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Astigmatism
What will happen if children's astigmatism is not treated?
If children with astigmatism do not receive treatment, the specific consequences will depend on the severity of the astigmatism. If a child has only mild astigmatism and does not exhibit any other clinical symptoms, treatment might not be necessary, and it will not impact the child's vision. However, if the astigmatism is severe, it is necessary to wear corrective lenses for astigmatism; otherwise, it may lead to a decrease in both far and near vision. This is especially true for compound and mixed astigmatism, which can cause a significant decline in a child's vision, and often results in visual fatigue. Children may exhibit symptoms such as eye pain, orbital pain, monocular diplopia, or tearing. Additionally, there may also be occurrences of compensatory head tilting and torticollis.
Astigmatism in children is caused by what?
The majority of astigmatism in children is caused by congenital factors, that is, genetic factors. If one or both parents of the child have astigmatism, the probability of the child having astigmatism is higher than that of other children. There are also a few cases where a child's astigmatism is caused by acquired factors, such as surgery, trauma, or illness, all of which may cause changes in the curvature of the cornea and lens. Additionally, a lack of outdoor activities and poor eye habits might also promote the development of astigmatism. It is recommended that once a child is diagnosed with astigmatism, they should go to a reputable hospital for examination and then get appropriate treatment to improve the condition, otherwise, it could impact their vision.
Why is astigmatism more serious than nearsightedness?
Astigmatism and myopia are both common eye diseases and are two different types of refractive errors. Under the same degree of refractive error, astigmatism can cause more damage to visual function than myopia. This is because patients with astigmatism usually experience abnormal development of the cornea, leading to different refractive powers in different directions. As a result, when light passes through the cornea and enters the eye, it cannot converge to form a single focus, but instead forms a line intersection, which greatly affects the quality of vision. On the other hand, myopia is caused by an overly long eye axis or excessive corneal refractive power. When light passes through the cornea and enters the eye, although it cannot focus accurately on the retina, it can still form a focus. Therefore, the impact on vision is less severe than that of astigmatism.
Will nearsightedness and astigmatism lead to blindness?
Myopia and astigmatism are common eye diseases and belong to two types of refractive errors, which can occur together. Myopia combined with astigmatism can lead to a decrease in vision, but it will not cause blindness. For patients with myopia and astigmatism, there are various methods to correct and treat these conditions, such as wearing frame glasses, rigid corneal contact lenses, undergoing laser surgery, or implanting artificial lenses to restore vision. In daily life, it is also important to develop good eye habits, avoiding using eyes in dim and shaking environments, and reducing the time spent on smartphones, TVs, and computers to prevent and delay the progression of myopia and astigmatism.
Can contact lenses correct astigmatism?
Contact lenses can be prescribed with a certain degree of astigmatism correction. If the astigmatism is less than 100 degrees, it can be converted into half of the spherical degree to create a prescription, and standard contact lenses can be worn to see clearly. If the astigmatism is greater than 100 degrees but less than 300 degrees, it is necessary to first prescribe sufficient spherical degree, then determine the astigmatism's axis and degree, and manufacture special astigmatic contact lenses. Wearing these can be more comfortable and provide clearer vision. Generally, very high degrees of astigmatism cannot be corrected with contact lenses, and wearing frame glasses is required instead.
Can farsightedness and astigmatism be corrected with glasses?
Hyperopia is a condition where parallel rays of light entering the eye focus behind the retina, preventing external objects from forming a clear image on the retina. This condition is referred to as hyperopia. Astigmatism is due to the cornea of the eye having a certain curvature, with light bending unevenly across the cornea due to its irregular curvature, causing different refractive indices on each meridian of the cornea. This results in the light rays not focusing on the same focal point, thereby preventing the rays from accurately focusing on the retina to form a clear image. This condition is known as astigmatism. Both hyperopia and astigmatism are types of refractive errors, and wearing glasses can correct them. It is also necessary to wear glasses promptly for correction.
Can high myopia with astigmatism be treated with surgery?
High myopia combined with astigmatism can also be treated surgically, but it requires the patient to be at least 18 years old, and both the myopia and astigmatism must have been stable for over a year without worsening. Before undergoing surgical treatment, a detailed eye examination is necessary. This includes an optometric examination to accurately measure the degree of myopia and astigmatism, a corneal topography test, and an ophthalmic ultrasound to understand the corneal curvature and thickness. Based on these parameters, a specific surgical plan is designed. If the patient’s corneal condition allows, laser surgery is the preferred method for correction. If the patient’s corneal condition is poor and not suitable for laser surgery, correction and treatment can be achieved through the implantation of a posterior chamber intraocular lens in phakic eyes.
Can nearsightedness surgery correct astigmatism?
Surgery for nearsightedness can correct astigmatism, and surgeries for nearsightedness can be divided into corneal laser surgery and ICL surgery. Corneal laser surgery can be considered if the astigmatism is less than 400 degrees, while ICL surgery can be considered if the corneal astigmatism is less than 600 degrees. Additionally, astigmatism can be classified as regular and irregular. The treatment is generally more effective for regular astigmatism. If it is irregular astigmatism, further ophthalmologic examination should be conducted to rule out corneal and other ocular conditions.
Astigmatism refers to a type of refractive error in which the eye does not focus light evenly onto the retina, often due to an irregular shape of the cornea or lens.
Astigmatism is a type of refractive error. Because our eyes are not a perfect sphere, they are more like an egg shape, with different meridians having different refractive powers. Thus, after imaging, the axial images may form in front of or behind the retina, rather than forming a focal point on the retina. Normally, astigmatism of some small degrees and with good axial alignment may not significantly affect vision. However, high degrees of astigmatism, especially irregular astigmatism, will definitely impact visual quality and require the prescription of special lenses to correct the astigmatism.
Crystalline astigmatism is caused by what?
Lenticular astigmatism is a common eye disease, usually caused by the early formation of cataracts, where the lens becomes unevenly opaque. This leads to inconsistent refractive power in different directions, causing astigmatism. Patients can visit the ophthalmology department of a hospital for an optometry examination and a slit lamp microscope examination to confirm whether the astigmatism is due to the lens. For lenticular astigmatism, if the cataract has little impact on vision, it can initially be corrected by wearing glasses to improve vision. If the cataract has already significantly affected vision, cataract surgery can be performed to correct and treat it. After the surgery, the lenticular astigmatism will naturally disappear, and the patient’s vision will be improved.