What is Astigmatism All About at Evolutionary Eye Care in Sugar Land, Greatwood & Richmond Area
For some time now, when you look at the television it’s sort of fuzzy and blurry but you’re not sure why. Sometimes, your eyes might feel a little tired or strained. You’ve noticed you have a slight headache by the end of the day. After debating the idea, you finally make an appointment to see your eye doctor. He says you need glasses or contacts to correct the astigmatism you have in your eye. Glasses, ok. Contacts, that’s fine. But wait - what is astigmatism all about?Let’s start here. Go to a mirror and take a look at your eyes. There are parts you can see, and parts you cannot. This is important to note, since astigmatism affects both the visible and unseen parts of your eye. The following is a simple explanation of the parts of your eyes and what these parts do:
Parts of the eye you can see:
- Cornea - This is the "window" to your eyes. The front, clear part of your eye.
- Sclera - Is simply the white part of your eyes.
- Iris - Is the colored part of your eyes. You may have blue, green, brown, or something in between as the color of your eyes.
- Pupil - Is the center, small black part of your eyes.
- Conjunctiva - Is a thin layer of tissue covering the front of your eyes, except for the cornea. Ever had "pink eye"? The conjunctiva is the part that gets the infection.
The parts of the eye you don't see:
- Lens - It is inside your eye, behind the pupil.
- Retina - It changes light to the electrical impulses.
- Optic Nerve - It carries the impulses to your brain. For example, when you look at a dog, your brain lets you know you are looking at a dog.
Astigmatism
Now that you know the anatomy of the eye, we can dive into defining astigmatism. Astigmatism is when your cornea (the window), or the lens (inside the eye) is not perfectly round and smooth like it should be. Think of it like looking at a funhouse mirror where parts of you are stretched out and parts of you are squishy. As a result, your vision for both near and far items could appear unclear.
Astigmatism is quite common and is NOT any kind of eye disease. Some people are born with astigmatism; others develop it with age. Astigmatism does not change the shape of your eye to look like a football. It is still round; it's just the cornea is more curved in some areas and flatter in other areas. That is why your vision is blurry and your eyes might hurt.
Patients are able to have clear vision during the day, without surgery! So whether you need new glasses or contacts, or need more focused medical care, Evolutionary Eye care is here for you.
