What is Astigmatism?
Astigmatism is an imperfection in the curvature of the cornea or lens of the eye that affects vision. This means that the light entering the eye is focused on more than one point on the retina and causes blurred and distorted image vision.
Astigmatism can be linked to hyperopia, in which case the patient will suffer the following symptoms: dizziness, severe headaches, eyestrain, itching, stinging and redness in the eyes.
There are different types of astigmatism and virtually all cases of astigmatism can be cured:
- Regular astigmatism: it is hereditary.
- Irregular astigmatism: it is caused by trauma, ulcer, surgery or burns.
- Corneal astigmatism: the cornea has two curvatures.
- Simple myopic astigmatism: has a point of focus on the retina and another in front of it (associated with myopia).
- Compound myopic astigmatism: has two or more focusing points in front of the retina. (associated with myopia)
- Simple hyperopic astigmatism: has one focusing point on the retina and several focusing points behind the retina. (associated with hyperopia)
- Compound hyperopic astigmatism: has several focusing points behind the retina. (associated with hyperopia)
- Mixed astigmatism: has focusing points in front of and behind the retina.
Symptoms
A person with astigmatism will see distorted images. This is because their eyes do not focus properly at both near and far distances.
The most common symptoms are:
- Blurred vision
- Eye fatigue
- Straining the eyes to read, see, etc.
- Headache
It should be noted that astigmatism can be prevented, but it can be detected with an ophthalmologic examination.
Indicated treatment
Currently, the following techniques are used to treat astigmatism:
- LASIK eye surgery: It is a painless, safe and personalized surgical procedure that lasts only 5 minutes.
- Intraocular lenses
- Correction with glasses and/or contact lenses
The ophthalmologist is the one who assesses what type of treatment is best for each patient, and to achieve this, the patient will undergo a complete study beforehand.
Results
The operation has excellent and satisfactory results, eliminating this pathology definitively.