astigmatism

Sweetheart calm yourself. Astigmatism is one of the mildest forms of problems effecting the eyes there is. You need to take a deep breath and focus. It isn't like your son has glaucoma. And now finally my work in the health care industry will pay off. Here is what you need to know about astigmatism. Astigmatism is the most common refractive problem responsible for blurry vision. So common in fact that acuvue now makes contacts specifically for people who have astigmatism. http://www.jnjvision.com/acuvue_oasys_astig.htm And you are right Astigmatism can run in families and often occurs in combination with other refractive problems such as nearsightedness or farsightedness. And your son being diagnosed with one at age 9 is actually a very early diagnosis. Some infants are born with astigmatism. However most people acquire it later in life. Most refractive problems tend to stabilize by age 25-30. So I would stop beating yourself up for not getting his eyes checked every year. But all in all if all your son has is a plain old common ordinary astigmatism then glasses or contacts will be the only fix he needs until he gets older. Then if he wants to get rid of his glasses and/or contacts there is a Lasik surgery that was approved in 1997 to correct astigmatism but in my personal opinion I would wear glasses every day for the rest of my life before I let anyone within 50 feet of my cornea with a laser. From now on just make sure your son has yearly eye exams to make sure that his astigmatism isn't getting worse (which I have never heard of happening unless it wasn't astigmatism at all to begin with) and just to make sure that his glasses remain the right prescription. I know that here in my state insurance companies only pay for new glasses every two years and some of the plans make you wait 2 year to have an exam as well so I would call your insurance carrier and see what vision benefits your plan covers. I can tell you though that most insurance companies don't pay for Lasik eye surgery so it if it a route he wants to explore when he gets older it is going to be an out of pocket expense. If you have any more questions you know where to find me. Again, calm down. Astigmatism is common. Your son isn't going to wake up blind tomorrow.

it is very much correctable with glasses. you need not go for surgery. but yes, many people are wearing glasses. so, nothing to feel outcaste or bad. just join the CHASMISH group and have fun...

Suditpa! Very sorry to hear that your son is suffering from a diseases called astigmatism. The dictionary meaning says - "A visual defect in which the unequal curvature of one or more refractive surfaces of the eye, usually the cornea, prevents light rays from focusing clearly at a single point on the retina, resulting in blurred vision." I think, being too young he could not take note of it and could not explain it to you. I have not come across such case in my known to people, so for me it will be difficult to say whether you are too late for treatment. It would be better to take two-three different opinions of eye-specialists in your area. I have kept your suggestions in mind and will be more cautious about eyesight of my own kids. Please do not feel dishearted or feel bad, God is great, He would help you out and would help you find out the ways to come out of this situation. Our best wishes are with you.

I'm sorry, but are you serious? I have it, my girls have it and my son doesn't. We'll live.

I have astigmatism in one of my eyes. I've had it for along time (I'm 43 years old). I don't THINK you go blind from it. I HOPE not! I wear contacts and I just have to order a special lens for that eye and it costs a little more than the other eye. But if they wouldn't have told me I had it, I wouldn't have known.

One of my classmate like this,he just is on glasses.

I've got short sight and astigmatism too. I started wearing glasses for short sight when I was around 11. The astigmatism came into the picture when I was around 24 or so. But my sister started wearing glasses for short sight+astigmatism when she was 7 or 8. We've had no problems...and last year my sister went in for her laser treatment and she doesn't have to wear glasses anymore. The problem's been corrected...and I'm now waiting for my chance to get the laser treatment done. It takes around 10 minutes for each eye...and I think there are a few precautions one needs to take for a month or so...and then everything's fine. My sister wore her glasses for 15 years before it was corrected. She didn't go blind...in fact she would even go without her glasses sometimes...but I never could.

hi sudipta. i'm sorry i can't contribute anything about this. i just dropped by here to extend my wishes of better health for your son. i really do hope his case is not that serious. be strong for him sudipta. God bless you.

Hi there sudiptacallingu, I have some relatives who have something inside their eyes so, it's an indication that they have to see a doctor for it to be removed..I wonder if you have observed this in your child's eye, that cause the sight a little blur...I forgot what they call that, but it is something that block, it's white thing! Anyway, I know this post will alarm all the people here for early check up especially is it's in their genes! Thanks!

I have an astigmatism and I didn't find out until I was about 24. The eye doctor told me it really wasn't a big deal. My vision is barely affected but I can wear glasses or contacts. I just can't wear regular contacts because they tend to float around a little bit. I don't really think you have too much to worry about. I am sure your son will be fine.

I don't see what is such a big deal. I have an astigmatism and I only found that out a few years ago when I went in for new glasses. I'm 57 years old, it doesn't bother me, the oculist doesn't seem to be that worried and I'm living with it like over a half century now. It really not that important if you can see properly. I have a niece who lost an eye from cancer at birth. Now thats a worry. She might lose her eyesight later on in life and you can think a lot about that. I have another friend who has sight in only one eye and she is sick with worry over going blind. Thats been going on for nearly thirty years. Astigmatism is really nothing if you think about it that way.

I am 27 and I have an astigmatism in my left eye. It is no big deal. I wear contact lenses for my nearsightedness, but again, no big deal. Yes it sucks that contact lenses that correct for astigmatism are $30 more than regular lenses, but other than that, I have no problems with my astigmatism. It just means that your cornea is shaped more like a football than a sphere so your focus is on two points rather than just one so it's a little blurry in one eye. I'm not going to go blind over this. There are worse things in life. Don't worry so much. Your child will be fine.

I don't know why you're fussing about it so much! :P I have astigmatism - and I hope that if your son is suffering from astigmatism then it's simply the same as what I have because what I have is something that can be remedied (no, not cured, just passed of) with glasses :) It's not really that big a deal. You can have surgery, but I think it's too early for that. Thanks for the response on my discussion!

Thank you for spreading the awareness on refractory errors.Actually its best controlled if caught early. So any vision symptoms should be treated early. As of your case,don;t worry that much. I myself is having astigmatism with myopia. Just put on the glasses & ur son is normal as usual. This usually doesn't progress to blindness except of the pathological variety that affects the retina.U should regularly check your son's powers for any abnormal fluctuation...By the what power is he wearing ?

geez! calm down Astigmatism is the most common vision problem. An astigmatism is a warping of the cornea that causes light entering the eye to be bent which blurs the focus to varying degrees on the retina. About 25% of all children have some astigmatism in one or both eyes, about a third of them do not even notice it! Rarely does astigmatism alone cause blindness. If the astigmatism was caused by injury or keratoconus - a thinning of cornea - there could be greater concern. Vision can be corrected for the astigmatism with either glasses or contacts for most people. Some people can have astigmatism treated with laser eye surgery such as Lasik. Laser eye surgery is not typically performed on children. By the way, most astigmatism is hereditary.