Astigmatism, also known as astigmatism or astigmatism, is a refractive error in the eye. In a healthy eye, light rays emanating from an object are focused at a point on the retina. If, on the other hand, the rays are distorted on a focal line, we speak of astigmatism or astigmatism.
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What happens with astigmatism?
The cornea (lat. Cornea) is oval, half a millimeter thick and slightly curved. It is the foremost part of the eyeball in front of the pupil. With astigmatism, the curvature is not even. When the incident light rays hit the cornea, they are bundled only irregularly at different points and the view becomes blurred. In addition to astigmatism, many patients also suffer from nearsightedness or farsightedness.
Signs and symptoms of astigmatism
Many people have astigmatism without realizing it. The effects are so small that those affected hardly notice them. The astigmatism only becomes noticeable when it is more pronounced. Patients with astigmatism often show the following symptoms:
- Blurred vision, both near and far
- headache and eye pain
- Permanent reduced vision in children and infants
If the environment is perceived as blurred and slightly distorted, both when looking up close and looking far, these circumstances indicate astigmatism. On the other hand, if you are short-sighted or far-sighted, only things that are near or far will be blurred. The image appears distorted because the light rays are not bundled as a focal point, but reach the retina as strip-like focal lines.
Other symptoms of astigmatism include headaches and eye pain. If the corna is irregularly curved and the light rays are not bundled, a certain degree of blurring occurs. If this is only slightly pronounced, the eye tries to correct it. The eye muscles are constantly strained, which can lead to headaches and irritation of the eyes.
On the other hand, if the astigmatism is congenital, it can lead to so-called lazy eyesight if it is not treated. Since a sharp image never falls on the retina from birth, no correct information can be passed on to the brain and sharp vision cannot be learned correctly. It is important that this visual defect is corrected in good time, since sharp vision is no longer possible if treatment is carried out too late. One possible sign of this is that children reject nearby activities such as painting or handicrafts.
Causes of astigmatism
Astigmatism due to astigmatism is in most cases congenital and hereditary. However, it varies from person to person and is not even noticeable for some people. However, astigmatism can also occur in adulthood. Possible causes can be scarring on the cornea caused by injuries or inflammation. The cornea can also warp after surgical interventions on a glaucoma or cataract. In most cases, however, this resolves itself after a certain period of time. Tip: Anyone who pays attention to a healthy diet can actively contribute to seeing as well and sharply as possible.
Diagnosis and treatment of astigmatism
If you keep squinting your eyes or get a headache while reading, you should see an ophthalmologist as soon as possible. In order to determine whether there is astigmatism and how severe it is, two values are determined in an eye test. The axis value indicates the direction of the astigmatism, while the cylinder gives information about how severe the curvature is. Based on these two values, the right glasses or contact lenses can be finished. More information about astigmatism can be found here . These two values are determined using an eye test, which can be carried out by an ophthalmologist or optician.
If the values are available, the astigmatism can be treated well with suitable glasses or contact lenses from, for example, brille24.de. So-called toric spectacle lenses or contact lenses, which are also available as multifocal lenses or varifocal lenses, are suitable for correcting the curvature.
