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What is Astigmatism

Astigmatism is the result of an inability of the cornea to properly focus an image onto the retina. The result is a blurred image.

The cornea is the outermost part of the eye. It is a transparent layer that covers the coloured part of the eye (iris), pupil, and lens. The cornea bends light and helps to focus it onto the retina where specialized cells (photo receptors) detect light and transmit nerve impulses via the optic nerve to the brain where the image is formed. The cornea is dome shaped. Any incorrect shaping of the cornea results in an incorrect focusing of the light that passes through that part of the cornea. The bending of light is called refraction and focusing problems with the cornea are called diseases of refraction or refractive disorders. Astigmatism is an image distortion that results from an improperly shaped cornea. Usually the cornea is spherically shaped, like a baseball. However, in astigmatism the cornea is elliptically shaped, more like a football. This will cause the person to have blurry vision. What the blur looks like will depend upon the amount and the direction of the astigmatism. A person with nearsightedness (myopia) or farsightedness (hyperopia) may see a dot as a blurred circle. A person with astigmatism may see the same dot as a blurred oval or frankfurter-shaped blur.

Astigmatism is not a disease nor does it mean that you have "bad eyes."
It simply means that you have a variation or disturbance in the shape of your cornea.

What are the symptoms of astigmatism

• Distortion or blurring of images at all distances.
• Headache and fatigue.
• Squinting and eye discomfort or irritation.

Parents can notice that a child may have astigmatism when the child can see some part of a pattern or picture more clearly than others. For example, lines going across may seem clearer than lines going up and down.

People with severe astigmatism will usually have blurred or distorted vision, while those with mild astigmatism may experience headaches, eye strain, fatigue or blurred vision at certain distances.

The symptoms described above may not necessarily mean that you have astigmatism. However, if you experience one or more of these symptoms, contact your eye doctor for a complete examination.

Astigmatism may increase slowly. Regular eye care can help to insure that proper vision is maintained.

What causes astigmatism

Astigmatism is very common. Some experts believe that almost everyone has a degree of astigmatism, often from birth, which may remain the same throughout life. It is said that the tendency to develop astigmatism (not astigmatism in itself) is inherited and that therefore some people are more prone to develop astigmatism than others.

Some cases of astigmatism are caused by problems in the lens of the eye. Minor variations in the curvature of the lens can produce minor degrees of astigmatism (lenticular astigmatism). In these patients, the cornea is usually normal in shape. Infants, as a group, have the least amount of astigmatism. Astigmatism may increase during childhood, as the eye is developing.

Regular astigmatism can be caused by the weight of the upper eyelid resting on the eyeball creating distortion, surgical incisions in the cornea, trauma or scarring to the cornea, the presence of tumors in the eyelid, or a developmental factor. Irregular astigmatism can be caused by scarring or keratoconus. Keratoconus is a condition in which the cornea thins and becomes cone shaped. It usually occurs around puberty and is more common in women. Although the causes of keratoconus are unknown, it may be hereditary or a result of chronic eye rubbing, as in people with allergies. The centre of the cone may not be in line with the centre of the cornea. Diabetes can play a role in the development of astigmatism. High blood sugar levels can cause shape changes in the lens of the eye. This process usually occurs slowly and, often, is only noticed when the diabetic has started treatment to control their blood sugar. The return to a more normal blood sugar allows the lens to return to normal and this change is sometimes noticed by the patient as farsightedness. Because of this, diabetics should wait until their blood sugar is under control for at least one month to allow vision to stabilize before being measured for eyeglasses.

How is astigmatism diagnosed

Patients seek treatment because of blurred vision. A variety of tests can be used to detect astigmatism during the eye exam. The patient may be asked to describe the astigmatic dial, a series of lines that radiate outward from a centre. People with astigmatism will see some of the lines more clearly than others. One diagnostic instrument used is the Keratometer. This measures the curvature of the central cornea. It measures the amount and direction of the curvature. A corneal topographer can measure a larger area of the cornea. It can measure the central area and mid-periphery of the cornea. A keratoscope projects a series of concentric light rings onto the cornea. Misshapen areas of the cornea are revealed by noting areas of the light pattern that do not appear concentric on the cornea. Because these instruments are measuring the cornea, it is also important to have a refraction in case the lens is also contributing to the astigmatism. The refraction measures the optics or visual status of the eye and the result is the eyeglass prescription. The refraction is when the patient is looking at an eye chart and the doctor is putting different lenses in front of the patient's eyes and asks which one looks better.

