La rédaction d'Optical Center | Published on :
Topics : Astigmatic symptoms, impact of astigmatism on eyesight, astigmatic problems, impaired eyesight and astigmatism
Among the many anomalies affecting the cornea such as short or long sightedness, one anomaly is less well known although it nonetheless affects many people. Astigmatism leads to impaired eyesight which can occur alone or in association.
Publication Optical Center, written by Manu Gosselinois 18.06.2019 - 13h53
What is astigmatism?
In astigmatism, the cornea, i.e. the membrane covering the eye, is more of an oval shape, rather than round. The cornea could be described as being rugby-ball shaped. In this case, images are not projected onto the retina clearly as the cornea is not spherical. An image of a dot is not reflected in the form of a dot on the retina, but as a line. Astigmatism can be associated with other forms of impaired eyesight such as short or long sightedness. It is generally present at birth.
What are the symptoms of astigmatism?
Astigmatism alters a person’s eyesight, which can be blurred, deformed, doubled or imprecise according to different testimonies. Astigmatic people may confuse letters of the alphabet, such as H, M and N, or O with D and Q, or E with B. An astigmatic child may have difficulties at school, due to the confusion between certain figures and letters. An astigmatic person will never have excellent eyesight, although it will not be poor either.
Can astigmatism be corrected?
Mild astigmatism does not necessarily require correction. Some form of correction will be necessary in patients inconvenienced by the condition. In this case, suitable lenses or contact lenses will have to be worn. In the most serious cases, surgery or laser treatment can be considered, which will alter the curvature of the cornea to make it rounder.