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According to the American Optometric Association, most people experience some degree of astigmatism. While this condition may be present at birth, it can develop later in life and become much worse or better over time. Based on statistical research, blurry vision with astigmatism is perhaps one of the most challenging concerns that anyone can have. Aside from the bothersome effects on your visual acuity, it can cause other symptoms, including eye strain, double vision, eye irritation, and headaches. So, if you’re wondering how is astigmatism corrected, this article will discuss some proven ways to improve your vision.
What Is Astigmatism?
Astigmatism is a prevalent visual condition affecting people of all ages. When a person has astigmatism, the muscles around the eyes are impaired, putting undue strain on the cornea and lenses of the eye. As a result, it focuses light within the retina, which sends a signal to our brains. This pressure causes the cornea to lose its form, leading to weak and blurred vision.
Types of Astigmatism
Astigmatism may be inherited or develop as a result of trauma, congenital disorders, or eye surgery. It usually comes in three forms which can either be myopic, hyperopic or a combination of both.
Myopic Astigmatism or Nearsightedness
In myopic astigmatism, light rays concentrate in front of the retina, making distant objects appear blurry. Typically, a mismatch in the cornea or lens curvature can lead to a refractive error leaving people with myopic astigmatism to experience even worse blurring in their vision.
Hyperopic Astigmatism or Farsightedness
For those who have hyperopic astigmatism, the light passes beyond the retina. The more farsighted a person is, the more difficult it is to see things in a clear vision.
Mixed Astigmatism
In individuals with combined astigmatism, one curvature of the cornea or lens reflects light in front of the retina while the other concentrates light behind the retina.
Proven Ways to Treat Astigmatism
Most of the time, astigmatism can be pretty bothersome as it makes basic tasks much more complicated. Fortunately, several treatment options can help correct astigmatism.
First Option: Corrective Lenses
Lenses are temporary solutions that can help improve your blurred vision. While this option does not correct astigmatism entirely, it is one of the most chosen treatments to maintain eye health. Other than resolving concerns caused by astigmatism, corrective lenses can also help with fixing hyperopia and myopia.
Here are your options if you opt to use corrective lenses:
Eyeglasses
If you want to fix your astigmatism with eyeglasses, your eye doctor will refract your vision to obtain two astigmatism-specific measurements: the cylinder and the axis. The cylinder indicates the measurement for lens power. Meanwhile, the axis refers to the placement of astigmatism from your cornea.
In as much as eyeglasses work to resolve blurry vision, corrective lenses are still prone to refractive errors, which can often worsen your astigmatism. To get a correct reading for your prescription lenses, you need to consult with a registered optometrist for the best advice.
Contact lenses
Several years ago, optometrists used rigid contact lenses to resolve astigmatism. This traditional type of lens helps treat astigmatism by creating a spherical crevice on the eye surface.
On the other hand, we can correct astigmatism with soft toric contact lenses with today’s advanced practices. These lenses provide more patient comfort and offer a high degree of accuracy. It helps bend the light in a direction that will reduce blurred vision.
Second Option: Eye Surgery
Many people tend to choose eye surgery to fix astigmatism due to many reasons. Because eye surgery is known to restore normal eye health permanently, it eliminates the need for prescription lenses. However, if you have a higher level of astigmatism, it is safe to assume that more surgical procedures are necessary.
LASIK eye surgery is the most common eye surgery option. It uses laser beams to restore complex irregularities and curvatures present in your cornea. While this surgical procedure helps improve your vision, it demands more eye care maintenance than a typical lens correction.
Unfortunately, LASIK is not suitable for everyone. The surgery is not compatible with individuals with a thin cornea or high refractive error. Your doctor will be the one to decide if you are a good candidate for the procedure.
Third Option: Eye Exercises
Many natural ways could help correct your astigmatism, one of which is through eye exercises. It may seem impossible, but several pieces of research have proven their benefits. Eye exercises are one of the best eye care treatment options, especially for astigmatism.
Our eye muscles work like most of the muscles in our body. Through simple eye exercises and movement, you can regain its function and improve your visual acuity. Therefore, it is essential to keep your eye muscles active throughout the day.
However, staring on a computer screen or focusing on a single object isn’t going to do that much. You can unlock your eyes’ full potential by practising eye exercises. Simple acts like blinking, eye yoga, reading, and other eye movements can help reduce eye stress and strengthen your eye muscles.
When you perform these exercises as frequently as possible, it guarantees positive results in as early as one to four weeks.
Fourth Option: Vitamins
What you eat has a significant effect on your overall well-being, particularly on your vision. Perhaps one of the simplest tricks that most experts recommend to fix astigmatism is by eating right. Eating foods that contain vitamins and nutrients is an effective method to treat astigmatism. When you maintain healthy levels of minerals in your body, you can regain your vision in no time.
Including vitamins in your daily dietary intake will ensure a good vision. If you are not a particular vegetable eater, you can use your creativity and make smoothies or soup alternatives with these ingredients.
Here are some foods that you might consider adding to your daily intake:
- Vitamin A. This vitamin is perfect for maintaining eye health. Natural sources of this vitamin include leafy vegetables such as spinach, carrots, kale, and winter squash.
- Vitamin B. Food that contains vitamin B is known to encourage vision improvement. Fishes, dairy products, and lamb are good sources of vitamin B.
- Vitamin C. Adding enough citrus fruits to your diet is essential to your overall health. While many food supplements contain vitamin C, it is best to get it from natural sources like oranges, lemons, and leafy vegetables.
Choosing What’s Best for You
If you want to resolve astigmatism, you have the luxury to choose between a variety of choices for correcting your vision. However, before making your decision, it is necessary to talk to your doctor first and specifically address your diagnosis. Remember, the best option will always be the one that both you and your doctor agree with.
References:
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/eye-vitamins
https://preventblindness.org/refractive-error-myopia-hyperopia-astigmatism-presbyopia/