Astigmatism
Astigmatism is a condition of optic defect in which the shape of the cornea (the clear covering over your eye) is irregular (oblong vs spherical), “shaped like a football rather than a basketball,” or the natural crystalline lens (the transparent, double convex structure behind the pupil) is not perfectly symmetrical front and back but misshaped like the back of the spoon, resulting in blurred vision at any or all distances. Sometimes, the effects of one may cancel the other out ending in reduced residual astigmatism. Mild amounts of astigmatism are usually insignificant, but higher amounts of astigmatism can be very visually disruptive.
Astigmatism is quite common. Studies have shown that about one in three people suffers from it. The prevalence of astigmatism increases with age. Although a person may not notice mild astigmatism, increased astigmatism may cause blurry vision, squinting, eye strain, fatigue, or headaches.
We treat Astigmatism by prescribing glasses, contact lenses, or performing laser vision correction surgery. Various considerations involving ocular health, refractive status, and lifestyle frequently determine whether one option may be better than another.
Hyperopia
Farsightedness, or hyperopia, is the condition in which the eye focuses on distant objects better than on objects closer to the eye, so nearby objects appear blurry. This happens when light rays refract, or bend, incorrectly in the eye. The eye is designed to focus images directly on the surface of the retina; when the cornea is incorrectly curved, light rays focus behind the surface of the retina, producing a blurry image.
We treat Hyperopia by prescribing glasses, contact lenses, or performing laser vision correction surgery.
Myopia
Myopia, or nearsightedness,is a vision condition affecting nearly a third of people in the United States. The eye focuses properly on nearby objects, while distant objects appear blurry. This imbalance typically occurs either because the eye has an oblong shape (astigmatism) or the cornea is excessively curved, so that only some of the light entering the eye focuses on the retina.
We treat Myopia by prescribing glasses, contact lenses, or performing laser vision correction surgery.
Presbyopia
Presbyopia is a natural change in our eyes’ ability to focus. It occurs when the soft crystalline lens of the eye starts to harden. This loss of flexibility affects the lens’ ability to focus light in the eye, causing nearby objects to look blurry. Presbyopia happens to everyone starting in about our 40s or 50s — even in patients who have had laser vision correction.
We treat Presbyopia by prescribing glasses, contact lenses, or performing laser vision correction surgery.