A New Vision

4655 SW Griffith Drive #165

Beaverton, OR 97005 US

503-646-8592

Open mobile navigation
  • Home
  • Patient Center
    • Online Forms
  • Our Services
    • Eye & Vision Exams
    • Vision Exams For Children
    • Contact Lens Exam
    • Optomap Retinal Exams
    • Diopsys/VEP Testing
    • Readalyzer(TM)
    • InfantSEE®
  • Vision Therapy
    • Tools & Techniques
    • Vision Therapy FAQ
  • Eye Wear
    • Frame Lines
    • Lenses
    • Contact Lenses
      • Soft Contacts
      • RGP Lenses
    • Choosing the Right Frames
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Community Content
    • Common Eye Conditions
      • Age-Related
      • Cognitive and Acquired
      • Vision Impairment
      • Injury & Irritation
      • Eye Lids
      • Changes in Appearance
    • Contact Lenses
    • Eye Diseases
    • Eyeglasses
      • Eyeglass Lenses
    • Eye Symptoms
    • How the Eyes Work
      • Basic Visual Skills
    • Pediatric Vision
    • Protecting Your Eyes
    • Visual Rehabilitation
    • Vision Problems
    • What is Vision Therapy
    • Vision Therapy Programs
    • We Can Help With
      • Cataracts
      • Corneal Disorders
        • Disorders
      • Glaucoma
      • Refractive Disorders
      • Adult Strabismus
      • Retinal Disorders
    • Newsletters
      • Glasses & Frames
      • Contacts
      • Tips for Healthy Eyes
      • Conditions That Affect Vision
      • Kid's Vision
      • Amazing, Interesting Eyes
      • Medical Perspectives
  • Contact Lens Training Information
  • Home >
  • Articles >
  • We Can Help With >
  • Refractive Disorders >
  • Astigmatism

Astigmatism

  • Created in We Can Help With, Refractive Disorders
the word astigmatism in bold

A normal cornea — the clear front covering of your eye — has a round curve, like a basketball. However, many people have an irregularly shaped cornea while others have an irregularly curved lens. Both cases can cause light that enters the eye to bend the wrong way, causing blurry vision. This disorder is called astigmatism.

If an abnormally shaped cornea is causing your astigmatism, it’s called corneal astigmatism. Lenticular astigmatism is the term used for astigmatism caused by an irregular lens.

If you have corneal astigmatism, your cornea is shaped more like a football. The curvature of your cornea is probably uneven, with some areas being flatter or steeper than other areas.

Often, astigmatism occurs in conjunction with other vision conditions, such as farsightedness or nearsightedness. All three of these conditions involve errors in the way the cornea and lens refract, or bend light.

Causes

Both children and adults can suffer from astigmatism. In minor cases, they may not even notice a change in vision. While this condition is usually present from birth, it can change over time.

Astigmatism may also develop after eye surgery or an injury. In rare cases, a condition called keratoconus causes astigmatism. This means the cornea becomes thinner and more cone-shaped over time, leading to increasingly poor vision.

Diagnosis

When you get a comprehensive eye exam, your doctor tests for astigmatism. She or he will measure how your eyes focus light. To determine the curvature of your cornea, the doctor uses an instrument called a keratometer. It focuses a circle of light on the cornea. This allows your doctor to measure the reflection and determine the proper fit of contact lenses, if you opt for this treatment option. If your doctor wants even more details, she or he can use a special video camera to map your cornea’s surface. Other instruments measure how your eyes focus light.

Treatment

Wearing eyeglasses is the safest and simplest way to treat astigmatism. Both glasses and contact lenses correct this disorder by altering the way light enters the eyes.

Orthokeratology is a non-invasive procedure involving a series of rigid contact lenses. Worn under your doctor’s careful supervision, you can use these to gradually reshape your corneal curve. However, if you stop wearing these specially designed lenses, your corneas will return to their former shape.

Refractive surgeries, such as LASIK and photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), change your cornea’s shape by using a laser to remove a tiny amount of corneal tissue.

