Astigmatism
Types of astigmatism
Astigmatism is often associated with short-sightedness (myopia) or farsightedness (hyperopia) or even both.
Myopic astigmatism
Just like with myopia, the light that enters the eye falls in front of the retina, rather than on the retina. With myopic astigmatism, the light rays fall or converge at different points in front of the retina
Hypermetropic astigmatism
The different points where the light rays converge are behind the retina, resulting in blurred or distorted vision.
Mixed astigmatism
If the light rays fall both in front of and behind the retina, it is called mixed astigmatism.
Astigmatism in children
It is important to detect and treat astigmatism in children as they are still learning how the world is supposed to look, and their brains are developing the ability to process the signals from their eyes. If their brains receive blurred images rather than clear ones, this could have an impact on the development of the visual processing ability. An indication of astigmatism might be your child being reluctant to do close-up activities such as painting or reading.
It can be difficult to notice astigmatism in children, as they may not have the ability to describe the problems they’re experiencing. If you have any concerns, have their eyes tested.
Treatment for astigmatism
There are many treatments for astigmatism, including glasses, contact lenses and laser eye surgery.