Astigmatism could be mild to severe, and if you have mild astigmatism, you may not even notice any visual problems. The thing is, astigmatism is known to progress as we age, and so it’s best to have it treated when we can.
Astigmatism Symptoms To Look Out For
The common symptoms of astigmatism you might notice or experience may include fatigue, headaches, blurred or doubled vision at all distances, eyestrain, and general discomfort in the eye. Oftentimes, individuals who have undetected astigmatism complain about blurred vision at any distance. Anyone who has astigmatism may have a distorted view of horizontal, vertical, or diagonal lines. For instance, viewing a building or wall might seem like viewing something that is slightly leaning to one side.
Even as these common symptoms are experienced by those diagnosed with astigmatism, they are not exclusive to astigmatism. These symptoms vary from one patient to the next, since an individual can have mild, moderate, severe astigmatism, or another separate condition contributing to those symptoms.
For instance, there are other conditions that may give you astigmatism as a complication and underlying condition. An example is keratoconus, a disorder where the patient suffers from a progressive thinning of the cornea. What happens it that the cornea turns cone-shaped, and this affects how you see. Corneal dystrophy affects one in every 2000 people in the United States. If you are suffering from one or more of the symptoms mentioned, it is always a good idea to confirm astigmatism with an eye care specialist so you can have it treated right away.
Screening And Diagnosis
During screening and diagnosis, you may go through a series of eye exams, in some cases repeated eye exams. Your eye care specialist will examine the ability of your eye to focus light rays on the retina normally. This is also called refraction. He or she will use a standard eye chart to test your visual acuity. In this case, you will go through a visual acuity test. Your eye doctor may ask you about your current vision or decide to use a keratometer or keratoscope.
When getting a diagnosis from your eye doctor, he or she may use a keratometer, an instrument that measures light that is reflected from the surface of your cornea. He or she may also use a keratoscope and videokeratoscope, which are devices that identifies and analyses the surface curvature and existing astigmatism found on your cornea. The keratoscope utilizes light to show rings on the cornea. The eye doctor will examine the shape of and spaces between the rings and then is able to determine the severity of astigmatism you might have. A videokeratoscope is simply a keratoscope that is installed with a video camera.
If you have trouble seeing far or noticed you are “seeing double”, you may be suffering from astigmatism. However, it is always important to visit your eye care specialist and go through a screening process. This way, you are assured of getting proper diagnosis and treatment for your eye condition.
