Astigmatism is probably the worst understood eye condition when people are talking about their eyes, and it is not so complicated. At least not as complicated as some people make the pronunciation.

Astigmatism is not a life-threatening disease that will make you go blind in the future. It is a refractive error mostly due to an irregular corneal surface, but it can also be due to the lens in the eye.

There are different types of astigmatism, but it doesn’t change the quality of vision when comparing the different types.

Most often, astigmatism has two principal meridians (a steeper curvature and a flatter curvature) that are 90º away from one another. These two distinct curvatures on the corneal surface makes the cornea ever so slightly more elliptical surface.

So what happens?

When light gets refracted by the cornea, the difference in curvatures causes light to focus at different focal points within the eye. These varying focal points never meet to create a single sharp point focus of light on the retina.

The biggest problem with astigmatism is that whether you are reading or looking at an object in the distance, you will experience the refractive error it creates. Astigmatism can result in varying amount of ocular discomfort as well as headaches.

Astigmatism is usually already present at birth and can increase or decrease over time. Most often, the amount of astigmatism increases with time. The amount of astigmatism can also increase due to excessive eye rubbing. Therefore it is crucial to avoid rubbing the eyes unnecessary or out of habit.

Treatment Options for Astigmatism

We can correct it  with spectacles or with contact lenses. Modern-day technology enables us to use better lenses and contact lenses to even cater to the advanced levels of astigmatism. Up to a certain extent, we can also use Ortho-Keratology, which is one of the hottest topics in Optometry at the moment. A very controversial treatment for astigmatism is refractive surgery.

In other cases where the cornea is severely irregular (like keratoconus), we have to use more specialized contact lenses to correct other higher-order aberrations.