What is Astigmatism
Astigmatism is a vision problem caused by an error in the shape of your cornea or lens. This eye condition causes blurred vision. With this condition, the cornea in your eyes has an irregular curve. The cornea is the outer layer of your eyes, it helps your eye focus on the light so you can clearly see.
If you experience eye problems, make sure that you seek immediate medical help. Doral Health and Wellness Ophthalmology Center has the best eye doctor in Brooklyn who can help you deal with the most common eye problems. To know more about the different eye conditions, their symptoms, causes, and treatments, contact us at Doral Health and Wellness Ophthalmology Center.
Your eyes have a spherical shape. When the light enters your eyes, it refracts evenly and refraction means that light changes direction when it enters your eyes at any angle. When light refracts evenly, you see objects clearly. But if you have astigmatism, light refracts unevenly making things look blurry and wavy.
Symptoms
If you have astigmatism, you may experience the following:
- Fatigue
- Eye strain
- Headaches
- Blurred vision
- Squinting to see clearly
- Trouble seeing things at night
Although these symptoms could also be a symptom of other medical conditions, so seeing an eye specialist can help in diagnosing the problem correctly. But if you only have mild astigmatism, you might not notice any symptoms. So regular eye exams is important, for early diagnosis and early treatment.
Causes
Doctors do not know the causes of astigmatism as there are no definite known causes for astigmatism, but it is believed that genetics is a big factor. It is also often present at birth and develops later in life. It can also be a result of an eye injury or post-surgery. Astigmatism can also occur along with farsightedness or nearsightedness.
Treatment
The goal of treatment for astigmatism is to improve your vision clarity. Treatments can include:
- Corrective lenses – corrective lenses are used to counteract the uneven curvature of the cornea or lens. Eyeglasses and contact lenses are some of the types of corrective lenses that your eye doctor can prescribe.
- Refractive surgery – this surgery reduces the need for eyeglasses or contact lenses. An eye surgeon uses a laser beam to reshape your cornea.
There is no known cure for astigmatism. However, regular eye exams can help you prevent your astigmatism from progressing. A yearly eye exam with an optometrist or ophthalmologist can be very beneficial to your general eye health.
At Doral Health and Wellness Ophthalmology Center, our ophthalmologists can help treat different eye and vision problems. To book an appointment, please visit us at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, New York, 11212. You can also call us at 1-347-384-5690 or check our website at https://www.ophthalmologybrooklyn.com.