The Stigma Of Astigmatism

People wear glasses in order to see. That sounds simple enough, unless you are one of the millions of people with astigmatism. If you have ever had someone pick up your glasses, look through them, and say, "Why do you need these? Your eyes are not that bad," you know the frustration associated with having oddly shaped eyeballs. However, being able to see clearly is just one reason that people with astigmatism are encouraged by their eye doctor to wear glasses. Here are a few more that may surprise you.

Eye Strain

The eyes are an amazing organ and are able to adapt and adjust in order to compensate for one another. However, if your astigmatism is particularly bad on one side, your eyes may have to do a lot of work to adjust themselves. This can lead to eye strain and fatigue. If left untreated, this stress on your eyes can cause headaches, and even make other vision problems, such as nearsightedness or farsightedness, become worse. 

Headaches

Have you ever had what felt like a sinus headache behind just one eye but had no other symptoms of a sinus problem? If you have uncorrected astigmatism, this could be a common occurrence. If you are regularly having headaches, your eye doctor may be a good place to look for some relief, especially if you have not visited in a while. Over time, subtle changes in the shape of your cornea can cause you to begin having headaches.

Reading and Technology

Because astigmatism causes your vision to be blurry in the affected eye, you may find that you have trouble when it comes to reading or working on a computer. The lack of acuity can make it particularly difficult to see fine print, as well as differentiate between letters written in a softer font. The glare of the computer screen can compound this issue, making reading and computer work not only stressful on your eyes, but downright unpleasant.

Night Driving

If you have ever looked at a street lamp through a foggy or dirty window, you probably noticed a hazy circle around the light, making it difficult to focus on the actual lamp itself. Your astigmatism can cause a similar effect when you are trying to drive at night. Even under ideal travel conditions, you may find that you spend a great deal of your driving time trying to figure out where to look, so that you are not blinded by the glare of oncoming headlights.

So, the next time your eye doctor tells you that glasses could help your astigmatism, don't be afraid to give them a try. For more information, contact a business such as Atlantic Ophthalmology.