Manhattan Optometrists are Promoting Astigmatism Awareness

Sept. 26, 2012 - PRLog -- One alarming fact about eye care is that some conditions can be so minor that many people live with them throughout their lives without even knowing about them. Tribeca Vision, a leading Manhattan optometrist, believes that patients need to be checked for all possible conditions, even the ones that go undetected by the patient in the course of daily life.

One of these conditions is astigmatism. Tribeca Vision is promoting astigmatism awareness, hoping to enlighten the population about this very common eye condition.Astigmatism occurs in eyes that have a unique oval shape. Some people live with astigmatism their entire lives without realizing. Some, however, need to have the condition corrected. The severeness of astigmatism can often be determined by a simple eye chart test. In nearly all cases, it is suggested that eyeglasses or a variety of contact lenses be prescribed to correct the condition.

At Tribeca, a simple test is used to detect astigmatism, often in the form of a routine eye exam. The exact same techniques and instruments you are accustomed to in the tests used to determine nearsightedness and farsightedness are used here as well.  Typically, the degree of astigmatism will be determined by having light pointed at your your eye, intermittently broken up with different lenses between your eye and the light source.

Based on the severity of the astigmatism, your eye doctor will decide on the best treatment for you, from eyeglasses, to contacts, to refractive surgery for extreme cases. Eyeglasses used to combat astigmatism come with spherical lenses to correct the condition. These spherical lenses, which are also used in the contacts form of treatment as well, are the same sort of lenses that are used to correct nearsightedness or farsightedness in most patients. However, those with, astigmatism will also require the use of an additional cylinder lens in their prescription.  This cylinder lens is able to correct any difference between the abilities and strength of the two meridians of your eye.

It should be noted that wearing contacts or eyeglasses for astigmatism will not eliminate the condition. It will, however, drastically improve it so long as you wear your glasses on a regular basis. Even for those with a severe astigmatism, simply wearing your glasses will eliminate the train on your eyes and help to improve your eyesight over time.

Tribeca Vision is committed to making sure that each of our patients is given the best treatment for all conditions, whether it might be astigmatism or just a basic eye exam. If you have questions about astigmatism or your overall eye health, contact Tribeca Vision or your local Manhattan optometrist today.