There’s always a lot of mystery and confusion surrounding astigmatism. Some people get extremely upset when they find out they have the condition, but it’s often because they don’t know exactly what it is. Astigmatism is a common eye condition—not disease—that can be treated with prescription eyewear; however, it’s important to get it treated. Keep an eye out for common astigmatism symptoms and make sure to schedule regular eye exams.
Astigmatism Explained
Astigmatism is a vision condition that affects many Canadians. In fact, most Canadians have some degree of astigmatism in their eyes.
Basically, the condition refers to a refractive error when the cornea is irregular in shape and is caused by small changes in the growth and alignment of different components of the eye.
Astigmatism Symptoms
There are a number of symptoms that can indicate astigmatism including blurry or distorted vision. For many people that have astigmatism, they describe their vision as “fuzzy” at all distances—both close-up and far away. Other symptoms are difficulty seeing at night and eyestrain with subsequent eye irritation and headaches.
Since astigmatism symptoms are similar to other eye problems, only a licensed optometrist can properly diagnose it during a comprehensive eye exam. Once the condition is identified, the proper corrective eyewear—either glasses or toric contact lenses—can be prescribed.
It’s common to experience some dizziness or feel like you’re on a boat when adjusting to corrective eyewear for astigmatism. Your brain needs to be re-trained on how to see properly and the process will take some time and is different for everybody.
The best way to ensure that you have healthy eyes and correct vision is to schedule regular eye exams with a licensed optometrist.
There are many Eye Exam Centres across Canada,
find your closest Centre and schedule an appointment online.
Hakim Optical has over 160 retail locations and over 120 one-hour factory outlets in Ontario, Calgary, Edmonton, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Vancouver.
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