Astigmatism is a common eye problem due to the imperfect curvature of the lens or cornea. Astigmatism causes blurry vision, especially at night. You may also experience headaches and eyestrain alongside.
A perfectly functioning body system is one of the best but highly underrated things in the world. Not being able to see properly can be agonizing; it feels like you can’t see the world like everyone else. Thankfully, astigmatism is easily treatable, and there are safe methods for it.
How to treat astigmatism
You can permanently treat astigmatism using corrective laser surgery known as LASIK. Eyeglasses and contact lenses are also highly effective. In this article, we discuss the three methods.
- Eyeglasses
Eyeglasses are the commonest and relatively cheapest treatment method for astigmatism. It’s also often the first form of treatment any astigmatism patient would like to try.
Eyeglasses can help you treat astigmatism by correcting your vision via a special cylindrical lens that compensates for the irregular shape of yours. Hence your vision no longer gets blurry. Eyeglasses for astigmatism may lead to 20/20 vision.
Using eyeglasses is safe. Contrary to popular belief, glasses do not worsen your vision the longer you use them. However, eyeglasses can also cause some discomfort, and some people disapprove of the nerdy look glasses give them.
Note that if your astigmatism is very high (very blurry vision), you may need a more advanced treatment method than glasses.
- LASIK
Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis is a surgical method for treating vision problems such as astigmatism using a laser. The laser beam reshapes the curvature of the cornea or lens, thereby solving the root cause of the problem. LASIK is painless and usually takes nothing beyond 30 minutes to complete. About 96% of patients who received LASIK treatment had a better vision after the procedure.
LASIK may be your best option when your vision is more blurry than eyeglasses could completely correct, or you despise the discomfort glasses bring. If you also worry about losing your glasses at critical times, you might just need a permanent fix like LASIK.
However, your Ophthalmologist must evaluate you to determine whether you’re a suitable candidate.
- Contact lens
Contact lenses can help correct astigmatism. Note that this is not the normal contact lens you wear to make you more attractive. Those ones aim to change the color of your eye. Contact lenses for astigmatism aim to correct your vision. For this purpose, a special and prescribed type of lens called toric lens is used. Just as with eyeglasses, your vision is being corrected by a lens, save that it’s now in your eyes rather than in front of it. Hence, your appearance isn’t altered.
In one treatment practice known as orthokeratology, you wear rigid contact lenses all night. During sleep, the lens evens out the irregular curvature of your eye lens. You can then wear the contact lens less frequently to keep the new shape. If you stop wearing the lens, your vision may return to its former undesirable condition.
Final words
The suitable treatment method for astigmatism will usually depend on the severity of your condition and whether you can afford a permanent fix. The type of doctor you meet will also vary based on your preferred treatment. Whatever the case, rest assured that your astigmatism can be a thing of the past with the right treatment.
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