Methods of Astigmatism

Often among friends or just in a crowd of passers-by you can meet a man who is noticeable for others expressed strabismus.

The cause of this may be astigmatism - a congenital or acquired pathology of the cornea or lens.

The correction of astigmatism is more productive in the early stages of the disease, the choice of treatment depends not only on the stage of visual impairment, but also on the causes that lead to impaired visual function.

Astigmatism: mechanism of disease development

The person perceives the visual images with the help of the cornea and the lens, in norm they have an even spherical surface, which makes it possible to focus the light rays at one point. Due to this function of the eye, the visible object is perceived clear, clear, without blurred spots.

With astigmatism, the sphericity of the cornea( less often the lens) is disturbed, due to this the refractive force of light becomes different and the image is not fixed clearly. This is due to the fact that some elements of the visible object are fixed in front of the retina, others behind it.

Astigmatism is often combined with such problems of the visual function as hyperopia and myopia, the more pronounced these disorders, the harder the treatment will be.

Types and degrees of astigmatism

Astigmatism is right and wrong, it depends on whether the main meridians in the eye structure are perpendicular or not.

The correct type for its orientation can be direct, reverse and with oblique axes. With direct astigmatism, the refraction of the ray proceeds along a vertical plane. It refers to the physiological and is compensated by convergence, has diopters from 0.5 to 0.75, and this does not affect the vision.

The refraction of the beam with the reverse astigmatism occurs along the horizontal plane, this form is compensated by an additional mechanism of accommodation.

Distinguish in ophthalmology astigmatism and in its structure:

• lens;
• corneal;
• common;
• other inner.

This depends on which part of the eye has an altered shape, the common uniting several species, for example, corneal and lens.

According to a variety of refractive changes, astigmatism is simple and complex, simple and complex myopic, mixed.

Myopic astigmatism is a combination of myopia and astigmatism. The ophthalmologist, to correct this vision, selects special glasses or contact lenses, focusing on the diopter and the angle that corresponds to the curvature of the eye surface.

With the simple astigmatism, refractive changes develop in one of the meridians. With a complex type, the image is formed behind the retina( farsightedness).With simple myopic astigmatism, a normal focus is located on one meridian, and on the other meridian it is in front of the retina.

The complex myopic is characterized by different degrees of refractive error, which predominate on different meridians. With mixed astigmatism, two types of violation of refraction are combined, the image in the eye is focused twice: in front of the retina and behind it, the person suffers both myopia and hyperopia.

In terms of severity, astigmatism is weak, moderate and high.

The weak degree of is characterized by a refractivity of 3 diopters. This degree is well amenable to correction, it is the most common. In addition, with the help of solid contact lenses you can get rid of astigmatism up to 1.5 diopters.

The average degree of is the difference in refraction from 3 to 6 diopters, it can be corrected by surgery or by wearing contact lenses. More than 6 diopters are already considered high or severe, if there is light phobia, objects are blurred very much, surgical intervention is required.

Reasons for the

The disease occurs quite often, in one case of the three, astigmatism is detected to some extent. There are two forms of astigmatism, it is innate and acquired. Congenital may occur due to the following reasons:

• is a genetic predisposition, if the parents have similar diseases, then the risk of the lens or cornea shape violation is great;
• birth before term( prematurity);
• trauma to the mother during pregnancy;
• is a harmful lifestyle of the mother during pregnancy.

Acquired astigmatism can develop due to certain diseases, such as:

• Pterygium, the condition in which the conjunctiva grows on the cornea, such a disease can be cured only by surgical intervention;
• Keratoconus disease, which has a progressive course. At this time, the cornea becomes thin and takes on a conical shape. At an early stage in the eye there is a double image, later there is an intolerance to light, itching in the eyes;
• various inflammatory processes of the cornea;
• arthritis;
• deafness;
• microcephaly;
• arterial hypertension;
• diabetes mellitus.

In diabetes, blood glucose lowering drugs help restore normal vision, as well as in the treatment of high blood pressure.

The process of development of pathology can be affected by incorrect bite and other violations in the dental jaw system, as well as the remaining scar from the wound in the eye area, the sutures after the surgical operation.

Symptoms of the disease

In children, astigmatism itself is difficult to suspect. They from the birth get used to the peculiarities of their vision and without making complaints.

You can pay attention to such signs of impaired visual function:

• The kid often blinks his eyes.
• When looking at the pictures, the book is close to the eyes.
• The TV looks at the minimum distance.
• Often complains of a headache and quickly becomes tired.

All these signs do not necessarily indicate astigmatism, but may be the cause of other vision pathologies, therefore, consultation with an ophthalmologist is always necessary.

Adult person can pay attention to the fact that the items look vague, do not have a clear shape.

When looking at an object, the horizontal lines can be sharp, and the vertical lines are intermittent or vague, the circle is defined as an oval, individual elements can be elongated.

With astigmatism, there are frequent headaches, eyes are quickly tired, after working at the computer monitor, black dots start to flash.

Periodically, sclera can blush, it is difficult to visually determine the distances to the desired objects. Elevated eye strain results in the appearance of double-vision objects, without treatment, strabismus and irreversible loss of vision occur.