How can astigmatism be treated

If the degree of astigmatism is slight and no other problems of refraction, such as nearsightedness or farsightedness, are present, corrective lenses may not be prescribed. If the degree of astigmatism is great enough to cause eyestrain, headache, or distortion of vision, prescription lenses will be prescribed. However there are very effective alternatives like Eyerobics that help you regain your clear eyesight naturally without glasses or contact lenses or expensive risky surgery.

The corrective lenses prescribed are called Toric lenses and have an additional power element called a cylinder. When a person blinks, the contact lens rotates. In toric lenses, it is important for the lens to return to the same position each time. Lenses have thin zones, or cut-off areas (truncated), or have other ways to rotate and return to the correct position. Soft toric lenses are available in a variety of prescriptions, materials, and even in tints. They have greater light-bending power in one axis than in others. Your eye care professional will perform precise tests during your eye examination to determine the ideal lens prescription. Refractive surgery may be prescribed too to try to correct some forms of astigmatism.

The Toric lenses can be in eyeglasses or contact lenses. The unit of measure describing the power of the lens system or lens is called the diopter (D). The lenses are shaped to counteract the shape of the sections of cornea that are causing the difficulty. Because the correction is in one direction, it is written in terms of the axis the correction is in. On a prescription, for example, it may say -1.00 X 180°. Cylinders correct astigmatism, minus spheres correct myopia, and plus spheres correct hyperopia.

There is some debate as to whether people with very small amounts of astigmatism should be treated. Generally, if visual acuity is good and the patient experiences no overt symptoms, treatment is not necessary. However it is advisable to use a Natural Vision Program like Eyerobics to prevent further astigmatism. When treating larger amounts of astigmatism, or astigmatism for the first time, the doctor may not totally correct the astigmatism. The cylindrical correction in the eyeglasses may make the floor appear to tilt, thus making it difficult for the patient at first. Generally, the doctor will place lenses in a trial frame to allow the patient to try the prescription at the exam. It may take a week or so to get used to the glasses. As glasses or contacts do NOT improve eyesight but are merely an aid and because they make your eyes lazy and thereby making them weaker we strongly advice against the use of them before trying an eyesight improvement program like Eyerobics.

In 1997, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved laser treatment of astigmatism. In the case of keratoconus, a corneal transplant is often advised if the astigmatism can not be corrected with hard contact lenses.

The major risks of surgery (aside from the surgical risks) are over and under correction of the astigmatism. There is no cure for over correction. Under correction can be solved by repeating the operation. Also lasik is very expensive and can cause scar tissue. Scar tissue is a lot less flexible than normal tissue resulting in a bigger disability to adjust to different circumstances.

How can Eyerobics help

The Eyerobics program is a program of eye exercises based on the Bates Method. This is a well known method developed by Dr William Bates in the 20's.
The eye exercises are designed to address most eye disorders including astigmatism by improving the function of your eye muscles and at the same time relaxing them. The focus is on improving your eye muscles thereby enabling your eyes to adjust to the abnormally shaped cornea. Especially when astigmatism is caused by an abnormal curvature of the lens Eyerobics has been very effective in restoring clear sight.

"After four eye operations, 25 years in glasses and contact lenses, and still having problems I discovered Eyerobics. In 2 weeks I started getting results and such clear vision that I removed my contact lenses and have never used them since. I made a visit to my eye specialist in Melbourne. I wanted an unbiased opinion so I didn't mention what I had been doing. After he examined me, he told me my eyes were great and I wouldn't need glasses or contacts again. I couldn't be happier with the results, so simple and yet noticing each day the major improvements." Tracey McIvor - Euroa, Victoria.

Find out how Eyerobics can help you regain clear eyesight.