You might notice your vision getting blurrier even though you just got new glasses, or perhaps driving at night has become more challenging than it used to be. These changes could signal that your astigmatism is progressing, and you’re not imagining the difference in your sight.
Astigmatism can worsen due to natural aging, eye injuries, or conditions like keratoconus that change your cornea’s shape over time. Understanding what drives these changes helps you recognize when to seek care and protect your vision for years to come. Eyestyle Eyecare provides comprehensive evaluations to monitor these changes and detect conditions that can affect your vision.
How Your Eye Shape Affects Your Vision
Your cornea and lens work like a camera’s focus system, bending light to create clear images on your retina. When astigmatism is present, your cornea or lens has an irregular shape — more like a football than a basketball — causing light to focus unevenly and creating blurred vision at all distances.
This irregular curvature affects how you see both near and far objects. You might notice these common signs:
- Blurred or distorted vision
- Eye strain or discomfort
- Headaches
- Difficulty with night vision
- Squinting
Understanding how astigmatism affects your vision can help you recognize when changes occur and when professional care is needed.
Why Astigmatism Changes Over Time
Your eyes aren’t static, they change throughout your life, which means your astigmatism can worsen, improve, or stay the same depending on various factors. Some people experience gradual changes over decades, while others notice more rapid shifts due to specific conditions or injuries.
The degree of change varies from person to person, but understanding the underlying causes can help you monitor your vision more effectively and seek care when needed.
Natural Aging Process
As you age, your cornea naturally becomes less flexible and can develop subtle changes in curvature. The muscles that control your eye’s focusing ability also weaken over time, which can make existing astigmatism more noticeable.
These age-related changes typically happen gradually, so you might not notice them immediately. However, they can compound over years and affect your overall visual clarity, when combined with other age-related vision changes.
Eye Injuries & Trauma
Any injury that affects your cornea can alter its shape and worsen astigmatism. Foreign objects, chemical exposure, or even severe scratches can cause scarring that changes how your cornea curves.
Previous eye surgeries can also contribute to astigmatism changes if healing doesn’t occur perfectly. Even minor trauma that seems to heal completely can sometimes result in subtle shape changes that affect your vision months or years later.
Keratoconus Development
This progressive condition causes your cornea to thin and bulge outward in a cone shape, significantly worsening astigmatism over time. Keratoconus often begins in your teens or twenties and can continue progressing for years.
The irregular cone shape creates complex astigmatism that’s harder to correct with standard glasses or contact lenses. Early detection and specialized treatment can help slow the progression and maintain better vision.
When to Seek Professional Care
Recognizing when your astigmatism is worsening helps you get timely care before vision problems interfere with your daily life. Comprehensive eye exams can detect these changes early, but certain symptoms warrant prompt attention.
Schedule an appointment if you experience:
- Vision changes interfering with daily activities
- Increased headaches or eye strain
- Difficulty driving at night
- Prescription changes more frequent than expected
Regular comprehensive eye exams help detect these changes before they significantly impact your daily life.
Treatment Options for Astigmatism
Today’s correction methods offer clear vision regardless of your astigmatism severity. Professional eye care providers can customize treatments to match your lifestyle and visual needs.
Corrective Eyewear Solutions
Fashionable frames paired with specialized toric lenses can correct even complex astigmatism effectively. These lenses have different powers in different areas to compensate for your cornea’s irregular shape.
Toric contact lenses offer another option, staying properly positioned on your eye to maintain consistent correction throughout the day. Both glasses and contacts can provide sharp, comfortable vision when properly fitted.
Surgical Corrections
LASIK and PRK procedures can reshape your cornea to reduce or eliminate astigmatism for eligible candidates. These treatments use precise laser technology to create a more uniform corneal surface.
Not everyone qualifies for refractive surgery, but thorough evaluation can determine if you’re a good candidate and which procedure might work for your specific situation. Learn more about laser eye surgery to understand your options.
Protecting Your Vision Through Regular Care
Comprehensive eye exams catch astigmatism changes before they significantly impact your vision. Regular monitoring allows for timely prescription updates and early detection of conditions that could worsen your astigmatism. Surrey eye doctors and Kelowna optometrists use technology to map your cornea’s exact shape and track even small changes over time.
Your vision correction plan should match your specific needs, lifestyle, and astigmatism pattern. Professional eye care providers consider factors like your daily activities, work requirements, and personal preferences when recommending treatments. This personalized approach helps you get correction that works for your unique situation, whether that’s specialized contact lenses, fashionable prescription eyewear, or surgical options.
Protect Your Vision With Regular Eye Care
Changes in your astigmatism do not have to interfere with your daily comfort or clarity. If you have noticed shifts in your vision or it has been more than a year since your last eye exam, Eyestyle Eyecare is here to help with optometry clinics in both Surrey and Kelowna. Our team provides personalized solutions to keep your sight sharp and comfortable.
Schedule your comprehensive eye exam today and explore the correction options that support your lifestyle and long-term vision health.
