More About AstigmatismSponsored LinksA lot of people today suffer from the most common vision problem called astigmatism. It is not usually troublesome in mild cases and may not need to be corrected. When astigmatism becomes extreme and causes distorted and blurred vision, headaches, and eye discomfort a definitive intervention is required. Astigmatism is a vision disorder that occurs when the curvature of the cornea on the surface of the eye becomes irregular. It can also be caused by a distortion in the curvature of the lens inside the eye. Both cases affect how the light normally focuses on the retina which results in a blurred vision. Years of prolonged eye strain can also affect the small muscles around your eyes which may also result in astigmatism. Other forms of vision disorders, such as, near-sightedness (myopia) or far-sightedness (hyperopia), usually occur with astigmatism. In both cases, the eyes do not refract light correctly, which is why both conditions are called refractive errors. Even with these conditions, there is still a way to alleviate the symptoms of astigmatism. The best way is not to overly stress your eyes. When you work on a computer, for example, make sure you are not too close to the monitor. When your eyes are strained, give it some time to relax. Focusing on a distant object or looking at something green, like your garden, is one way of relaxing them. You can also do eye exercises. An example of this is by rolling your eyes clockwise first and then rolling them the other way. When you give your eyes time to relax, it releases the tension in the tiny muscles around them. You will notice that it usually results in a better vision. You might also have to consider Orthokeratology (Ortho-k) which uses a special kind of contact lens that works by reshaping the cornea. This type of treatment is a non-invasive and painless way to improve your vision. A more invasive type of treatment for astigmatism is also available in the form of LASIK (laser-assisted) surgery. It corrects blurred vision by reshaping the cornea back to its normal spherical shape. LASIK works by using laser beams to remove extra tissues from one side of the cornea that causes it to be irregularly shaped. With this procedure, the cornea is remolded into its natural symmetrical and spherical shape. This process also results in flattening the cornea. The cornea is responsible for most of the focusing power of our eyes. Reshaping it can significantly correct blurred vision caused by near-sightedness, far-sightedness or astigmatism. Near-sightedness can be corrected by flattening the cornea, while making it more spherical corrects astigmatism. However, there are extreme cases of astigmatism which require a more specialized form of treatment by highly skilled surgeons. But even with this type of treatment, a cure is not guaranteed. In most cases, LASIK has proven to be the best treatment for astigmatism. Its success rate and safety record, as well as, its cosmetic considerations is a great confidence booster for patients who are thinking of undergoing this procedure. Get educated on the following eye surgery related topics: |
