Astigmatism is probably the most misunderstood vision problem. For starters, it’s called “astigmatism,” not “stigmatism.” (You don’t have “a stigmatism” — you have astigmatism.)
Like nearsightedness and farsightedness, astigmatism is a refractive error, meaning it is not an eye disease or eye health problem; it’s simply a problem with how the eye focuses light. Astigmatism usually causes vision to be blurred or distorted to some degree at all distances. The type of blurred vision you get is in one direction only, as if wet ink was smudged onto a page. Symptoms of uncorrected astigmatism are eye strain and headaches, especially after reading or other prolonged visual tasks. Squinting also is a very common symptom.
What Causes Astigmatism?
Astigmatism usually is caused by an irregularly shaped cornea. Instead of the cornea having a symmetrically round shape (like a baseball), it is shaped more like an American football, with one meridian being significantly more curved than the meridian perpendicular to it.
Corrected astigmatism can make vision more comfortable and sharp, especially for computer users. At Redgate Opicians we give a thorough eye examination and explain the outcome of your prescription to you at the end of every examination
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