Posted by: Aker Kasten Eye Center in Astigmatism on March 15, 2018
Perfect vision means that your eyes are perfectly round. This allows them to focus light evenly and clearly. For those with astigmatism, the cornea is less than perfectly round. This results in blurry vision because the light doesn’t bend correctly when it enters your eye. Researchers are not conclusive on what causes astigmatism, but many people are born with it. It could also be due to eye injury or disease. If you suffer from blurry vision, you should schedule an eye exam to determine the cause. During your eye exam, several tests will be done to determine if you have astigmatism or any other eye condition.
Diagnosis: how to test for astigmatism
- Vision test: During your vision exam, you will be asked to read symbols, letters, or numbers from an eye chart 20 feet away. If you have 20/20 vision, you can see and read the chart from 20 feet away. If your vision is 20/80, you will need to be 20 feet away to see what a normal eye can view from 80 feet.
- Refraction: Using a large lens machine called a phoropter, the doctor will ask you to identify which lens choice is best. This method determines your prescription.
- Keratometry: This vision machine will assess the bend in the cornea by measuring the flattest and steepest curves. These results reveal the shape of your cornea and its ability to focus.
- Corneal topography: This test can provide the most detailed information about the shape of your cornea. While your doctor tells you to look at a specific point, the device will gather thousands of minute measurements. Next, a computer will create a color map of your cornea using the data. This map can be used to fit contacts, diagnose keratoconus, or planning surgery.
Schedule your eye exam
If you suffer from blurry vision, schedule an eye exam with Aker Kasten Eye Center today. We pride ourselves on offering quality vision care. Let us help you achieve and maintain healthy vision by contacting us at our office in Boca Raton, Florida at (561) 338-7722. We look forward to assisting you.