AHHH! I have Astigmatism!
Article written by: Laila Abbas, student at Suny Optometry Class of 2017
What is it? Astigmatism has to do with the shape of your eye. The front surface of your eye is called the cornea. In most people, the cornea is spherical. If someone with a spherical cornea has a prescription, they are either nearsighted, or farsighted. In some people, the cornea is not a perfect sphere; it is shaped more like a football. This means, that along with having a nearsighted or farsighted prescription, these patients also have astigmatism. This modification in the prescription accounts for the shape of the eye to give patients crystal clear vision.
The same thing can happen with the shape the lens. This is completely normal! There is nothing you are doing wrong or right that causes astigmatism. It is just how your eye is growing.
What it means: This means that patients might experience blur only in a certain direction. It is more noticeable in low light conditions, especially when driving at night.
How to fix it: Just like nearsightedness/ and farsightedness can be corrected for with glasses or contact lenses, so can astigmatism! So the best thing you can do is wear your prescription. There is nothing to be worried about!