Astigmatism is a condition that causes vision to be both blurry and distorted. It develops when the cornea – the clear covering over the iris – is elongated rather than round. The elongation causes a distortion in light as it enters the eye.

People with astigmatism can achieve corrected vision with glasses or contact lenses or by undergoing refractive surgery such as LASIK or photorefractive keratectomy (PRK).

Our providers are experienced in all types of vision issues, including:

• myopia or nearsightedness, a condition that makes it difficult to clearly see objects that are far away, while close-up objects appear clear; myopia occurs when the eyeball is longer (deeper) than normal;

• hyperopia or farsightedness, a condition that makes it difficult to see objects up close, while objects at a distance normally are clear; hyperopia occurs when the eyeball is smaller or not as deep as a normal eye;

• presbyopia, a condition that usually occurs after age 40 and causes difficulty focusing on near objects like books or computer screens.

While both conditions can cause similar symptoms, including headache, blurry vision when trying to see things up close, and eye strain, they have very different underlying causes. Presbyopia is an age-related condition that occurs when the eye’s focusing muscles become stiffer, making it harder to focus on nearby objects and resulting in difficulty reading or blurriness when looking at objects close up. Hyperopia can occur at any age; it develops as a result of an irregularly-shaped eyeball that makes it difficult for images to form clearly on the retina located at the back of the eye.