What Causes Astigmatism and the Available Treatments

Astigmatism also known as refractive error is an eye condition wherein near as well as far objects may appear distorted or blurry to the patient. This condition is caused by an oblong shaped cornea (in other words a cornea that is not symmetrical) that has a flat and a steep curve causing the light to be focused on two points, in turn giving rise to a distorted vision.

Types of Astigmatism

There are mainly two types of astigmatism namely corneal astigmatism and lenticular astigmatism. A rare case of corneal astigmatism is keratoconus, wherein the cornea becomes cone shaped and thin.

What Causes Corneal and Lenticular Astigmatism?

There are some infants who are born with corneal astigmatism but other acquire it later in life. Although a proper consensus has not been arrived, some doctors attribute acquired corneal astigmatism to the following:

1) Eye trauma caused by the eye getting hit
2) Scarring in the cornea that could be caused because of other eye infections
3) Changes in the shape of cornea owing to eye surgery

Lenticual astigmatism on the other hand is mainly caused because of metabolic diseases like diabetics. A diabetic patient has high sugar levels in the blood which can change the shape of the crystalline lens of the eyes. Lenticular astigmatism gets cured automatically is the patient controls his blood sugar levels through proper diet and exercise.

Treatment for Astigmatism

Corneal astigmatism can be corrected using contact lenses, glasses or surgery. In cause of lenticular astigmatism a healthy diet and exercise is recommended.

1) Glasses: Wearing prescription glasses is an affordable and convenient solution to correct astigmatism. But it is important that the glasses be properly adjusted to the face for patients with high amounts of astigmatism. The patient should make it a point to consult with an eye care practitioner on a regular basis as the prescriptions will need to be updated regularly.

2) Contact lenses: There are special soft as well as hard contact lenses available for astigmatism. These are also known as toric contact lenses like the 1 day acuvue for astigmatism. Soft toric contact lenses can be worn by patients having mild astigmatism where as hard or RPG (Rigid Gas Permeable) contact lenses can be worn by patients with high amounts of astigmatism. Patients with very small amount of astigmatism (between zero to 1.00 diopter) can even wear regular spherical RPG or soft contact lenses.

3) Surgery: Keratoconus that has matured to a major level can be treated with corneal transplantation surgery. The success rate of this surgery is high with almost zero rejection. Other forms of astigmatism can be cured by a procedure known as astigmatic keratotomy in which one or two incisions are made at the steepest corner of the eye which causes the cornea to take a rounder shape. As of now, this procedure has been largely replaced by LASIK.

4) Proper Diet: Lenticular astigmatism caused because of metabolic disorders can be cured by following a proper diet rich in fruits and vegetables. Patients are advised to cut down on alcohol, smoking and consuming food products made from refined sugar.