SIGNS OF ASTIGMATISM
Common but mild symptoms of astigmatism are blurred vision, headaches, eyestrain or reading difficulties.
You may also notice distorted near and far vision, unclear peripheral vision, inability to distinguish certain shapes and details and an inability to see clearly between horizontal and vertical lines.
MANAGING ASTIGMATISM
If you do not notice a problem yourself, astigmatism will be diagnosed at routine eye examination
Even with mild symptoms, prescription lenses will help improve your vision significantly, or could help slow the effects of astigmatism. Lenses can be specially designed to compensate for the irregular cornea shape which causes astigmatism. Talk to your optometrist, who will be able advise you on the various solutions available.
DID YOU KNOW? CAUSES OF ASTIGMATISM
Vision is effected by an irregular-shaped cornea.
When the cornea is perfectly round, light rays bend (refract) evenly onto a small area of the retina to create a sharp image. With astigmatism, the cornea (the clear, outermost layer of the eye) is oval. So the light is unable to focus, producing a blurred image.
Most people have some sort of astigmatism – it's very rare for the cornea to be perfectly round.