You may think it sounds very severe, however astigmatism just means that your eyeballs aren’t perfectly round. In fact, It’s not rare for people to have some odd shape to their eyes.

However, astigmatism means you have a more severe deformation that affects your vision.

But don’t worry, this article will help you identify the common astigmatism symptoms to look out for —just in case you might have astigmatism.

So here’s how your eyes work. Ideally, your eyes should have a flawlessly round shape —imagine a pingpong ball for reference.

Now, your round eyes are perfectly designed to absorb and bend light to give you a crystal-clear vision.

However, if you have astigmatism, your eyes will tend to have more of a football-like shape. As a result, light doesn’t get bent evenly which means your eyes can’t fully focus on an object.

To put it simply, distant objects will tend to look wavy and unclear. But don’t you worry, once you identify the basic astigmatism symptoms, this condition is very easy to treat.

Doctors will usually give you the option to correct your vision through eyeglasses, contact lenses, or eye surgery.

Common Astigmatism Causes

You can be born with astigmatism and it’s not an unusual thing. However, there is currently no definite explanation as to why it develops.

An NCBI study shows that astigmatism is common in rural areas, which was 32 percent out of 2,635 participants.

Additionally, the environment and occupation in rural areas are factors to more astigmatism between age groups.

Read this article to spot the early signs of cataracts: SIGNS YOU MIGHT HAVE EYE CATARACTS.

You can also get astigmatism after eye problems like injury, eye disease, or even surgery.

However, you may have heard old stories about how reading at night or watching television too close can cause astigmatism.

These rumors are not accurate and are not scientifically proven to be true. Roughly speaking, you get astigmatism when the shape of your eyeball isn’t perfectly round.

Additionally, you’ll soon find out how to identify astigmatism when you learn about key astigmatism symptoms.

Keratoconus

Aside from the mentioned causes, you can also get astigmatism from keratoconus. Keratoconus is a rare condition that causes your cornea to gradually become thinner.

Additionally, this condition also reshapes your cornea into a cone form. As a result, you end up with severe astigmatism that prescription eyeglasses cannot treat.

However, you can still correct your vision with contact lenses and, at some point, corneal transplant.

Refractive Error

Before you read our astigmatism symptoms, it’s important to point out that you can categorize astigmatism as a refractive error. A refractive or refraction error is a vision problem that is caused by the shape of your eye. This shape of your eye determines how your eyes absorb and refract light to give you your vision. 

When your eye has an abnormal shape, you end up with vision problems like blurry eyesight, lack of vision focus, and more.

There are different types of refractive errors and astigmatism is one of them. In fact, you might notice that some of the astigmatism symptoms are similar to other refractive errors.

Myopia or Nearsightedness

Myopia, which is also known as nearsightedness, is a common condition that causes distant objects to appear blurry. However, when you have myopia, you can see objects near you very clearly.

Hence the term nearsightedness, which means that you have great close-quarter vision but have very poor long-range eyesight.

Do you think you have Myopia? Read this article: MYOPIA CAUSES PROBLEMS THAT AFFECT YOUR LIFE.

You get myopia when the imperfections of the shape of your eye causes light to bend in a different manner.

As a result, your eye focuses images in front of your retina instead of focusing images directly on your retina.

Myopia is usually common among family members. So if your parents, brothers, or sisters are nearsighted, you have a big chance of developing myopia as well.

Hyperopia or Farsightedness

Hyperopia, commonly known as farsightedness, is the opposite of myopia. With farsightedness, you can see distant objects clearly, while objects near you appear blurry.

You can be diagnosed with hyperopia your eyeball is shorter than the normal size.

Because of the shape of your eye, your eyes focus light behind the retina instead of on it. As a result, your eyes cannot focus correctly on objects near you.

A lot of people are born with hyperopia. In fact, farsighted children can sometimes outgrow this condition if their eyeball grows to the right size as they mature.

Additionally, you shouldn’t confuse hyperopia with presbyopia, which also causes near-vision problems.

Presbyopia

Everyone is prone to developing presbyopia and it’s not something you should be too worried about. Presbyopia is a natural condition that occurs when your eyes eventually loses it’s close-range focusing ability.

This normally occurs when you get past the age of 40 years old. When this happens, you’ll normally find it harder to read books or text on your smartphone.

Read this article to prevent eye strain: THESE THINGS CAN HELP YOU PREVENT EYE STRAIN.

Everyone gets older so you should accept the fact that presbyopia is going to catch up with you. In fact, even people with perfect vision will eventually find it harder to focus on near objects.

However, you can easily treat presbyopia with corrective lenses like reading glasses or even contact lenses.

Common Astigmatism Symptoms

Do you feel like something is wrong with your eyes, and you suspect that you have astigmatism? Don’t worry, just read our list of astigmatism symptoms and find out if you have more than one of them.

1. Blurry Eyesight

Blurry vision is at the top of our astigmatism symptoms list. The most common identifier of astigmatism is a blurry or hazy vision.

In fact, you may also describe a distorted vision when you have astigmatism. So if you notice any changes in the quality of your vision, you should get them immediately.

2. Double Vision

Aside from a blurry eyesight, another one of our astigmatism symptoms is having double vision. Do you experience random instances when your vision doubles?

You can best describe this feeling as seeing two imposing images in front of you. If you do, then you should read on about the other astigmatism symptoms to watch for.

3. Eyestrain and Headaches

When you have blurry eyesight and double vision, the next problem you’ll deal with is the pain. Sudden changes in your vision can stress out your eyes making them feel painful.

