What are the types of astigmatism?
What is Astigmatism?
Astigmatism is a common vision condition that causes blurred or distorted vision. It occurs when the cornea, which is the clear front surface of your eye, has an irregular shape. This prevents light from focusing properly on your retina (the back part of your eye), resulting in blurry or distorted images. Astigmatism can occur in combination with nearsightedness and farsightedness and can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms may include headaches, eyestrain, squinting to see clearly at all distances and difficulty seeing at night time due to glare from lights. Treatment for astigmatism typically includes corrective lenses such as glasses or contact lenses as well as refractive surgery if desired by the patient.
Types of Astigmatism
Astigmatism is a common eye condition that affects the shape of the cornea, causing blurred vision. It can be classified into three different types: regular astigmatism, irregular astigmatism and mixed astigmatism.
Regular Astigmatism
Regular Astigmatisms are caused by an unevenly curved cornea or lens in one direction. This type of astigmatism usually occurs when both eyes have similar amounts of refractive errors in either the vertical or horizontal meridians (lines). People with this type may experience blurry vision at all distances and may need glasses to correct it.
Irregular Astigmatism
Irregular Astigmatism is caused by an unevenly curved cornea or lens in multiple directions which results in distorted images being sent to your brain from your eyes. This type often requires special contact lenses for correction as glasses cannot always provide adequate relief from symptoms such as double-vision, ghosting images and difficulty focusing on objects close up or far away due to varying degrees of blurriness across different parts of each eye’s field-of-view.
Mixed Astigmatism
Mixed astigmatism combines elements from both regular & irregular astigmatism resulting in more complex visual distortions than either form alone would cause; making it harder for corrective lenses to effectively treat this condition without specialized contacts designed specifically for its unique characteristics. Patients with mixed astigmatism typically experience a wide range issues including extreme light sensitivity, headaches, dizziness & nausea along with their usual blurry vision problems.
Causes of Astigmatism
Astigmatism is a common vision condition that causes blurred or distorted vision. It occurs when the cornea, which is the clear front surface of your eye, has an irregular shape. This prevents light from focusing properly on your retina and can cause blurry or distorted images. There are several possible causes of astigmatism:
- Heredity: Astigmatism can be inherited from either parent and may be present at birth or develop over time as you age.
- Injury to the Eye: Trauma to the eye such as a blow to head can cause astigmatism by changing its shape temporarily or permanently.
- Diseases & Conditions: Certain diseases like keratoconus (a thinning disorder of cornea), cataracts (clouding of lens), pterygium (growth on white part of eyes), etc., may also lead to astigmatic changes in eyesight due to their effect on corneal curvature.
In some cases, no specific cause for one’s astigmatic condition can be identified; this type is known as “simple”astigmatism and usually does not require any treatment other than corrective lenses such glasses with special lenses designed specifically for correcting it.
Symptoms and Diagnosis of Astigmatism
Astigmatism is a common vision condition that causes blurred or distorted vision. It occurs when the cornea (the clear front surface of the eye) has an irregular shape, which prevents light from focusing properly on the retina at the back of your eye. Symptoms and diagnosis of astigmatism can vary depending on its severity and type.
Common symptoms include blurry or distorted vision, difficulty seeing in low light conditions, headaches after reading for long periods of time, eyestrain and squinting to see clearly. If you experience any combination of these symptoms it is important to seek professional medical advice from an optometrist as soon as possible so they can diagnose your condition accurately using specialized tests such as refraction testing with a phoropter or keratometry measurements taken with a keratometer.
Your optometrist will also be able to determine what type(s) of astigmatism you have based on their findings during examination – regular/simple astigmatism (where both eyes are affected equally), irregular/complex astigmatisms (where one eye may be more severely affected than another), mixed-astigmatism (a combination between regular & complex types). They may also recommend corrective lenses such as glasses or contact lenses if necessary in order to improve your sight quality over time.
Treatments for Different Types of Astigmatism
Astigmatism is a common eye condition that affects the shape of your cornea, causing blurred vision. It can be classified into three different types: regular astigmatism, irregular astigmatism and mixed astigmatism. Each type requires its own unique treatment plan to help improve vision and reduce symptoms.
Regular Astigmatism Treatment
Regular astigmatisms are caused by an uneven curvature of the cornea or lens in one direction only. The most common treatment for this type of astigmatic refractive error is corrective lenses such as glasses or contact lenses which can help correct blurry vision caused by regular astigmatism. Refractive surgery may also be recommended to permanently reshape the cornea in order to correct any refractive errors associated with this condition and improve overall visual acuity without relying on corrective eyewear all day long!
Irregular Astigmatism Treatment
Irregular Astigmatism occurs when there are multiple curves present on either side of the eye’s surface which causes distorted images due to light being bent differently at each point along its path through your eyesight system. This form requires more specialized treatments such as orthokeratology (ortho-k) where special gas permeable contact lenses are worn overnight while you sleep so that they gently reshape your eyes over time allowing you improved sight during waking hours without having to wear glasses or contacts throughout them day! Additionally, laser surgery may also be used if necessary depending upon severity levels experienced from individual cases.
Mixed Astigmatism Treatment
Mixed Astigmatism combines both Regular & Irregular forms together making it much harder for individuals affected by it since both types need their own specific treatments plans tailored towards addressing each issue separately. In these cases, doctors will usually recommend a combination approach involving prescription eyeglasses/contact lenses combined with Ortho-K therapy, Laser Surgery & other specialized therapies designed specifically for treating Mixed Astigmatism!
Prevention and Management Strategies for Living with astigmatism
Living with astigmatism can be challenging, but there are strategies that you can use to help manage and prevent the condition.
First, it is important to have regular eye exams so your optometrist or ophthalmologist can monitor any changes in your vision. This will allow them to detect any potential problems early on and provide treatment if necessary. Additionally, wearing glasses or contact lenses prescribed by an eye care professional is essential for managing astigmatism symptoms such as blurred vision and headaches.
It’s also important to practice good hygiene when using contacts; this includes washing hands before handling lenses, replacing them regularly according to the manufacturer’s instructions, avoiding sleeping in contacts unless specifically approved by a doctor for overnight wear (and even then only after proper training), cleaning lenses daily with appropriate solutions designed specifically for contact lens wearers – never tap water! – and storing them properly when not being worn.
Finally, eating a healthy diet rich in antioxidants like vitamin A may help reduce inflammation associated with astigmatism while limiting processed foods which contain artificial ingredients that could potentially worsen symptoms of dry eyes or other conditions related to poor nutrition habits over time.