatism? 

Astigmatism generally does not cause serious problems up to 1.00 degrees. Routine checks should be performed. At this stage, requirements such as the use of glasses are generally not needed. However, for astigmatism defects between 1.00 and 4.00, glasses or contact lenses are required.

Otherwise, patients’ vision and quality of life will seriously decline. On the other hand, the use of glasses is essential for patients with a reading above 4.00. Otherwise, patients cannot perform many activities. In addition, individuals with this degree of astigmatism may also undergo surgical intervention if the specialist ophthalmologist deems it appropriate.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

[sc_fs_multi_faq headline-0=”h3″ question-0=”How Do People with Astigmatism See?” answer-0=”Individuals with astigmatism see both long distance and near distance blurryly. Astigmatic patients cannot see objects properly and clearly. ” image-0=”” headline-1=”h3″ question-1=”Glasses for Astigmatism Is it used?” answer-1=”Yes, glasses are used by both children and adults. ” image-1=”” headline-2=”h3″ question-2=”Does Astigmatism Progress?” answer-2=” Astigmatism may be congenital or may appear later. The degrees may decrease or increase during infancy and childhood.” image-2=”” headline-3=”h3″ question-3=”Is Astigmatism Seen at the Same Time as Other Eye Defects?” answer-3=”Yes, astigmatism can be seen with both hyperopia and myopia. In fact, many people who wear glasses today have both myopia and astigmatism. ” image-3=”” headline-4=”h3″ question-4=” Is There a Herbal Astigmatism Treatment? answer-4=”Although the methods applied under the name of alternative medicine do not have any validity, they may harm eye health. ” image-4=”” count=”5″ html=”true” css_class=””]

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