Do you think you have Astigmatism but you’re undiagnosed? Rest assured, it’s not a condition to be afraid of but it is definitely one you should learn how to manage. To optimally live with and treat astigmatism you first need to understand exactly what it is, how it can affect you and then what are your options. Once informed, you’ll have a roadmap for proactively taking steps to correct it.
What is Astigmatism?
Astigmatism is an optical disorder where our eyes’ focus changes. It’s a hereditary disease and it is caused from an irregularly shaped cornea and/or lens due to absolutely no fault of lifestyle or habits.
How it can affect us?
A person suffering from astigmatism can experience image distortion and challenges with depth of field perception. The degree of challenge varies according to the severity of the astigmatism and the change in natural lighting conditions between day and night if outdoors at an event or driving.
Here’s a practical daily example: walking down steps in very low lighting can be hard to distinguish where one step ends and the other begins and how deep the drop is. Compounding this with other conditions such as near and farsightedness is a common occurrence and makes the need for corrected, sharpened focus even greater.
Short Term Relief
Astigmatism can ONLY be corrected medically. However, In the same way our bodies need some form of exercise, our eyes also respond well to movements that can help strengthen certain eye muscles that have become weakened over time. Some who suffer with severe astigmatism feel slight alleviation through eye training exercises which includes performing an eye massage. Speak to any of our Courts Optical professionals and ask about short term relief methods they recommend for you. In the meanwhile, we have included instructions for a DIY Eye Massage if it has piqued your curiosity.
Eye Massage
This exercise is effective because it helps restore the shape of the lens as astigmatism is when the lens has been distorted.
Close your eyelids and gently place two fingers on each lid
With very gentle pressure move your fingers from right to left, top to bottom in a circular motion
Move clockwise and counterclockwise 10 -15 times repeating both the right to left and circular motions
Duration: 1 minute
Repetitions: 2-4 times per day
Long term Treatment. How is astigmatism corrected?
When cared for properly, it’s possible to completely forget you have astigmatism.
There are multiple ways of correcting and treating astigmatism in the long term: with eyeglasses, contact lenses, or surgery. Eyeglasses are the simplest and safest way followed by contact lens. The third way is via refractive surgery which aims to permanently correct the astigmatism using LASIK or a lens implant as in the case of cataract surgery.
If this is starting to sound a bit technical it’s only because there are several options available to you. All you need to remember is that we are here to help guide you through the blur and clutter.
Reach out to the Courts Optical branch nearest you and schedule an appointment or come in and let’s have a chat.