Additionally, eyestrain is often accompanied by headaches that only get worse as your eye problem progresses. So if you have more than two of our top 3 astigmatism symptoms, you should get your eyes checked.

4. Poor Night Vision

Number 4 of our astigmatism symptoms focuses on poor night vision. When you have astigmatism, your eyesight loses some of its adaptive capabilities that allows you to see in the dark.

You should notice that you find doing tasks at night a little more challenging than others. For example, walking around at night, reading street signs, or even driving can be harder for you.

5. Squinting Eyes

The last of our astigmatism symptoms is very common among refractive eye problems. Do you notice yourself squinting your eyes more often than others?

If so, this is mostly because astigmatism makes focusing difficult for your eyes. Which means that you constantly have to squint your eyes whenever you have to look at small details.

Do you need to see a doctor?

If you notice any of the astigmatism symptoms, then you should see an eye doctor for a checkup. You’ll most likely undergo an eye examination so that your doctor can determine if you have astigmatism or any other eye problem.

Your doctor can also determine the degree of your vision needs and prescribe treatments for you to consider.

So if you ever feel like your eyes are stopping you from enjoying your activities, never hesitate to go to an eye doctor.

How do doctors diagnose your eyes?

Once you identify your astigmatism symptoms and you get your eyes checked, the next step is diagnosing your vision.

Doctors have many ways to find out the degree of your astigmatism. Read on and learn about the methods that they use to test your eyes.

• Vision Test – is the most common method that you’ll notice. Your doctor will let you read letters and numbers on an  eye chart from a distance.
  
  With this method, your doctor can determine your vision according to the distance that you need to read the chart. For example, if you can read the chart from 20 feet, you have 20/20 vision.
  
• Refraction – is the next method you’ll experience. The doctor will use a machine called a phoropter.
  
  You’ll have to put your face next to the machine and look through it to determine your prescription.
  
  Your doctor can also use handheld lenses that you can try on to determine the refractive correction that you need.
  
  You’ll go through different lenses and to find the best pair that you can use for reading the eye chart.
  
• Keratomery – is the last method which also involves a machine. The machine allows the doctor to measure the bend at the center part of your cornea.
  
  In addition, your doctor also determines the steep and flat curves of your eye.
  
  With this method, your doctor can fully measure the shape and the focusing capabilities of your cornea.

Astigmatism Treatment

After you identify the basic astigmatism symptoms, get your eyes checked and verified, the last part is the treatment.

After you’re diagnosed with astigmatism, your doctor will generally inform you about the treatment options for your eyes.

Additionally, since astigmatism common, you have a lot of treatment options to choose from.

However, you should take note that your treatment options can depend on the severity of your vision problem.

Corrective Eyeglasses

Getting eyeglasses is the most common go-to treatment for astigmatism. This is mainly because it doesn’t cost as much as surgery and it doesn’t have any risks involved.

The downside to eyeglasses, however, is the fact that you’ll be constantly wearing them.

Which may not be a problem to most people. With eyeglasses, you’ll be prescribed to get a special type of cylindrical lenses to correct your astigmatism.

Corrective Contact Lenses

You shouldn’t worry if wearing a pair of eyeglasses isn’t your thing. You also have the option to use contact lenses to correct your astigmatism.

In fact, some people even consider contact lenses to give a better vision quality compared to eyeglasses.

Read this article to learn more about contact lenses: 5 TYPES OF CONTACT LENSES THAT YOU SHOULD KNOW.

However, if you decide to get contact lenses, you should make sure to be responsible in washing and maintaining your lenses. Additionally, there’s a couple of Do’s and Don’ts for contact lens care that you’ll have to learn about.

Orthokeratology

If you’re not a fan of both eyeglasses and contact lenses, you have the option to avoid both. Orthokeratology involves using contact lenses, however, you won’t need to use them for your daily activities.

With this treatment, you’ll have to wear a special pair of contact lenses that can reshape your cornea. You’ll only have to wear the lenses for a short time like when your sleeping at night.

You can take them out in the morning and go about your day with better vision. However, orthokeratology is only effective for people with mild astigmatism.

Refractive Surgery

Finally, you also have the option to reshape your cornea through eye surgery. In fact, it’s pretty common to get a refractive surgery like LASIK.

According to a study from NCBI, LASIK is the most common refractive surgery and approximately 18 million LASIK procedures have been done.  

Curious about refractive surgery? Read this article: HOW DIFFERENT TYPES OF REFRACTIVE SURGERY CORRECTS VISION.

There are different types of refractive surgery, each with their own pros and cons. In fact, you have a lot of different surgical options for treating astigmatism.

However, just make sure to talk with a eye-care professional before you make any hasty decisions. Even though refractive surgery is generally safe, this is not a reason for you to take this procedure lightly.

Conclusion

We hope that our list of astigmatism symptoms, can help you determine the help that you need. Remember, your eyes play a key role in your everyday life, whether it’s for fun or for work.

So always take care of your eye health and never hesitate to get them checked when something feels wrong. And if you really feel like you have astigmatism, go out there, get your eyes treated, and enjoy a better vision for yourself.

References:

The prevalence of astigmatism and its determinants in a rural population of Iran: the “Nooravaran Salamat” mobile eye clinic experience.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24791111

Basic Knowledge of Refractive Surgery: Correction of Refractive Errors Using Modern Surgical Procedures

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2696744

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