When opticians hand out prescriptions to patients, or tell them about any visual defects, patients can be confused about words used or explanations that are not clear enough. One repeat question is on the subject of Astigmatism – I’ve got a stigma we’re often told! So let’s clear this up once and for all….
An Astigmatism is nothing to worry about, is very common, and can fluctuate along with your amount of long or short sightedness. It may cause headaches and your vision will probably be blurred if it’s not corrected by glasses or contact lenses. Most people have some amount of Astigmatism, they’re either born with it or it develops over time.
It simply means that your eye is shaped more like a Rugby ball then a football. Look at a football and of course you’ll see that the curve is the same all over the surface. With a Rugby ball there are different curves for the long and the short diameters of the ball. An Astigmatic eye is like this, and the defect lies either in the Cornea or the lens inside your eye. The eye can’t focus incoming light where it’s supposed to, as two different images are produced, from the two curves of the Rugby ball.
Your sight can be corrected with glasses or contact lenses. The lens has to be held at the correct angle, as everyone’s Rugby ball is at a different orientation. Contact lenses for Astigmatism are weighted or have the bottom chopped off to hold them in place, spec lenses are simply cut and placed at the right angle. Along with the Astigmatism you’ll most likely be long or short sighted, this is the Sph part of your written prescription. The Cyl part of your prescription deals with the Astigmatism, and the Axis part is the angle at which your lens must be set.
When your Astigmatism is corrected for the first time, your vision might seem a little strange, because you’ve been used to coping without help. You might even feel a bit sea-sick for a day or two! It wears off quickly as your eyes adjust, and vision is usually much more comfortable with the right lenses in place. So don’t worry – there’s really no stigma attached to it!