Many people around the world suffer from astigmatism. It is one of the most common eye health conditions, after myopia.
If you do not suffer from any visual defect and have a curious personality, surely you have ever wondered how it looks with astigmatism. Stay with us and keep reading because in healthshop24x7 we are going to explain how it looks with astigmatism and why.
What is astigmatism
In the same way as myopia or hyperopia, astigmatism is a visual defect of the so-called “refractive errors“. This means that there is a physical problem in the eyeball that somehow prevents correct vision.
In the case of astigmatism, the defect consists of a deformation that can be, of the curvature of the cornea, in a similar way to rugby balls or that the lens has a different curvature. This problem causes difficulties in focusing on both near and distance vision, unlike nearsightedness or farsightedness, which only cause at one of the two distances.
Astigmatism can be suffered at the same time as myopia and farsightedness. In fact, it is usually linked to one of these two visual conditions and cases of people who only have astigmatism are very rare.
What does it look like when a person has astigmatism?
In a healthy eye, the incoming light rays are concentrated on the retina at a single focal point. This allows a normal eye to perceive images clearly at different distances. However, one of the most remarkable effects of astigmatism is that it causes light to reach several focal points at the same time.
So to answer the question “what does it look like with astigmatism?” we must bear in mind that this refraction of light prevents the person with astigmatism from perceiving the images clearly, regardless of the distance at which they are.
When you have astigmatism, the world looks blurry.
Due to the double curvature of the cornea, it is also very likely that the images are perceived with some distortion, depending on the distance at which they are. Another possibility is that it looks double.
How does a person with astigmatism see the light?
It is very likely that, if you know someone who has astigmatism, they have ever mentioned the “halos” of electric lights, especially at night.
Indeed, a person with astigmatism perceives light differently than a person with normal vision. The fact that the rays do not reach a single point on the retina prevents images from focusing sharply at any distance. This causes electric lights, especially at night, to spread and produce halos. Therefore, if you have astigmatism, when you look at an electric light you will perceive rays coming out and circles around the light source.
This can cause some problems, such as driving at night or moving around brightly lit cities. When it’s not dangerous, it’s annoying to say the least.
Can astigmatism be solved?
As a general rule, astigmatism can be solved with properly graduated glasses that correct the defect or it can also be corrected with the adaptation of contact lenses. As we have already mentioned, it is a defect that usually goes hand in hand with myopia or hyperopia so, when doing your visual examination, the optician or ophthalmologist will be able to detect if you have astigmatism, and make you a prescription for glasses and appropriate contact lenses.
It is also possible to correct astigmatism with surgery. However, keep in mind that this can only be done if a specialist recommends it.
Astigmatism, like other refractive errors, can lead to developing amblyopia (also known as lazy eye) but should not be confused with the disease itself.
In the stores of Optics you will find a team of professionals who can review your visual health and update the prescriptions of your graduations as soon as you begin to notice symptoms that your vision is not correct. Do not hesitate to pay us a visit, we will be happy to assist you and help you.