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Astigmatism is a common refractive error, which our highly trained eye care professional can diagnose with a comprehensive eye exam. When you visit us at the office of Palisade Eye, we’ll perform a series of comfortable diagnostic tests to evaluate the anatomy and function of your eye. If a refractive error such as astigmatism is detected, we’ll discuss your options in vision correction and provide personalized care to meet your individual needs.
Refractive errors occur when the shape of the eye cannot correctly bend light to focus on the retina. In people with astigmatism, the refractive error is typically caused by an irregularly shaped cornea or eye lens. In order for the cornea to function properly, it should be evenly rounded, like a baseball, but in people with astigmatism, the cornea’s curvature is uneven, like a football. This causes images to appear blurry and stretched out. While myopia makes it difficult to see far away, and hyperopia and presbyopia make it difficult to see close-up, astigmatism affects vision at any distance. To test for astigmatism, our office will have you read from an eye chart to test your vision at varying distances. We’ll also use an instrument called a phoropter to test how your eyes focus light through a variety of different lenses; this will help us determine the right prescription to treat your refractive error. We may also measure the curvature of your cornea and assess the details of your cornea’s shape. To treat astigmatism, prescription eyeglasses are a simple and highly effective solution. Contact lenses can correct astigmatism as well, however, due to the irregular shape of the cornea, regular soft contact lenses may not be a good fit for people with astigmatism. Toric lenses or gas permeable contacts may be a better solution. For some cases, other approaches to care such as vision therapy, orthokeratology and LASIK can also help. There are a wide range of approaches for treating astigmatism, and with the care of our experienced professional team, you can enjoy better eyesight in all your daily activities.
At the office of Palisade Eye, we’re dedicated to providing the highest quality of skilled and compassionate care. For more information on our office and the many services that we provide, give us a call today.
By Palisade Eye
December 9, 2019
