Astigmatism and its Impact on Vision Quality for Melbourne Patients
Astigmatism is a condition where the curvature of your cornea is imperfect. Healthy eyes are (close to) evenly rounded, whereas those with astigmatism have a more oval or egg-shaped eye. NewVision Clinics specialises in providing comprehensive vision services in Melbourne. Here, we take a closer look at how astigmatism impacts vision quality and astigmatism treatment options.
What Causes Astigmatism?
Irregularities in cornea curvatures occur naturally and are thought to be passed down from previous generations. Astigmatism can also result from eye injury, disease or post-surgery complications. It is not, however, caused by habits such as reading in low light or sitting too close to screens. People with astigmatism can also experience other refractive errors such as near-sightedness (myopia) or farsightedness (hyperopia).
How Does Astigmatism Affect Vision?
An evenly round cornea helps focus light rays onto the retina so you can see clearly. With horizontal astigmatism (when the eye is wider than it is tall) and vertical astigmatism (when the eye is taller than it is wide), how your cornea refracts light is disrupted, leading to symptoms such as:
- Blurry vision
- Areas of distorted vision
- Eye strain
- Headaches
- Squinting to try to see clearly
- Eye discomfort
- Fatigue
- Appearance of halos around lights
These symptoms are typically worse at night. Children often don’t realise they have blurry or distorted vision. Without treatment, astigmatism in children can impact performance at school and in sports as well as lead to amblyopia (lazy eye) and vision loss. As a result, early childhood eye screenings are important.
Astigmatism Treatment
Keep in mind that experiencing the above symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean you have astigmatism. A comprehensive eye exam can uncover the underlying cause of your symptoms. Following diagnosis, your eye doctor will explain a variety of astigmatism treatment options that might work for you. This can range from glasses and contact lenses to LASIK and PRK refractive surgery, which are two types of laser eye surgery for astigmatism.
Both of these treatments can achieve effective long-term results. The most appropriate pathway ultimately depends on your age, corneal thickness and overall eye health, as well as any limitations around costs and recovery time. For example, many patients opt for LASIK as it typically restores good-quality vision faster than the other options.
Book a Consultation for Laser Eye Surgery for Astigmatism
The experts at NewVision can advise you on the best astigmatism treatment based on your circumstances and preferences. To get started, call us on 1800 20 20 20 or book a consultation online at our clinic in Melbourne.