How to cure astigmatism: modern therapies

Astigmatism is one of the most common ophthalmic diseases. It is in third place after myopia and hypermetropia.

Astigmatism is characterized by the fact that the rays of light that pass through the optical media of the eye are not converge at one point, as a result of which an irregular image is formed on the retina with an elongated form.

In this article we will consider the types of this pathology, its symptoms, and also about effective methods of treatment and prevention.

Definition of disease

Astigmatism is a disease that develops due to an irregular shape of the cornea or lens.

Normally, the cornea and lens have an even spherical surface. But with this disease their sphericity is broken, and there is no focal point. As a result, a person can not clearly see the objects surrounding him.

often astigmatism is transmitted by inheritance, its appearance is associated with uneven pressure of the eyelids, muscles and bones of the eye socket on the eyes.

Allocate lenticular and corneal astigmatism.In the second case, the vision is more significant, since the cornea has a greater refractive power. The difference in the refraction of meridians characterizes the magnitude of astigmatism in diopters. The direction of the meridians will characterize the axis of astigmatism.

Astigmatism can have three degrees:

1. Weak(up to three diopters).
2. Medium(three to six diopters).
3. High(more than six diopters).

Depending on the nature of the disease, this disease is divided into congenital and acquired.Congenital astigmatism (up to five diopters) is found in many children, it is also called functional. It does not affect visual acuity, but if it exceeds one diopter and more, it has a significant effect on visual acuity and requires correction with the help of glasses. Acquired astigmatism is associated with the appearance of gross cicatricial changes on the cornea, which are often found after injuries, injuries, and surgical interventions.

Causes

Depending on the refraction of light rays in the meridians of the eyes, right and wrong astigmatism is distinguished.With the correct astigmatism in each meridian of the optical system of the eye, the refractive force is the same.

correct astigmatism does not progress and does not have a significant effect on visual acuity.

When wrong - in one eye, several types of refraction are combined in different sections of the meridian of the optical system of the eye.This type of disease is a consequence of corneal diseases (keratoconus, opacities, scars, pterygium) or the lens (the initial stage of cataracts).

Astigmatism by the type of refraction can be simple, complex and mixed.

• With a simple astigmatismin one main meridian there is emmetropic (zero), refraction, and in the other either hypermetropic or myopic.
• With complex astigmatismin the main meridians - the same refraction, but to different degrees.
• There are different types of refraction in the main meridians.

The main cause of astigmatism is heredity.It should be noted that any person has a minimum degree of astigmatism, since the cornea does not have an ideal structure. If the disease is not more than half the diopter, this does not affect the eyesight in any way.

The cause of acquired astigmatism is a negative impact on the cornea, which is due to eye injuries, various diseases or transferred eye operations.

Other causes of acquired astigmatism:

• Burn the cornea and conjunctiva.
• Inflammation of the cornea - keratitis.
• Diseases of the cornea - keratoconus, dystrophy.
• Diseases of the eyelids.

Any violation of the integrity of the cornea leads to changes in its optical properties. When the shape changes, the refraction of light rays changes.

Symptoms

With astigmatism, a person sees badly both afar and near.Uncorrected astigmatism provokes the development of certain eye diseases (conjunctivitis, blepharitis). Often, it negatively affects the state of health, because of which the patient experiences headaches, dizziness, fast fatigue.

IMPORTANT: Without correct correction of medium to high degree of astigmatism, refractive amblyopia may develop, leading to strabismus.

Possible complications

Complications of astigmatism can be associated with both the disease itself and with the therapy.

It should be remembered that timely and correctly selected treatment significantly reduces the risk of complications.

Possible complications:

• Amblyopia.It develops because of the long progression of astigmatism, combined with a significant distortion of surrounding objects.
• Strabismus.With a prolonged course of astigmatism and without proper treatment, strabismus often develops, which can be fixed and preserved in the patient even after the disappearance of astigmatism.
• Recurrence of astigmatism after surgery.Unfortunately, none of the methods of treatment can guarantee that astigmatism will be cured 100%. At an operative measure on a cornea do notches or create cicatrixes that can lead to normalization of sight for some time. But when restoring the tissue, it is possible to restore the original shape of the cornea and return the symptoms of the disease. The same happens after laser correction of astigmatism.

