What is astigmatism?

Astigmatism is a common type of refractive error. It is a condition in which the eye does not focus light evenly onto the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.

What is refraction?

Refraction is the bending of light as it passes through one object to another. Vision occurs when light rays are bent (refracted) as they pass through the cornea and the lens. The light is then focused on the retina. The retina converts the light rays into messages that are sent through the optic nerve to the brain. The brain interprets these messages into the images we see.

How does astigmatism occur?

Astigmatism occurs when light is bent differently depending on where it strikes the cornea and passes through the eyeball. The cornea of a normal eye is curved like a basketball, with the same degree of roundness in all areas. An eye with astigmatism has a cornea that is curved more like a football, with some areas that are steeper or more rounded than others. This can cause images to appear blurry and stretched out.

Who is at risk for astigmatism?

Astigmatism can affect both children and adults. Some patients with slight astigmatism will not notice much change in their vision. It is important to have eye examinations at regular intervals in order to detect any astigmatism early on for children.

What are the signs and symptoms of astigmatism?

Signs and symptoms include the following:

Headaches

If you experience any of these symptoms, visit your eye care professional. If you wear glasses or contact lenses and still have these issues, a new prescription might be needed.

How is astigmatism diagnosed?

Astigmatism is usually found during a comprehensive dilated eye exam. Being aware of any changes in your vision is important. It can help in detecting any common vision problems. If you notice any changes in your vision, call our office today for a comprehensive dilated eye examination.

From the National Eye Institute   • • • • •

What is a comprehensive dilated eye exam?

A comprehensive dilated eye exam is a painless procedure in which our doctor examines your eyes to look for common vision problems and eye diseases, many of which have no early warning signs. Regular comprehensive eye exams can help you protect your sight and make sure that you are seeing your best.

What does a comprehensive dilated eye exam include?

A comprehensive eye examination includes: dilation, tonometry, visual field test and visual acuity test.

Dilation: Drops are placed in your eyes to dilate, or widen, the pupils. Your eye care professional uses a special magnifying lens to examine your retina to look for signs of damage and other eye problems, such as diabetic retinopathy or age-related macular degeneration. A dilated eye exam also allows our doctor to check for damage to the optic nerve that occurs when a person has glaucoma. After the examination, your close-up vision may remain blurred for several hours.

Tonometry: This test helps to detect glaucoma by measuring eye pressure. Our doctor may direct a quick puff of air onto the eye, or gently apply a pressure-sensitive tip near or against the eye. Numbing drops may be applied to your eye for this test. Elevated pressure is a possible sign of glaucoma.

Visual field test: This test measures your side (peripheral) vision. It helps our doctor find out if you have lost side vision, a sign of glaucoma.

Visual acuity test: This eye chart test measures how well you see at various distances.

U. S. Department of Health and Human Services | National Institutes of Health | USA.gov

This means you have "Sight for near".   It also usually means you cannot see clearely at a distance.  This occurs when the power of your eye is too strong.  This causes the image to focus in front of the retina creating a blur.  This requires a negative or minus lens to correct.
(Sight for near). usually corrected with glasses, contacts, or Lasik.

Usually means your far sight is better than up close. (Sight for far). Usually corrected with glasses or contacts.

This is when the “angle” inside the eye is naturally tight  (narrow), putting you at risk for having an acute glaucoma attack.  The front part of the eye is filled with a fluid called the aqueoushumor.  This fluid is continuously produced and drained from the eye, with the balance of fluid input and output controlling the overall pressure of the eye. The drain inside the eye is a sponge like structure called the trabecular meshwork and it is located where the white of the eye (the sclera) meets the colored iris. The anatomy of this intersection forms an angle.  Some people’s eye anatomy is such that their angle is very narrow. If the angle narrows too much, it can shut down entirely. With no aqueous drainage, the pressure inside the eye shoots up suddenly, causing an acute glaucoma with extreme pain and vision loss. Narrow angles can be evaluated using gonioscopy. If the angles are narrow enough, a prophylactic LPIprocedure can be considered to avoid angle closure.

This description courtesy of RootAtlas.com. Dr Tim Root, MD

A healthy, non diseased or non  injured eye that cannot be corrected to 20/20 with regular glasses or contact lenses. A lazy eye may or may not turn in (cross) or turn out or up or down. An eye becomes LAZY at a very early age so it is imperative that all children be tested by an EYE DOCTOR by their first birthday. We can recommend a pediatric eye doctor if you need help.

ANY loss of transparancy of the internal eye lens is technically a cataract. Cataracts usually begin in our mid to late 50's. If you are over 60 you probably have some degree of cataract. There is only one cure for cataract, cataract surgery. The average age for cataract surgery is mid 60's.  If you want to find out if your vision problem is due to cataracts, schedule an appointment for a cataract evaluation. Visits for cataract evaluation are usually covered under your Medical (not vision) plan.

Doctor's term for Lazy Eye.

If you are a diabetic, annual eye exams can help prevent blindness from diabetic retinopathy.  Diabetic eye disease can have no symptoms, is not painful, and you can still have 20/20 vision.  This can be treated so get your eyes checked every year.

This was my Grandad's favorite word to express anger or frustration.
 I never heard him say a curse word but I heard "I'll be cockeyed"  quite often during my summertime visits.