Astigmatism is a common vision problem, which may occur in people who are not even aware what it is. It is usually typified by a cornea shaped irregularly, although in some cases it may come from the eye lens which are irregularly shaped.
Usually, the condition is hereditary, as the oblong-shaped cornea is something the person is born with. In other cases, it may be caused by eye injury that has led to scarring on the person’s cornea. It may also be caused by certain kinds of eye surgery, or a disease called keratoconus which causes a thinning of the patient’s cornea.
Since astigmatism may sometimes go unnoticed even by adults, it is important you know the signs so that you can detect in your child. A recent study was found by Dr. Karla Zadnik of the School of Optometry at Ohio State University to show over 28 percent of the 2,523 kids studied had astigmatism. This is a very high percentage, and it is extremely difficult for kids when it goes unnoticed. They may already be suffering distorted or blurred vision without complaining about it, when their schoolwork or sports activities already suffer from it.
1. One of the common signs that a child might have astigmatism is frequent headaches with seemingly no cause. Headaches usually centered behind the neck may be connected to astigmatism, and a visit to the optometrist or ophthalmologist might confirm or reject your suspicion.
2. Another clue is when your child brings home notes that you find unintelligible. This may signal that he has trouble seeing the notes on the board to copy them down properly, and has resorted to scribbling whatever suits his fancy.
3. Yet one more way to tell if your child might have astigmatism is if you frequently catch him squinting to see something. Astigmatism can come with both nearsightedness and farsightedness, so you have to be vigilant. You may notice your child squinting to read but have no problem looking at faraway objects, or vice versa. Just pay close attention and if he seems to be squinting far more than you believe necessary, schedule an eye exam for your child right away.
4. If your child plays a sport and you see him fumbling with a ball thrown from some distance away, perhaps you might question his eye-hand coordination, but another possibility is he has astigmatism. Perhaps you will do well to check if he shows any of the other obvious symptoms.
If it is confirmed that your child does have astigmatism, don’t despair. Some types of astigmatism are easy to correct, such as using corrective eyeglasses or contact lenses, or refractive surgery. It may be a little embarrassing for your child if he is the first in his class to get glasses, but in this generation, there are thankfully many stylish glasses for kids. You can go with him to the optometrist and have him pick the glasses he wants.
Or, if he is old enough, you can opt for contact lenses. Many kids fear being labeled a nerd for wearing glasses, so if your child seems responsible enough to handle contact lenses, you can spare him the humiliation. Although it used to be impossible for contact lenses to correct astigmatism, now there are soft contact lenses that come built-in with a special correction. Just make sure to consult your ophthalmologist, as he would be the best person to know if your child’s eyesight can be corrected with contact lenses.
In some cases, the astigmatism may be too severe for corrective glasses or contact lenses, but don’t jump to conclusions just yet no matter how far-fetched you perceive your child’s eyesight problem to be. These are very few compared to total cases of astigmatism, and most likely your child’s eyesight can be corrected over a few years of faithfully wearing his glasses. Indeed, you will need to help him remember to keep his glasses on and encourage him to do so. By the time it is fully corrected, he can say goodbye to his glasses and enjoy the following years without the burden of taking his glasses everywhere.
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