If you suffer from blurry or elongated vision, you might have astigmatism. Call us today so we can schedule an exam and get you on the road to clear vision.

  • Common Eye Conditions
    • Age-Related
    • Cognitive and Acquired
    • Vision Impairment
    • Injury & Irritation
    • Eye Lids
    • Changes in Appearance
  • Contact Lenses
  • Eye Diseases
  • Eyeglasses
    • Eyeglass Lenses
  • Eye Symptoms
  • How the Eyes Work
    • Basic Visual Skills
  • Pediatric Vision
  • Protecting Your Eyes
  • Visual Rehabilitation
  • Vision Problems
  • What is Vision Therapy
  • Vision Therapy Programs
  • We Can Help With
    • Cataracts
    • Corneal Disorders
      • Disorders
    • Glaucoma
    • Refractive Disorders
    • Adult Strabismus
    • Retinal Disorders
  • Newsletters
    • Glasses & Frames
    • Contacts
    • Tips for Healthy Eyes
    • Conditions That Affect Vision
    • Kid's Vision
    • Amazing, Interesting Eyes
    • Medical Perspectives

Contact Us

We look forward to hearing from you.

Featured Links

Click to find out more

  • Services

    We strive to provide complete care for our patients/ learn more about all the services we provide.
    Learn More
  • Make An Appointment

    We will do our best to accommodate your busy schedule. Schedule an appointment today!
    Schedule Now
  • Online Forms

    Our patient forms are available online so they can be completed in the convenience of your own home or office.
    View Forms

Monday:

9:00am

5:00pm

Tuesday:

9:00am

5:00pm

Wednesday:

9:00am

5:00pm

Thursday:

9:00am

5:00pm

Friday:

9:00am

3:00pm

Saturday:

Closed

Closed

Sunday:

Closed

Closed

  • "We have noticed a huge improvement with our son during and after completing his vision therapy with A New Vision. He is reading at a much higher level, his grades have improved, his confidence has increased, and homework is not taking so long. His improvements are life changing! Thank you so much!"
    D.H. / Beaverton, OR

Featured Articles

Read up on informative topics

  • June Newsletter: The Importance of Eye Exams for Kids

    Wondering if your should take your child to the eye doctor? ...

    Read More
  • June Newsletter: Can Colored Contacts Help with Vision?

    Do you suffer from glare, eyestrain or color blindness? Wearing special contact lenses could help. ...

    Read More
  • May Newsletter: All about Floaters

    Seeing floating cobwebs or strings? Find out why this vision phenomenon happens. ...

    Read More
  • May Newsletter: What Flashes May Mean about Your Eye Health

    Could you have a vision problem if you see flashing lights? ...

    Read More
  • April Newsletter: Corneal Abrasion Could Lead to Infection. See Your Eye Doctor!

    Has something scratched your eye? A visit to the eye doctor could help you avoid a serious infection. ...

    Read More
  • April Newsletter: Tired of Contacts? Consider Orthokeratology.

    Wish you didn't have to wear your daily or monthly contact lenses? Orthokeratology can sharpen your vision. ...

    Read More
  • March Newsletter: Are Your Eyes Getting Enough Vitamin D?

    Not getting enough of a key vitamin might increase your risk of several eye diseases. ...

    Read More
  • March Newsletter: Is Your Prescription Up to Date? What You Need to Know about When and Why You should See Your Optometrist

    Not sure when you need to see the eye doctor? ...

    Read More
  • Saccadic Fixators

    This entails a wall-mounted square board with a starburst design. Along the various striations of the starburst are lighted buttons. As the buttons light up, the patient works quickly to see how many of these lit buttons they can push before they go out. The key is to keep the head still. Peripheral ...

    Read More
  • Patches

    Eye patches are used to strengthen muscle control in weak eyes. By placing a patch over the strong eye, the weaker eye is forced to do the heavy lifting. While it may be uncomfortable for the patient at first, the muscle controlling the weaker eye will become tougher and more resilient. This will allow ...

    Read More

Social Media

  • Copyright © 2023 MH Sub I, LLC dba iMatrix.
  • Admin Log In
  • Site Map