Astigmatism is one of the most common refractive errors, and one of the most misunderstood. It's not an eye disease, and it doesn't mean your vision is "worse" than average — it just means your eye is shaped a little differently.

What Causes Astigmatism?

Most astigmatism happens because the cornea (the clear front surface of your eye) or, less commonly, the lens inside your eye, is shaped more like a football than a basketball — curved more steeply in one direction than another. This irregular shape causes light to focus at more than one point on the retina instead of a single sharp point, resulting in blurred or distorted vision at any distance.

Common Symptoms

• Blurry or distorted vision at both near and far distances
• Eye strain or fatigue, especially after reading or screen use
• Headaches
• Squinting to try to sharpen focus
• Difficulty with night vision, including glare or streaking around lights

Is Astigmatism Common?

Yes — most people have at least a small, often unnoticeable degree of astigmatism, and many people also have some degree of nearsightedness or farsightedness alongside it. Significant astigmatism that affects vision is very treatable.

How It's Corrected

• Glasses — the most straightforward correction, using lenses ground to compensate for the irregular curvature
• Toric contact lenses — specially designed contacts that correct astigmatism and stay properly oriented on the eye
• Orthokeratology (Ortho-K) — specialty overnight lenses that reshape the cornea temporarily
• Refractive surgery — procedures like LASIK or PRK can reshape the cornea permanently for many candidates
• Toric intraocular lenses — for patients having cataract surgery who also have astigmatism, a toric IOL can correct both conditions at once

Astigmatism in Children

Astigmatism can be present from birth and, if significant and uncorrected, can contribute to amblyopia (lazy eye) since a child's visual system may not develop normally with consistently blurry input. This is one reason early, regular eye exams matter, even for very young children.

The Bottom Line

Astigmatism is common, well-understood, and very treatable — the challenge is usually just making sure it's accurately measured and corrected, whether through glasses, contacts, or surgery.

Think you might have uncorrected astigmatism? Schedule a comprehensive eye exam with our team.