How to Correct Your Astigmatism
With the Right Optometrist
Eye problems come in many different forms. They can present themselves in the form of dry eyes or itchy eyes as well. There can also be other present conditions that can become more serious with time if left unaddressed. One of them is astigmatism. Here we will tell you what you can do if you have this condition and how you can treat it with the correct eye doctor.
What Is Astigmatism?
Astigmatism is a condition that entails problems when either the lens or the cornea of the eye is affected. What usually happens with astigmatism is that the spherical curvature the eye is supposed to have isn’t as round as it should be. In general terms, it should have the shape of a perfect ball rather than an American football shape. This usually leads to more significant problems, like headaches and blurred vision.
What results from the altered shape of the eye is that light rays that enter the eyeball don’t meet at the retina as they should. This means that only one part of the light will be in focus. Hence, the perception of objects becomes wavy and blurry.
What Types of Astigmatism Exist?
As you can see, astigmatism has many combinations regarding the way in which the eye is shaped. First off, we need to define if the troubled area is the lens or the cornea. When the lens is the culprit, it is called lenticular astigmatism. When the cornea is the one, it is corneal astigmatism.
How the eye is shaped also determines to a great extent the way in which astigmatism can hinder the patient. When it has the shape of a football ball lying on its side, it is with-the-rule astigmatism. When it lies vertically, it goes by the name of against-the-rule astigmatism.
Other issues that frequently come with astigmatism are hyperopia (“farsightedness”) and myopia (“nearsightedness”). The combination of these unravels into myopic astigmatism, hyperopic astigmatism, and mixed astigmatism.
People with myopic astigmatism usually have sight problems with objects at a distance. Those with hyperopic astigmatism experience issues on the opposite side of the spectrum; as blur becomes more intense, the closer the objects become. When mixed astigmatism is present, a combination of both takes place.
These can be determined by the use of different tests present in optometry in any optometry clinic available. The tests usually involve the use of lenses and light to gauge the eyes’ responses to diverse stimuli.
What Are the Different Treatment Options?
The different treatment options available vary depending on the severity of astigmatism. The first solution doctors usually resort to is the use of corrective lenses. These come in the form of eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Other fixes involve different types of refractive surgery. Some of them are Laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK), Laser-assisted subepithelial keratectomy (LASEK), Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), Epi-LASIK (a variation of LASEK), and Small-incision lenticular extraction (SMILE).
You have to find a specialist who can explain the problem and the viable solutions. You will positively correct your astigmatism with the right eye doctor. For further information about other optometry topics, please visit our optometry blog.