Know About Astigmatism and Correct Your Eye Problem
- Thursday, March 18, 2010, 22:54
- Health Care
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Do you face blurred vision even when you’re perfect with your spectacles or contact lenses? Then you should not avoid this symptom. This might be the sign of Astigmatism.
How Astigmatism affects our eyes
This disease affects the cornea of our eye. Thus, before knowing about Astigmatism, we should know about the function of cornea. Cornea is the front portion of the eyes and it is transparent. It is the covering portion of the pupil, iris, and anterior chamber of the eye. When light falls into the eyes, cornea’s work is to focus light into the retina.
When cornea is under normal condition, it is like a shape of egg. But with the Astigmatism, cornea grows and light can not get focused on the retina. Thus, vision gets blurry.
Cause of Astigmatism
If someone has Astigmatism from the time of birth, then it is found to be inherited from the parents. Researchers are seriously working hard to find its genetic connection by experimenting on twins.
Diagnosis of Astigmatism
Severity of the Astigmatism is diagnosed with the help of one unit called diopters.
If Astigmatism is less than 0.6 diopters then eyes are at normal condition. If severity of Astigmatism is between 0.6 and 2, then you have little chance of Astigmatism. If it is between 2 and 4 diopters, then the condition is moderate. If it exceeds 4, then eyes are severely affected with Astigmatism.
Treatment for Astigmatism
Astigmatism can be treated after diagnosing its severity:
When you have moderate Astigmatism, then you would be prescribed to wear contact lenses. Usually, hybrid contact lenses which are soft at the edges and hard at the middle are suitable for this kind of severity. You might be advised to use gas-permeable and rigid lens.
When you have 5 to 6 diopters severity, then doctor prefers to go for Lasik Surgery, where doctor corrects the shape of the cornea with the help of laser. But with higher level of Astigmatism, surgery might not help to correct the shape.
When you are affected with more serious stage of Astigmatism, then it is known as keratoconus. For keratoconus, cornea’s shape becomes cone like. Early stage of keratoconus can be treated with hard contact lenses. Some people may opt for corneal transplant in this case.
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