Astigmatism is a common visual impairment. It is caused by a change in the lens or curvature of the cornea. With astigmatism, glasses are the most effective and easiest way to correct, because when complaints appear, it is necessary to improve vision.
The main cause of eye astigmatism is the incorrect configuration of the optical system. It appears with uneven curvature of the cornea or irregular lens shape. Astigmatism can occur with congenital uneven pressure of the eyelids, orbital bones, and oculomotor muscles.
If ocular astigmatism has an acquired form, then the following factors could provoke it:
- ophthalmic surgery
- different types of injuries with sharp or piercing objects, resulting in cicatricial changes in the cornea or subluxation of the lens;
- clouding of the cornea due to the inflammatory process;
- keratoconus is a corneal pathology that causes its thinning;
- injuries of the structure of the dentition;
- pterygium - the growth of the conjunctiva on the cornea.
When do you need glasses?
A disease such as astigmatism occurs due to deformation of the surface of the lens or cornea, which disrupts the focus of light beams on the retina. That is why the contours of surrounding objects are blurred, can be bifurcated, pain and dryness in the eyes are felt with small loads on the organs of vision. With mixed astigmatism, glasses can help.
The patient has such complaints as:
- blurred vision;
- rapid eye fatigue;
- decrease in visual acuity;
- decreased vision at dusk;
- decreased performance;
- dizziness;
- headache.
Are glasses necessary for astigmatism if such signs of the disease appear? With a rapid decrease in visual acuity, the presence of complaints and the progression of astigmatism, glasses are required.
How to choose the right one?
Only an ophthalmologist is able to choose the correct glasses for astigmatism, who will conduct an examination and examine the patient's instrumental visual functions. This is necessary to establish the type, causes and degree of manifestation of visual impairment. With astigmatism, the selection of glasses is a multi-stage process of studying the eye system.
Stages
The main stages of selecting glasses for astigmatism:
- Verification through special tables of visual acuity of both eyes. Initially, it is carried out without correction, after the patient they put on a frame. In it, one eye is closed by a dense plate, and in front of the other eye, the doctor alternately inserts cylindrical lenses. As a result, they choose a glass that allows for the highest definition of vision.
- Establishment of the degree and type of refraction. In a dark room, an optometrist determines the degree and size of the corneal curvature, the distance between the pupils and their diameter using an auto-refractometer.
- Biomicroscopy It enables a detailed study of all structures inside the eye using a special microscope.
- Ultrasound of the eyeballs.
- Ophthalmoscopy, in which the picture of the fundus is analyzed.
- Computer keratometry. Corneal curvature is examined for several established meridians. The information obtained is recorded in diopters or millimeters.
This is necessary to draw up a prescription for glasses with astigmatism. This is required if the vision has an error of one diopter or more. A feature of astigmatic lenses is that they must simultaneously correct vision horizontally and vertically. That is why they have an uneven bend, similar to a stretched sphere or oval.
Feature selection points
For adult patients, especially the elderly or acquiring such glasses for the first time, the selection of glasses for astigmatism has a significant feature. It is advisable for a person to use glasses with less strong glasses for several weeks than is required by the results of the examination. When the lens adaptation period ends, they are changed, increasing the correction intensity. Only after that it is advisable to wear glasses that optimize astigmatism. Such an adaptation period avoids an increase in visual discomfort, the frequency of dizziness and headaches, which can be observed when unusual glasses are used.
With farsightedness and myopia
If the patient has pronounced degrees of hyperopia and myopia, which are combined with astigmatism, it is more difficult to pick up glasses, and it may take a while to get used to them. The ophthalmologist tells the patient about this in advance.
If astigmatism is simple, when the refraction of one meridian is broken, cylindrical lenses are used. They are used for hyperopia or nearsightedness. With a complex version of the disease, toric glasses are used that correct the refraction of light along two meridians at once. They are a combination of spherical and cylindrical lenses. If the patient often has to work at the computer, doctors advise with astigmatism to buy glasses with anti-reflective coating to protect the eyes from harmful radiation.
