Astigmatism

[Dan1980]

I suffer from Astigmatism which
Usually caused by an irregular cornea, astigmatism causes blur at all distances.
My eye sight is terrible and I don't always where my glasses. I have the opticians tomorrow and I am worried in case it gets worse.

[kindy64]

Laser surgery can correct this. I went through the procedure several years ago, and it's great not having to wear glasses for everything.

[TigerLover]

As terrible as that sounds can you not get your eyes zapped for that?

I know it can be pricey but in the long run you'd save a fortune on glasses.

[Dan1980]

For those who can afford it, and they say younger people should not get laser eye surgery. Which is crazy, because doesn't your eyesight get worse with age. I don't think I'm ready for something like that.

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Back on topic. Yes I do have astigmatism. As you seen by pics of myself I do wear glasses.

I wear glasses except when I'm doing extreme exercise. I just deal with my poor eyesight but I rely on my other senses.

I have had many contact lens consultations, including one this year and I'm considering using contact lenses very soon. I just prefer glasses and hate the fact you have to buy news ones and replace them and you have to be careful so you can't sleep with contact lenses.

I have tried contact lenses but I didn't take to them.

[JohnMusic]

I need to throw on 3 pairs of glasses to see very small things.

[kindy64]

For those who can afford it, and they say younger people should not get laser eye surgery. Which is crazy, because doesn't your eyesight get worse with age. I don't think I'm ready for something like that.

Is there an upper or lower age limit for laser eye surgery? Peoples' prescriptions have usually stabilised by the age of 21 when the eye has completed its normal growth. However, vision correction may be an option from the age of 18, provided that the eyesight prescription has been stable for a minimum of 2 years.

And yes it can be costly...

http://www.lasik.com/articles/how-much-is-lasik/

LASIK eye surgery is advertised “per eye.” That means that whether you see a price at $299 or at $4,000, you’re going to pay twice this price for both eyes (meaning $598 or $8,000, respectively). Some people do get just one eye. For instance, you might have astigmatism in one eye but see perfectly in the other. Thus, price is measured per eye.
However, both $299 and $4,000 per eye represent extreme ends of the cost spectrum. The national average price of $2,000 per eye ($4,000 total) is more realistic. Reputable providers in larger cities usually charge around $2,500 per eye.

It was definitely worth the cost and risk for me. I was up to a trifocal prescription as well as fixing severe astigmatism. 1 day after surgery I was able to see fine, only have to wear regular 2x glasses for reading. 2 days after surgery I was back at work.

[Cridders88]

Most people have astigmatism in one degree or another, in fact, it's quite uncommon to have a prescription without astigmatism from experience in working in an opticians. I have astigmatism myself, though it is fairly mild.

It is often suggested that getting laser surgery when you are young may not be such a good idea, but only because your distance prescription tends to change more when you are younger. You could get it done, then need it done again 5 years down the line for example. Your distance prescription tends to stabilise more as you get older, meaning the results of the surgery are likely to last longer.

However, if your prescription is quite high anyway, laser surgery may be appealing even if your prescription is unstable. You still may need glasses again a few years down the line, but at least your vision will be nowhere near as bad as it was.

[meridannight]

I suffer from Astigmatism which
Usually caused by an irregular cornea, astigmatism causes blur at all distances.
My eye sight is terrible and I don't always where my glasses. I have the opticians tomorrow and I am worried in case it gets worse.

I'm sorry to hear that Dan. Vision is one of the most vital senses and I can understand how problems with that can be distressing.

But what causes irregular cornea? As much as I've read on this subject the doctors don't have an answer to that. How long have you been suffering from this? All your life or did it start at some discrete point?

Is the blur all over the field of vision or in patches?

I'm interested because my long-distance vision has gotten bad in my right eye (while left is perfect), and it coincided with exposure to certain lights (to which the right eye was also predominantly exposed to). Astigmatism was one of the things on my list I thought it could be. But my short-distance vision is completely unaffected.

[Dan1980]

I'm sorry to hear that Dan. Vision is one of the most vital senses and I can understand how problems with that can be distressing.

But what causes irregular cornea? As much as I've read on this subject the doctors don't have an answer to that. How long have you been suffering from this? All your life or did it start at some discrete point?

Is the blur all over the field of vision or in patches?

I'm interested because my long-distance vision has gotten bad in my right eye (while left is perfect), and it coincided with exposure to certain lights (to which the right eye was also predominantly exposed to). Astigmatism was one of the things on my list I thought it could be. But my short-distance vision is completely unaffected.

I have been suffering from this since my late teens, my sight is blury most of the time. If your having eye sight problems you should see a optician.