What Is Astigmatism?

By albert

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Astigmatism is a condition that occurs as a result of an error in the structure and shape of the cornea. To understand astigmatism, it is necessary to look at the structure of the eye. The front area of the eye is the cornea, behind which is the lens of the eye. A normal cornea has a regular convex curve. When the corneal curve becomes irregular, astigmatism happens.

Normally, light passes through the cornea, the lens, and the eye fluid, and ends up on the retina. However, in case of astigmatism, the light does not pass normally, because it is distorted. This causes disturbed vision. Besides astigmatism, two other problems associated with how light refracts or passes through the eye are farsightedness (hyperopia) and nearsightedness (myopia).

1. Symptoms of Astigmatism

Astigmatism is usually asymptomatic. This means that most people will not experience any kind of symptoms. Even if some symptoms appear, they differ from one person to another. The most common symptom of astigmatism is blurry vision. The main complaint of people with astigmatism is having distorted vision that is not distance related.

Other symptoms include difficulty of seeing at night, eye strain, squinting, irritation of the eye, and headaches. If you feel that your vision is blurry all the time, it is time to visit an ophthalmologist to get your eyes checked. Note that some of these symptoms may also result from other health conditions.