What is Myopic Astigmatism? What are the symptoms?

Myopic astigmatism is a type of astigmatism. Visual defects known as myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism and presbyopia can be seen in everyone, regardless of age and gender. Breaking problems can be seen alone or together. It is common to see astigmatism, especially with hyperopia and myopia. Astigmatism is a type of blurred vision problem. It is caused by the shape of the cornea. Glasses, contact lenses or surgical treatment can be applied for astigmatism. You can find the answers to questions such as What is myopic astigmatism and what are the symptoms of myopic astigmatism in the rest of the article.

What is Myopic Astigmatism?

The vision process occurs when the pupil and cornea refract the image to bring it to focus. The image that reaches the retina by refraction of light is transmitted to the brain via the optic nerves and interpreted, thus completing the vision process. Eye diseases occur as a result of problems in any of these stages. Refractive errors are also a type of vision problem. Refractive errors that make it difficult to see clearly are caused by problems in the pupil or cornea. It occurs when light is not refracted correctly to fall on the retina. Refractive errors are one of the most common vision problems and can be seen in anyone, and these problems usually begin in childhood.

There are 4 most common refractive errors. Myopia and hyperopia are the most well-known. Apart from these, there are also astigmatism and presbyopia. To put it briefly; Myopia is defined as nearsightedness, hyperopia is defined as nearsightedness, astigmatism is defined as blurred vision, and presbyopia is defined as the difficulty of seeing up close with advancing age. When you go to an eye examination with a suspicion, you may be diagnosed with only myopia or only astigmatism, or these two problems may occur together.

Astigmatism is seen when the cornea shape or the frontmost part of the eye is not completely round. The light reaching this completely round point in a healthy eyeball is refracted evenly and the image becomes clear. However, in people with astigmatism, light is not refracted evenly, causing you to have blurred vision. Myopia is when the image forms in front of the retina. Astigmatism can sometimes be seen together with myopia. This condition is called myopic astigmatism. There are two types of myopic astigmatism:

• Simple myopic astigmatism: One of the two axes of the eye focuses on the retina, while the other axis focuses in front of it.
• Compound myopic astigmatism: Both axes of the eye are focused. These are cases where the focus is in front of the retina. In this type, you will have blurred vision at any distance, regardless of near or far.

What Causes Myopic Astigmatism?

It is difficult to say exactly what causes refractive errors. In most cases, it is seen from birth as a result of genes inherited from parents. However, in some cases, it may develop later under the influence of environmental factors. For example, it may develop after any eye injury, eye disease or surgery. Rarely, you may have a thinner and cone-shaped cornea with a condition called keratoconus. The cornea, which is different from normal, cannot refract light equally and causes blurred vision. This condition also causes astigmatism. Astigmatism is often seen with myopia or hyperopia. Myopia is a blurry distant vision problem. It occurs when the image is formed in front of the retina when your eyeball is too long or the refractive power of the object is too high. When you have myopic astigmatism, you see distant things blurry due to both myopia and astigmatism. This means you have worse vision than people who are simply myopic. Contrary to popular belief, reading a book in dim light or watching television in close proximity does not cause eye damage. However, it can cause eye fatigue as it can make it difficult to focus.

What are the Degrees of Astigmatism?

When you go to the ophthalmologist with a suspicion of a refractive error, you will be subjected to various tests during your examination. For example, you may be asked to read aloud the letters written in different sizes on the eye chart, or with the help of a phoropter device, it can be determined whether you can see far or near. During the examination, your refractive error as well as its degree is diagnosed. Your doctor will then prescribe glasses or lenses according to their degree.

There are two headings in your prescription: OS and OD. OS represents the left eye, OD represents the right eye. The bottom of the headings are filled with various numbers. These numbers indicate your degree of visual impairment. As the value moves away from 0, your vision gets worse. The + sign in front of the numbers means that you are hyperopic and the – sign means that you are myopic.

There are three different headings in the prescription for people with astigmatism.

• S: It refers to sphericity.
• C: is indicated with a positive or negative sign. It is the degree of astigmatism you have. As the value of the number increases, your vision worsens.
• Axis: It takes a value between 0 and 180. It is not enough to know the degree of astigmatism for a prescription. It should also be known where the curvature difference is.

For example, if the prescription says OS -1.50 x -2.00 x 115, it means that the cornea is 115 degrees, there is 1.50 myopia in the left eye, and 2 numbers astigmatism. . The glasses and contact lenses to be purchased are purchased according to the degree of astigmatism.

What are the Symptoms of Myopic Astigmatism?

Symptoms of myopic astigmatism may include symptoms of both myopia and astigmatism. Generally, these symptoms are as follows:

• Distorted images regardless of distance
• Photophobia (light sensitivity)
• Eye fatigue
• After reading then feeling pain in the forehead and eyes
• Burning sensation in the eyes

How Does Myopic Astigmatism See?

People with myopic astigmatism have blurred vision. Therefore, many people squint their eyes to see clearly, which can cause eye strain or headaches. Children often do not realize that their vision is blurry until they start school. However, children who have difficulty reading the board are taken for an eye examination. Myopic astigmatism can affect a person's performance, so eye health should not be neglected and should be checked at regular intervals.

How is Myopic Astigmatism Treated?

There are various options for treating astigmatism, and the degree of myopic astigmatism you have may affect your treatment. You may not need to wear glasses or contact lenses for low-grade myopic astigmatism. For medium or high degree myopic astigmatism, glasses, contact lenses or surgical methods may be an option.

Glasses

Glasses are a treatment option for astigmatic eyes, where vision is blurry due to the shape of the cornea. The lens has a curve that resists the shape of the cornea and lens. This curve varies depending on the weight difference. Thanks to glasses, you have a comfortable view when you look directly ahead, but as the difference in curvature increases, the glasses will become more curved, so you can see the edges more inclined. Getting used to glasses may be difficult at first. Take your time and try to get used to it by wearing it for a few hours in the morning at first. You will get used to glasses in approximately 1 week.

Contact Lens

In addition to glasses, contact lenses may also be an option for people who have difficulty seeing. Contact lenses are a pair of thin lenses placed on the outer layer of the cornea. It corrects the refractive problem you have in the same way as glasses. There are two types of lenses: hard and soft. Although soft ones are easier to use and get used to, if you have high degrees of astigmatism, hard ones may be a better option for you. Depending on the type, your lenses may be daily or monthly. Sleeping without removing lenses at night can cause eye infections. You can talk to your doctor about the lens that best suits you.

Surgical treatment

Another answer to the question of how to treat astigmatism is surgical treatment. Astigmatism surgery involves reshaping the cornea so that light can be refracted better. During the surgery, your eye is anesthetized with drops and the procedure is performed with the help of a laser. This is called LASIK. In order for astigmatism surgery to be performed, the eye degree must be stable. Therefore, it is not a treatment option that can be applied immediately after diagnosis. You need to wear glasses or contact lenses for a while. Laser surgery is not usually covered by health insurance. You can learn more about LASIK price and astigmatism surgery by contacting your healthcare provider.