What is Astigmatism and How We Can Help
QUAY Rx specs aren’t just about effortless style. With your fave frames available in prescription, you can flex sleek silhouettes while keeping your vision in focus. Our prescription glasses help not only with near and far vision correction but also with astigmatism.
With that said, what is astigmatism? You’ve likely heard of this term before yet might not know what it means. Knowledge is QUAY, so here’s what you need to know about this common eye condition and how you can address it with Quay prescription specs.
What Is Astigmatism?
Before we dive into how you can correct astigmatism, let’s first break down what it is. In a perfectly round eye, the cornea, AKA the outer layer in front of the eye, and lens, AKA the curve structure in the eye, are smooth as the surface of a ball. Light will enter the eye, and these surfaces will bend incoming light equally to make a focused image on the retina.
Astigmatism refers to a condition in which your eye’s cornea or lens has uneven curves. Instead of a round basketball shape, these structures might have more of a football one. As a result, light entering the eye will bend unevenly, which leads to potential vision issues.
What Does Astigmatism Look Like?
With astigmatism, blur is the number one issue. An eye with an irregular shape will change how light passes to the retina, which causes light to be focused unevenly. As a result, those with astigmatism often experience blurry or distorted vision. They may also notice eye strain and squint extra hard to get the eyes to focus. Astigmatism is different from farsightedness or nearsightedness, and it may occur with these conditions as well.
Although most people have trouble seeing in the dark, astigmatism at night can amp up the problems. When it’s dark, your pupils dilate to let more light in, so astigmatism can make night vision look streaky. You might notice, for example, glare from headlights and halos around streetlights while driving during the PM hours. You might also experience extra blurriness when reading in dim light.
How Common Is Astigmatism?
Your optometrist can easily determine if you have astigmatism during an eye exam. There's a chance that you yourself or someone you know might have astigmatism: As many as one in three Americans have it. But no stress if you do have it. Astigmatism is usually easy to correct with eye surgeries, contacts, and, of course, glasses. Talk with your eye health professional to discuss your best option.
Wondering how to read your eyeglasses prescription for astigmatism? Keep your focus on the cylinder number and the axis number. Here’s the lowdown: The cylinder number indicates the amount of astigmatism in your eye, and the axis number shows where the astigmatism is located.
What Causes Astigmatism?
Is Astigmatism Genetic?
Astigmatism doesn’t have one cause. It can be hereditary, meaning that if your parents have it, they can pass it to you. However, the condition can be due to other circumstances. For example, eyelid pressure on the cornea can also lead to astigmatism, which may get better or worse with time. Astigmatism can also develop after eye surgery or an eye injury.
How QUAY Eyewear Can Help
Astigmatism impacts both werk and play, so it's QUAY to correct it. In many cases, astigmatism can be treated with easy-to-maintain prescription glasses. To get specs from QUAY Rx, all you need is an up-to-date prescription from your eye care professional to submit at checkout. At QUAY, we can fill single vision prescriptions between +4 to -6 and astigmatism of +/-4.
When it comes to our Rx offerings, it’s all about the deets. In addition to corrective lenses, QUAY Rx specs feature all the werks: blue light technology, UV protection, anti-reflection, high-index, smudge-resistance, and scratch resistance. The cherry on top? You’ll get a frame that's high in durability + style. Choose from prescription exclusives as well as cult fave silhouettes. Other than glasses for werking and scrolling, don't forget prescription shades for all your fun times out in the sun.
Even with astigmatism, it’s easy to get ready for your close-up. Shop QUAY Rx glasses and sunglasses to keep your style on point and your vision in focus.
This blog post has been peer reviewed by Ryan Boydon, licensed Optician.