Treatment

The effectiveness of treatment depends on the type and degree of astigmatism.The easiest way to treat correct astigmatism. To eliminate it, correction using glasses or contact lenses is used. But the wrong astigmatism is very difficult to cure, often it requires surgical intervention.

Medication

The main method of treating astigmatism is a spectacle correction.But it must be remembered that glasses will only help improve visual acuity, but not directly eliminate astigmatism.

To write out glasses at an astigmatism the ophthalmologist after careful inspection can only.

In order to choose glasses it is necessary to determine the direction of the main meridians and their refraction, the type and degree of astigmatism, and to identify and eliminate the cause of the disease.

For correction of vision with astigmatism, cylindrical and spherical lenses can be used.Cylindrical lenses refract light rays passing in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder and do not refract rays passing parallel to the axis of the cylinder. They are recommended for simple myopic or hypermetropic astigmatism, as they compensate for the defect of refraction in the affected meridian. The cylinder axis must be perpendicular to the corrected meridian.

Example of prescription for glasses with astigmatism

Exceptionally spherical lenses with astigmatism are rarely used, they are usually used in combination with cylindrical lenses.

Contact lenses can also be used to treat this disease. They are the same as lenses for glasses. Lenses have the following advantages:

1. More effective vision correction is provided. The lens, unlike the glasses, is fixed directly on the cornea, forming one refractive system with it, which increases the efficiency of vision correction.
2. Observed a constant distance to the retina.
3. Cosmetic effect. Contact lenses are invisible and comfortable to wear, so they are the ideal solution for these patients.

With astigmatism, you can use both soft and hard contact lenses.

Surgically

Surgical treatment of astigmatism allows to achieve positive results without the use of glasses and contact lenses. But modern surgical methods of treatment do not guarantee that after some time after the operation there will not be a relapse.

The operations are shown in the following cases:

1. Incorrect astigmatism.It is difficult to correct with glasses or contact lenses, so the only effective method of treatment is surgical intervention.
2. Intolerance to contact lenses.Some people are allergic to materials from which lenses are made. And there are those who can not tolerate the permanent presence of a foreign body in the eye. For such patients, surgery is the optimal way to correct astigmatism.

Types of operations:

• Keratotomy.On the outer surface of the cornea, several incisions are made, which allows, to some extent, to weaken the refractive power of one of the meridians.
• Thermokerukoagulation. It is prescribed for hypermetropic astigmatism when it is necessary to increase the refractive power of the cornea. To do this, using a special thin needle, the peripheral parts of the cornea are burned in the right places, which increases its curvature and the strength of refraction.
• Implantation of a phakic lens. A specially selected lens is implanted under the cornea between the cornea and the lens.
• Lens replacement.This operation is the optimal method of treatment, if the cause of the disease is the deformation or incorrect development of the lens itself. After examining the patient, special intraocular lenses are made. The operation to replace the lens under local anesthesia.
• Laser correction.Using a special laser, remove part of the cornea. The operation allows accurate and safe manipulation of the cornea, eliminating defects in its refractive ability.

Prevention

Prevention of this disease includes careful and attentive attitude towards the health of the organs of sightI, as well as timely diagnosis of astigmatism.

It is recommended to alternate visual loads with special gymnastics for the eyes. Exercise will help relieve tension and fatigue.

You should avoid corneal injuries and promptly treat inflammatory eye diseases. To detect congenital astigmatism in children, it is necessary to undergo routine preventive examinations.If a child is diagnosed with this disease, he will be registered with an ophthalmologist.

To prevent the development of complications of astigmatism, it is necessary to conduct its timely optical correction.

Video

conclusions

It must be remembered that without proper treatment, astigmatism can lead to the development of strabismus and a sharp deterioration in visual acuity. Without correction of the disease can provoke headaches, pain in the eyes, deterioration of health in general. Therefore, it is very important to diagnose the pathology in time and begin its treatment.