Astigmatism

What is astigmatism?

Astigmatism is a refractive visual defect characterised by an irregularity of the cornea that corresponds to the transparent structure at the front of the eye, called the “window” of the eye. Rather than being regular like the surface of a football, the cornea is deformed, its curvature varying along the axis, a little like a rugby ball. The light rays are no longer focused at a single point and are deflected in different places, in front of or behind the retina. Astigmatism is very often associated with myopia or hyperopia.

What are signs of astigmatism in children?

Does your child complain of headaches? Do they tend to squint and are they sometimes bothered by light? They may be astigmatic. Astigmatism causes blurred and distorted vision at all distances, often more marked in a certain orientation. These visual disorders can also cause confusion of letters or numbers. Visual blurring can cause or aggravate visual fatigue, especially when reading and cause headaches.

How can astigmatism be screened for?

Astigmatism is detected by examining visual acuity and then refraction. During this examination, the ophthalmologist will apply cycloplegiant drops in the child’s eye in order to temporarily paralyse the focusing power of the eye and therefore its accommodation. This examination makes it possible to obtain a reliable measurement of astigmatism.

We recommend that you have your child’s eyes checked regularly and as soon as possible by an ophthalmologist. Early screening and management of refractive disorders in children is essential to avoid amblyopia. Amblyopia is characterised by a difference in visual acuity between the two eyes. One is called the “lazy eye”.

What are the risk factors?

The irregularity of the cornea can be aggravated by frequent rubbing of the eyes. Infection or injury to the eye can also cause or aggravate astigmatism.

What are treatments for astigmatism?

There are several possibilities for correcting astigmatism in children:

• Wearing glasses:during a consultation, your doctor specialising in ophthalmology will propose a correction with the use of toric (cylindrical) corrective lenses to correct this problem.
• Contact lenses:depending on the child’s age, a prescription for toric contact lenses is also possible.
• Ophthalmic surgery: only possible in adulthood, refractive surgery carried out by a laser surgeon can correct astigmatism.

Find out more about children's visual disorders

Do you want to learn more about different visual conditions? Discover our pages on myopia, colour blindness, hyperopia, strabismus, and glaucoma. We explain these visual disorders and tell you how to treat them to preserve your children’s visual acuity.