Astigmatism is one of the most common vision problems, and yet few people know what it is, or even how to say it, most call it a stigmatism. Astigmatism is usually accompanied by farsightedness or nearsightedness.

No one wants to have vision problems, and certainly not one that could mean they do not see things as well as they would like, however, ignorance about astigmatism often gets in the way of doing something about it. So, if you fear you are near or far sighted, it would be wise to get educated on astigmatism so that you can do something about it.

What causes astigmatism?

Astigmatism is caused by an irregularly shaped cornea, called corneal astigmatism; but on occasion it is caused by an irregularly shaped lens, which is located behind the cornea, called lenticular astigmatism.

When you have corneal astigmatism, the cornea is oblong shaped. It is supposed to be spherical, and thus, if it is shaped like a football, it does not focus light rays the right way. Basically, if you have an oblong cornea, light rays focus on two points in the back of your eye, rather than just one. This causes the vision problems.

Of course, there are a few types of astigmatism, and the different types have different treatment, and different problems associated with it. In regular astigmatism, the meridians in which the two different curves lie are located 180 degrees apart, if your astigmatism is irregular, they will be further apart, or there will be more than two meridians. This makes irregular astigmatisms hard to correct, and often difficult to diagnose properly.

How do you fix astigmatism?

No matter what kind of astigmatism you have, it can usually be corrected with refractive surgery, contact lenses, or eyeglasses. A closer look at the various treatment options within each of these areas will be discussed later.

How do you know if you have astigmatism?

There are specific signs and symptoms that accompany astigmatism, but usually your eye doctor will diagnose you with it. The signs and symptoms vary based on the irregularity of the astigmatism, and who you are, but they usually fall within specific categories. For one, you may just have slightly blurred vision. However, in some cases there are other symptoms that can be far more painful, such as headaches, eyestrain, and in some cases astigmatism can distort or blur your vision no matter what the distance, near or far. If you worry that you might have a vision problem, the best thing you can do is get in to an eye doctor. They will give you a vision test, and be able to determine quite readily if you have astigmatism or not.

Who gets astigmatism?

Astigmatism is something that is common in both adults and children. Many people think that children do not get astigmatism, but this is because they are often unaware of the condition, and are unlikely to make a fuss about it, so it often goes untreated.

Because astigmatisms can negatively affect social and educational situations, it is a good idea to get your eyes examined regularly, and have your child's eyes examined regularly so as to detect astigmatism early, and be able to treat it early on.

Usually astigmatism is hereditary: many people are born with an oblong cornea, and the resulting vision problem may get worse over time. So, if you have one, it is smart to get your children's eyes examined to see if they have one. However, your genes are not the only causes of astigmatism, astigmatism may also result from an eye injury that has caused scarring on the cornea, from certain types of eye surgery or from keratoconus, a disease that causes a gradual thinning of the cornea. Thus, even if you have had your eyes checked previously and did not have astigmatism, it does not mean you can't get one later. Get regular vision exams so that should you get an astigmatism you can get it treated quickly and efficiently.

How do you treat astigmatism?

Unless it is really bad, you can usually treat astigmatism with a simple pair of eyeglasses or contacts. In more extreme cases contact lens prescriptions, and eyeglass prescriptions are not enough to take care of astigmatism, and instead you may need surgery.

If you have astigmatism in one or both of your eyes, your eyeglass prescription will have three parts to it. The main part is going to indicated the correction you need for your main spherical correction. In other words it tells the eyeglass maker the amount of power in diopters you need to sharpen your visual acuity to an acceptable level. The most common acuity level is 20/20. When the number is negative it means you need a concave lens to correct the problem, a positive number would indicate the opposite. The second number indicated the extent of the astigmatism is diopters. The last number is the axis of the cylinder you need in order to bend certain light rays the right way to compensate for the cornea's oval shape.

There is a common misconception that you can't wear contact lenses or that only rigid contact lenses (RGPs, also called GP lenses) can correct astigmatism. This misconception is because for a long time that was true, however, today you will find that there are soft contacts designed specifically to correct astigmatism. These are called toric lenses, and are made to correct the visual problem, and can have a prescription for near and farsightedness added to them without a problem. However, if you astigmatism is severe you may want to use the rigid contact lenses as they can be better, or use eyeglasses. Of course, this will depend entirely on your situation, and on what your eye care professional has to say about it. Your eye doctor will know best what will work for your unique situation.

If you have a severe astigmatism, your eye care professional may suggest you have refractive surgery. This is a surgery used to correct the problem, but again, you would want to get your eye care professional's advice before deciding what procedure is best.

Of course, no matter what form of treatment your doctor recommends, the goal of treating astigmatism is to address the uneven curvature that's causing your blurred vision. Let's take a closer look at corrective lenses and refractive surgery.

Corrective lenses

Wearing corrective lenses treats astigmatism by counteracting the uneven curvature of your cornea. It is basically a form of compensation for the problem you have. The different types of corrective lenses include:

• Contact lenses. Contact lenses can correct both corneal and lenticular astigmatism, so they are a good option for many. In addition to that there is a wide variety of contact lenses available that can fix the problem- hard, soft, extended wear, disposable, rigid gas permeable and bifocal. This means that no matter who you are, you can probably find lenses that will work for you, and that you find comfortable. Your eye doctor should take the time to consult you about the pros and cons of the various contact lens types, and which contact lenses might be best for you.
• Another option that involves corrective contact lenses is orthokeratology, or Ortho-K. In orthokeratology, your doctor will prescribe you to wear rigid contact lenses for several hours a day until the curvature of your eye improves. Once it has started to improve, you can wear them less frequently as your eyes should start to take on the new shape. Of course, if you stop entirely, they will return to the former shape, so it is something that you have to do indefinitely.
• Eyeglasses are of course another option for using corrective lenses for treating astigmatism. For many it is a better alternative to contact lenses. Just like you can get lots of different kinds of contacts, so can you with eyeglasses.

Refractive surgery: this astigmatism treatment method corrects the problem by reshaping the surface of your eye, rather than just treating the problem, it is a way to correct it. Refractive surgery methods include:

• LASIK surgery: This is a popular surgery type, LASIK stands for laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK). It is a procedure in which a doctor uses a keratome to make a thin, circular hinged cut into your cornea. If your eye doctor chooses not to use a kertome, they can make the same cut with a special cutting laser. To put it simply, the surgeon lifts the flap and then uses an excimer laser to sculpt the shape of the cornea under the flap. An excimer laser differs from other lasers in that it doesn't produce heat, and thus will not damage the eye.
• Another form of refractive surgery is Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). In PRK, your surgeon removes the outer protective layer of the cornea before using an excimer laser to change the curvature of the cornea.
• A third option is LASEK surgery: LASEK stands for Laser-assisted subepithelial keratomileusis (LASEK). In this procedure, a much thinner layer of cornea is folded back, which makes the eye less vulnerable to damage. LASEK may be the best option, and is often the best for people with thin corneas or those at high risk of an eye injury at work or from playing sports.
• Radial keratotomy: This is yet another surgery, but it is a procedure that was used in the past to correct astigmatism, but is generally not used anymore since many people who had this surgery later developed increased farsightedness.