Do you experience blurred images at various distances, both near and far? If so you may have astigmatism. In order to correct your vision, you may need astigmatism contact lenses as these work where a standard spectacle lens will not. A thorough eye examination should let you know if you have it.
There are two types of astigmatism – irregular and regular. The Irregular type of this condition is mostly caused by a scar being present on the cornea and cannot be corrected by a standard spectacle lens. Regular astigmatism coming from the cornea or crystalline lens may be corrected by a toric lens.
It should be made clear that Astigmatism is not a disease or that your eyes are bad merely that there is a variation is your cornea shape. It is part of eye conditions known as refractive errors and disturb how light rays are focused in the eye.It often happens if you are far or near sighted which are conditions that also come with refractive errors.
Your vision may feel as though you are looking into a distorted mirror like the ones you may see in Hall of Mirrors at a funfair. The reason why it looks distorted is that the eye is unable to focus light rays to a point.
Astigmatism is more common than you might think. Indeed, some experts have the opinion that everybody has the condition to some degree, often from birth, and may remain at the same degree throughout their lifetime. It may materialize in youngsters and be the cause of poor work at school as routine eye tests may not always detect the presence of astigmatism.
A qualified optical professional will be able to recommend the most suitable corrective lenses for an individual to help direct light more effectively.
If your condition is minimal and no have no other problems (short or long sightedness) no may not even need corrective lenses although if your condition causes headaches, eyestrain, distorted vision, then prescription lenses will definitely be necessary.
The lenses required are called Toric lenses which possess greater light bending power in one axis than others. During your eye examination, your optician will determine the ideal lens prescription for your individual needs by conducting a series of precision tests.
In some cases, your condition may increase and you may need to use astigmatism contact lenses for the remainder of your life but whatever your condition, it is advisable that you have regular check-ups to ensure that your vision remains
Like any life affecting medical condition, Astigmatism can cause an individual undue stress and upset particulalry if the condition hasn’t been diagnosed properly – the symptoms suffered are quite often (and wrongly) associated with more serious illnesses. I have suffered from Astigmatism for most of my life, in fact it has probably been all of my life! In my childhood, I had to endure the ridicule of wearing ‘National Health’ glasses which were always a topic of fun for my young classmates!
In my teens I was able to choose more stylish spectacles and in the past two years I found the freedom of Astigmatisim Contact Lenses – these little pieces of ‘plastic’ have transformed my life, I no longer need glasses that need cleaning 2 or 3 times a day and I feel so much more comfortable with my appearance…
I have recently created a website and blog about Astigmatism, you can view it here