Causes Of Astigmatism - You Are Not Always Born With It...

You are diagnosed with astigmatism and want to know what might be the causes of astigmatism. Let's take a look. You may remember the first time you noticed that your vision was a little blurry.

Perhaps you noticed that you held books and magazines close to your face (or as far as your arms would let you) in order to be able to read.Or maybe you had trouble seeing the board in school. Whatever tipped you off, you knew when you had a problem. One problem that isn't as widely noticed, though, is astigmatism.

What is astigmatism?

Astigmatism is an eye condition that occurs when your cornea, which should be spherical, is actually oval-shaped. Most often, astigmatism is present with near- or farsightedness, but it is possible for astigmatism to be the only eye affliction. Some people have a mild form of astigmatism that goes unnoticed.

The condition causes you:

• to have blurred vision,
• as well as difficulty focusing on objects that are at a distance, even for those who are farsighted;
• eyestrain and headaches are also common symptoms of astigmatism.

Congenital Or Acquired

• Most people with severe astigmatism have had it since birth. Usually, though, it is not diagnosed in children until school when they have their first eye exam, or have trouble seeing the board at school, which leads to an eye exam.

• It's also possible for you to develop astigmatism after an eye injury or eye surgery. After an injury or surgery, scarring on the eye can change the path of light as it enters your eye.

  In surgery, sutures that were put in too tight can cause wrinkles in the cornea. Usually, this form of astigmatism will correct itself when the surgical injury heals.

• There's a rare condition called keratoconus that causes the cornea to lose its normal, spherical shape. Keratoconus is more common in women, and occurs around puberty.

• Diabetes may also be one of the causes of astigmatism since high blood sugar can change the shape of the eye lens. Fortunately, normalized blood sugar levels can cause the cornea to go back to its normal shape, correcting the astigmatism.

• Babies who are born prematurely may be more susceptible to astigmatism. The belief is that their corneas don't have enough time to fully develop while the baby is in the womb.

• Astigmatism can also be caused by the way you treat your eyes. That is, if you do a lot of close work, or tend to lean toward whatever you're focusing on, you can cause astigmatism.

There are many causes of astigmatism. But whatever the cause, the condition can be easily diagnosed with an eye exam.

Once diagnosed, you may be able to correct astigmatism with eyeglasses, toric contact lenses, or surgery. Your eye doctor can help you decide the best course of treatment for your astigmatism.



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