How to Know When You Need to Get Glasses for Astigmatism
Most of us understand nearsightedness and farsightedness but aren’t really sure about astigmatism. Astigmatism is a condition that occurs when your eyeball is not completely round. Most of us have it to some degree. Your South Windsor optometrist Dr. Jeremy Prudhomme and South Windsor optometrist Dr. Regan Marquis Prudhomme can prescribe the glasses or contacts you need to correct this common vision problem.
What causes astigmatism?
If our eyeballs were perfectly round, light would enter the eye and bend evenly, giving us a clear view. If your eyeball is flattened so that it is shaped less like a globe and more like a football, it will bend light more in one direction than another.
If you are nearsighted, your eyes distort light so that far-away objects seem out of focus. If you are farsighted, your eyes distort light so that objects up close are hard to see. But if you have astigmatism, both near and distant objects may seem a little fuzzy or distorted.
How can I tell if I have astigmatism?
The best way to determine whether you have astigmatism is to have regular checkups with your Doctor of Optometry, who will detect the condition. But you can know it is probably time to start thinking about glasses or contacts for astigmatism when your vision is distorted or blurry when you have trouble seeing at night, when you get headaches after using a computer or a phone or reading a book, or when you suffer eyestrain.
What causes astigmatism?
Most people who have astigmatism were born with it. It is possible to get astigmatism after an eye injury, after an eye disease, and after eye surgery. There is also a condition called keratoconus that causes astigmatism that has to be corrected with contacts, not with eyeglasses.
There is nothing you do to give yourself astigmatism. You don’t get the condition by reading too much or by watching too much TV.
What can my Doctor of Optometry do about astigmatism?
Astigmatism is not a condition that can be corrected with glasses you buy off the rack at your pharmacy or at the supermarket. Every case of astigmatism requires prescription lenses for correction. Your Doctor of Optometry will ask you to look through a set of lenses called a phoropter to see which lenses help you see the most clearly. The optometrist will use a keratometer to measure the curvature of your cornea, and an autorefractor to bounce light off the back of your eye to determine which lenses you will need. Then the doctor will use all these measurements to write the unique prescription for lenses to give you clear, undistorted vision.
Don’t let astigmatism keep you from fully enjoying your sight.
Many people have “OK” vision even with mild astigmatism. They put off eye exams and make do with lenses they buy at their pharmacy. One-size-fits-all vision correction is not enough for sports, driving, fine work, and generally enjoying life. Astigmatism is a condition you need your optometrist’s help to correct.
Request your appointment with Dr. Jeremy or Dr. Regan Prudhomme online today. Or call us at (860) 644-3364 for an appointment at our office at 194 Buckland Hills Dr., South Windsor, CT 06042.