Discovering Astigmatism

Many people hear their eye doctor in Miami say the word “astigmatism”, but have no idea what this actually means. An astigmatism is basically a defect in the natural lens or cornea of the eye that causes a person to see distorted images or unclear objects. It’s considered to be in the same category as near or farsightedness because it’s a refractive error, but it’s not quite the same. An astigmatism is just an abnormality that’s present, while a case of far or nearsightedness is a particular type of abnormality that’s more easily treatable. People with an astigmatism usually need to get a more specific type of prescription from their Miami optometrist, but it is correctable. Also, people with an astigmatism are less likely to be eligible for corrective laser eye surgery.

The Different Forms of Astigmatisms

An astigmatism is going to be detected the same way a Miami Beach eye doctor would detect a case of near or farsightedness. They are going to perform several tests and also examine someone’s eyes using special tools. An eye doctor can actually look at the shape of their patient’s cornea with their special tools. In order to properly treat someone with an astigmatism, though, the type they have needs to be identified. There are mainly three different types of astigmatism:

● Myopic astigmatism. This is where both (or one) of the principal meridians are nearsighted.

● Hyperopic astigmatism. Similar to the previous type, except the opposite. This is where one or both of the principal meridians are farsighted.

● A mixed astigmatism. This type of astigmatism is where one eye has a nearsighted principal meridian, and one has a farsighted principal meridian.

How Doctors Treat Patients With an Astigmatism

In order for an eye doctor to properly treat this condition, they will need to thoroughly examine their patient and figure out the extent of their vision problem. In most cases, people with an astigmatism can simply be prescribed glasses by eye doctors in Miami and their problems will be taken care of. However, thorough examination is required because each eye may require a drastically different prescription than the other. There are cases where people have had completely opposite vision problems in either of their eyes. This is not a condition to worry about, though, because there’s always something that can be done about refractive problems.

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