Diagnosis

Most often, astigmatism is congenital, but it is difficult to put such a diagnosis to a child after birth. Precise diagnosis is carried out in two-year-old children, except for the examination the doctor conducts an instrumental examination. It is necessary to examine all parts of the eye, check the degree of visual acuity, a shadow test is performed.

Diagnostic reliability is provided by refractometry - examination of the eye with the help of a computer, which allows to accurately measure the optical function with astigmatism. When testing visual acuity, the tables reveal a violation not typical for myopia and farsightedness - the patient can not name large signs, while the small print sees extremely clearly.

When diagnosing astigmatism, it is necessary to conduct laboratory tests to identify the microflora of the eye. It happens that astigmatism is combined with a microbial infection, in this case, its drug elimination, depending on the type of pathogen, will be required.

Treatment of

Treatment of astigmatism involves several types of correction: spectacle, laser, contact or surgical.

Special glasses

Ophthalmic correction of astigmatism involves wearing specially selected glasses with cylindrical lenses, which are assigned after an accurate diagnosis. When they are used, visual discomfort may occur - eye pain, dizziness, loss of side sections of objects perceived by the gas.

Lenses

Lens correction is more preferable, since the soft material fits perfectly to the entire outer shell of the eye and the field of view does not fall out. But when using lenses, there may also be certain problems - dryness of the conjunctiva, a feeling of discomfort, attachment of a secondary infection.

Laser

Laser vision correction - a technique called LASIK has been used in recent years increasingly. The method does not belong to the category of usual operations, the laser exposure does not exceed 40 seconds, and for anesthesia, drip anesthesia is sufficient.

During laser correction, a special device lifts the top layer, evaporates part of the corneal cells, then the separated portion is fixed to its anatomical location. LASIK does not require suturing, the restoration of the upper layer occurs due to its own collagen.

And to see much better the patient begins two hours later. The micro-operation is carried out under the control of computer programs, in which all the data on the degree of disturbances in a particular patient are entered, which allows to remove the necessary cells with the greatest accuracy. Full recovery of vision occurs up to 5 days.

Surgical intervention

Surgical treatment consists in creating deep cuts around the perimeter of the cornea, changing its curvature. After the surgery, the recovery period can last a long time.

The choice of therapy scheme depends on the degree of pathology detected in diagnosis, the presence of scar tissue and the age of the patient.

Treatment of children begins with a spectacular correction of astigmatism, the safety of LASIK allows this technique to be used in pediatric practice.

Patients with astigmatism are important to constantly monitor their eyesight with a doctor, changing glasses and passing preventive courses of treatment.

You need to know that wearing the entire period of one lens and glasses is not allowed, as in the process of aligning the cornea there are changes that require replacement and corrective therapy.

An ophthalmologist for astigmatism can give a special memo with prescribed exercises for the eyes. Regularly conducted gymnastics will not allow further fall of vision and in combination with the main treatment scheme will lead to a pronounced positive result.

Patients with astigmatism need to diversify their food, preferring greenery, fresh vegetables, beneficially affect the eyes of blueberries. It is important to alternate work at the computer with relaxing gymnastic exercises.

Prevention

To prevent the development of congenital astigmatism, unfortunately, it is impossible.

But it is possible to reduce its degree and prevent the occurrence of concomitant complications, following the following recommendations:

• The eye strain should be minimal - it is necessary to alternate the viewing of the programs with rest. It is especially important to determine the time spent at the TV or computer for children. At this age, the eyes can under the influence of correction become normal functioning, the task of parents is considered constant monitoring of the child's day regimen.
• With astigmatism, the eye strain is reduced when using sufficient light, it is not recommended to use fluorescent lights.
• Special gymnastics for the eyes are needed.

Astigmatism is considered to be the most frequent type of visual impairment, it is defined in 10% of ophthalmologist patients.

To stop the development of the violation of the curvature of the cornea and completely cure the disease can be only under the following conditions:

• If you suspect a visual impairment, you should visit the ophthalmologist as soon as possible. Perhaps your problem is easily solved if the stage of the disease is defined as the initial stage.
• It is necessary to follow the entire scheme of astigmatism treatment offered by a doctor.
• When choosing a laser correction method, you need to choose reliable clinics dealing with precisely such problems.
• When assigning glasses and lenses, you need to constantly change them to others after diagnosing the state of the eye, only this approach will ensure correct correction.
• If a child's parents suffer from astigmatism, then the likelihood of a child developing is also significant. Therefore, closer to two years you need to visit an ophthalmologist - the earlier therapy is started, the more favorable the forecast.

Conclusion

1. If a child is suspected of having a visual impairment, it is necessary to consult an ophthalmologist, especially if factors that could lead to astigmatism( trauma, heredity) are known.
2. Diseases that can affect the disorder of the cornea: diabetes mellitus or hypertension necessarily need to be monitored and treated.
3. For any kind of astigmatism, it is necessary to follow the doctor's recommendations, adjust eyesight with glasses or contact lenses, including to prevent the progression of the disease.
4. Prevention is the best way to prevent the onset or development of astigmatism.

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