{"id":7379,"date":"2018-03-10T01:01:55","date_gmt":"2018-03-10T06:01:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eyebuydirect.com\/blog\/?p=7379"},"modified":"2025-02-20T09:32:32","modified_gmt":"2025-02-20T14:32:32","slug":"understanding-astigmatism-correction-prescription-glasses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eyebuydirect.com\/blog\/understanding-astigmatism-correction-prescription-glasses\/","title":{"rendered":"Do You Need Glasses For Astigmatism?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reviewed by Sonia Kelley, OD, MS<\/a> on June 21, 2023 <\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve been told you need prescription eyeglasses to correct astigmatism, you may be wondering what makes glasses for astigmatism different from other types of eyewear. Read on to learn about this common refractive error and if it\u2019s time for you to get astigmatism glasses.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What Is Astigmatism?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Astigmatisms are caused by imperfections in the curvature of the eye\u2019s cornea. Rather than seeing complete blurriness at certain distances, people with astigmatisms see hazy or blotched spots in an otherwise clear image. The most common vision related issues people experience are nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatisms. All three are the result of light not being properly received into the eye. When a person ages, their eyeballs eventually get longer. Nearsightedness and farsightedness are the result of these elongations in the eyeball. When this happens, incoming light begins to have trouble focusing into the retina, causing near or far away images to appear blurry.<\/p>\n

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Understanding Your Astigmatism Correction Prescription<\/span><\/h2>\n

Astigmatism is a vision condition that causes you to have blurry or distorted vision when looking at things up close, far away, or both.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Astigmatism is commonly caused by imperfections in the shape of the cornea. Normally, the cornea is round like a basketball. But with astigmatism, the cornea has an uneven curvature that is more similar to a football.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

This means that when light enters your eye, the cornea can\u2019t bend light correctly to focus it directly onto your retina. Instead, light is focused at different points inside your eye, which makes your vision blurry up close and far away. Astigmatism can also result from irregularities in the shape of the lens, but the cornea is the more common cause.<\/span><\/p>\n

Astigmatism is usually hereditary, which means you can inherit it from your parents and you can pass it down to your kids.<\/span><\/p>\n

Do I Need Glasses for Astigmatism?<\/span><\/h2>\n

You might not need eyeglasses if you have mild astigmatism and can see clearly without any problems. But if your astigmatism is more pronounced and it does affect your eyesight, wearing prescription glasses may help you see more clearly.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Can Glasses Fix Astigmatism?<\/span><\/h2>\n

While they don\u2019t technically \u201cfix\u201d astigmatism, prescription glasses can correct astigmatism and give you clear vision while you wear them. The corrective lenses ensure that the light entering each of your eyes is focused on the retina.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s common for people with astigmatism to also have <\/span>nearsightedness (myopia) or farsightedness (hyperopia)<\/span><\/a>. If you have one of these refractive errors along with astigmatism, your glasses will correct this too.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Understanding Your Astigmatism Correction Prescription<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you get a <\/span>vision prescription<\/span><\/a> from your eye doctor to correct your astigmatism, here\u2019s what some of the numbers mean:<\/span><\/p>\n