Dr. Michael Johnson, OD

• Can one have astigmatism without having myopia?

  Sure,it is possible for one to have astigmatism without myopia.There is not a connection between them.Often they don't occur together and most people have myopia without astigmatism.

• Can I get colored contacts for astigmatism?

  Yes. you can get your colored contacts for astigmatism. I know that colourblends is a type of colored contacts for astigmatism. You can go to your optometrist to have a check.

• Will it damage your eyes to wear a regular contact lense if you have astigmatism?

  If you have a small degree of astigmatism(less than -0.75 ),wearing regular lenses won't affect your vision much.If you have more than that, you will feel eye strain and blurry when you try to drive or do work at night.The toric lenses would help solve the problem.

• Can laisk surgery cure astigmatism?

  It is the misconception that LASIK eye surgery doesn't apply to astigmatism.By lasik surgery,it removes the corneal tissue that is not curved.But if you have a small degree you can wear regular contacts and glasses and it won't affect vision much.

• How can I tell if I have astigmatism or myopia?

  For people with astigmatism,they can't see both near and distant without squinting and there seems to be double image in their vision .Sometimes they may have eye strain or headaches.They have difficulty focusing on printed words and lines.But people with myopia can see things close up.For your case,it is possibly that you are having myopia.

• Is astigmatism harmful to your eyes?

  No,it is not eye disease and can't be harmful to your eyes.Just like the nearsightedness or farsightedness,you can correct it by wearing glasses or contacts,but they have no effect on the astigmatism itself.

• Are contacts more effective and comfortable for astigmatism than glasses?

  Low-degree astigmatism can be corrected by contacts,but there is no study showing that contacts are more effective for astigmatism than glasses.You can ask suggestion from your doctor and determine which one is good for astigmatism.

• How to prevent my astigmatism from getting worse?

  Computer use will not worsen your astigmatism,it can cause eye strain or other CVS.You can try some eye exercises to relax the eye muscles.Lasik surgery is a popular way to correct astigmatism nowadays.

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