Frame selection
For astigmatic glasses, it is very important to choose the right frame. Their glasses have a number of features, in connection with which the selection of frames for adult patients is not limited only to fashion and their aesthetic addictions. It is undesirable to use rimless and semi-rimless models, since they contribute to the distortion of the axes of refraction.
Parameters
You need to wear a frame that meets the following parameters:
- the position of the pupil and the center of the optical lens must match;
- temples do not press on temples;
- the lower edge of the frame cannot be located below the horizontal, which runs along the upper borders of the nostrils;
- it is forbidden to acquire a massive frame, so as not to distort the peripheral vision.
Discomfort of the organs of vision may appear as a result of the gradual deformation of the frame. At the same time, you must again go to the optics salon in which the purchase was made. Specialists will restore the frame and normalize the patient's vision. It’s best to choose a frame that is neutral in color and design so that later you don’t have to pick a wardrobe for it.
Why do I need glasses for astigmatism? This is interesting to many.
Pros and cons of glasses for astigmatism
Correction glasses pathology with the right choice of frames and glasses has undoubted advantages:
- safety glasses and their availability;
- glasses not only have a good effect on the function of vision, but also have a therapeutic effect;
- increasing visual acuity at long and short distances;
- lack of bifurcation of objects, as well as distortion of their borders;
- lack of eye strain when using normal glasses.
However, there are disadvantages of use. Correction of the disease using the lenses of glasses suggests some adaptation of the patient. Usually for this you need to wear glasses for about a week immediately after sleep. If you persist after this period of vagueness, you need to re-contact your doctor. It may be necessary to correct the selected shape of the frame or glasses.
Do I need to wear glasses constantly with astigmatism? Doctors advise taking breaks at first. Older people are more difficult to get used to new glasses than young people. They often experience discomfort, dizziness, headaches, and blood pressure may even increase.
If you use astigmatic glasses constantly, then even at a young age and with good health, discomfort and headaches can occur with prolonged exertion. It is especially difficult to get used to the correction of patients with severe forms of the disease, combined with farsightedness. That is why the question of the constant wearing of glasses is decided individually in each case.
Lenses or glasses for astigmatism: which is better?
With the correct selection of glasses and compliance with all medical recommendations, the patient quickly adapts to them. However, their use is associated with a number of inconveniences: the likelihood of loss or breakage, fogging of the lenses with a change in temperature, a change in the patient's appearance, and limitations in lateral vision. Of course, everyone chooses whether to wear glasses with astigmatism or lenses.
Using lenses has several advantages:
- higher visual acuity, since the lenses are placed on the cornea (there is a gap between the cornea and the lens when wearing glasses);
- the image size does not change on the retina, therefore, correction can also be carried out with a large difference between the eyes;
- if the patient has astigmatism of up to one and a half diopters, correction can be achieved with simple spherical lenses thanks to a tear that further evens the corneal surface.
When choosing contact lenses, oculists often recommend toric soft. Correction of distorted meridian with such lenses is combined with correction of hyperopia or myopia. A special locking mechanism allows you to keep the product in a stable condition, regardless of eye movements. Therefore, the impact is only on the necessary meridian. A number of soft lenses are allowed for use from one day to a month.
Disadvantages: high cost, difficulty in choosing, the need to replace it from time to time, it is forbidden to use for acute infectious diseases, the possibility of eye injury, if used carelessly, it takes time to learn how to use lenses.
We found out if glasses are needed for astigmatism.
Ophthalmologist Tips
The glasses must be selected correctly, which will provide a simple and optimal correction of the distortion of the patient's vision. However, this requires time and some effort. If the conservative correction is ineffective, it is desirable to perform a laser operation. The sooner the correction of astigmatism in the patient is carried out, the less complications will develop, including a sharp deterioration in vision and the appearance of strabismus. The key to health is early correction with glasses. It is necessary to regularly visit an ophthalmologist, where the state of vision will be monitored.