Origin
From the name itself, one can easily guess what astigmatism of the eyes is and what it is associated with. The disease was originally named from the Latin "stigma", which means "point". In this case, we mean the focus point of the image. This name was not given by chance, because the essence of the disease lies precisely in the incorrect concentration of the beam of light rays.
Features of the disease
Eye astigmatism is one of the most common vision diseases in the world. In fact, to one degree or another, almost half of all people on Earth suffer from it. For many, this disease begins in early childhood. It is easiest to understand what astigmatism is, having studied basic information about the structure of the eye. As you know, human eyes have two optical systems for refracting light. This is the cornea and lens, equally important for building the correct image on the retina. Both natural structures are unique, each of them has its own characteristics, but they have something in common - this is the so-called concept of curvature. The cornea of a healthy person has a structure with almost perfect curvature. Thus, the beam of light passing through it precisely focuses on the retina. In people with visual impairment, these indicators are changed.
What is astigmatism scientifically
So what is astigmatism? This visual impairment occurs regularly, but it is very difficult to explain. In rare cases, the reason lies in the irregular shape of the eye lens. But in most of them, this disease is directly related to optical distortion, which is characteristic of all lenses. And since the cornea of the eye also has a spherical shape, this concept is also inherent in it. The correct form for it is considered absolute spherical, capable of refracting light rays in any plane equally. But there are also flattened or, conversely, elongated. Such a cornea cannot correctly focus the image, its curvature varies in certain places, which means that the rays entering the retina are of unequal length. This causes a distortion in the real appearance of objects around. In the eye of a person suffering from astigmatism, there is no single focal point, in contrast to the eyes of a healthy person. Due to fuzzy focusing, the output image is unclear and as if with blurry contours.
What is acquired type astigmatism
It is known that this disease is not unique to adults: it is often diagnosed in children. It can be congenital or acquired astigmatism. The latter occurs with physical injuries that cause scarring in the cornea, as well as after poorly performed operations - due to improper surgical intervention.
Congenital astigmatism: what is it and how does it manifest.
In this case, when it comes to a congenital defect in vision, heredity comes into play. As a rule, astigmatism from birth affects those children whose parents also had this disease. But with the congenital type of this disease, visual impairment is small and practically does not worsen its severity, and therefore passes unnoticed. Many people throughout their lives do not even suspect its existence.
Symptoms of Astigmatism
The symptomatology of this disease is manifested not only in the obvious deterioration of vision, which without timely intervention can go into a more serious stage. Astigmatism is also often accompanied by prolonged headaches with visual stress, excessive lacrimation, inflammation of the eyes and the edges of the movable eyelid. The occurrence of conjunctivitis, pain in the eyes and general increased fatigue is not ruled out.
Disease treatment
Currently, three methods of treating astigmatism are widely used:
- wearing glasses;
- wearing corrective contact lenses;
- surgical intervention.
In the first two cases, complex lenses and glasses with a cylindrical structure are used. The problem is that so far they have not appeared in wide access in our country. I have to make such glasses and lenses to order. Usually they have to be changed more than once to find the right ones, but they cost a lot. In addition, many patients develop intolerance, only exacerbating the main symptoms of astigmatism: visual discomfort, headache, or even severe dizziness.
Surgery has its significant advantages. It occurs with the current development of technology quite quickly and saves the patient from the need for further vision correction using other means. The curvature of the cornea in this case is eliminated physically. The surgical method of treating astigmatism is most effective among all existing ones, providing maximum results in a short time.