@@generalgrevous1984 Astigmatism can cause blur at all distances. When you get glasses that corrects for astigmatism, it will correct that blur in all distances. With that being said, you could still have hyperopia, myopia, or presbyopia that might need to be corrected to clear your vision up. But, usually when you get prescription glasses, it will correct for those as well.
I just recently found out I have Astigmatism in both eyes. Now I understand why I was experiencing blurry vision with headaches. You explained it very well. You are my new go-to Doc eye guy! I'm learning more from you than anyone. 💯👀
Thanks for watching another one of my videos, and thanks for commenting again. I'm glad to hear my explanations are helping people out there. I'll keep posting videos as long as there are people out there that can benefit from it. Thanks again!
Watching this has made me realize Ive always had astigmatism and didnt know. I've always seen lights at night like this. When i got my glasses for the first time last year I was amazied at how the world now looked so sharp. I had never seen like this before. I went to a eye doctor 10 years ago and he said nothing was wrong with my vision even though i said i was getting headaches, he didnt even want to give me reading glasses. I bought store reading glasses. It makes me mad he was so incompetent. What's amazing to me is he is just across the street from my current doctor who is amazing. Great video and explanation.
A very well informed and detailed explanation of what astigmatism is. Probably the best I’ve seen since being diagnosed with astigmatism several years ago. Although my prescription is quite mild I should wear glasses for reading, watching tv, etc. I’ve just been assessed here in the uk for a free trial of contact lenses so that if I’m going out somewhere formal and it’s low lighting or too much I have the choice and can just dispose thereafter.
Found out I had astigmatism a couple of years ago and never understood what it was. I did research on google and educated myself on it. But this video really helped me to understand more! Very well explained!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 💯💯
Very informative. I knew I had astigmatism, I've worn glass since primary school and I'm now late 40s. I've never really understood the full ramifications until a chance reading of an article this year in which it mentioned lights and night driving. The article showed a picture and difference between a what a person with astigmatism saw when looking at lights and what someone without saw. I was gobsmacked to find out to not everyone sees the light distortion the same way I do. It's one of the reasons I hate night driving, especially where I live in the UK on the narrow country roads.
Wow, just wow. I have just found your channel and am so thankful for doing so. None of my opticians have ever explained to me exactly what my astigmatism is or does, but your video was so helpful - thank you so much. I definitely need to see a proper optician rather than a high street chain that seems to charge me £500 each time by selling me a new pair of glasses etc. Thanks Dr EyeGuy!
Am 13 years old and I recently noticed that my right eye was blurry when I was doing a eye test at my school for a medical check up every hear I think the cause is because am always on my phone everyday and should I go to a doctor?? I also got headaches recently am concerned because am 13 am not even an adult 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
These videos are exemplary of excellent teaching and explaining complex concepts in an engaging way. As someone who communicates science for a living, you have my respect, Dr. EyeGuy.
Does astigmatism affect depth perception? I have 90° astigmatism in my right eye and 50° in my left eye. Thank you for this very informative video, I learnt a lot 😊
I have known I have an astigmatism (in both eyes) but had really not understood what it was. I had no idea that some of these symptoms were related to the astigmatism (pretty much every single one I have experienced). I have to say the big example you gave was Christmas lights. I love looking at Christmas lights but almost always I get a headache after a bit that will sometimes turn into a migraine and now I realize this may have been because I was usually not wearing my glasses. This video was incredibly validating as I was going YES! I have totally experienced that when driving etc etc lol.
Thanks for the good information - I think so many of us take our eyes for granted and your videos on how to take care of them have been so helpful. Thank you.
This was very informative, I have known i had astigmatism for many years now but am just learning that some of the things I thought were normal that everyone sees like the 'ghosting' of lights at night or doubling of the light actually are not usual and are due to astigmatism.
I am so thankful that you explained this in this video. I was diagnosed with astigmatism in my eye and I have contacts and glasses. When I get the contacts that were ordered I will look for the number in (cyl) section ensuring there is a correction for the astigmatism.
I never had anything so extreme with my astigmatisms. But, I first realized that I needed glasses when I was in Spanish class and couldn't see an accent mark. I could read the letters okay, but the accent mark was merged into the letters and I couldn't see it.
Hi Doc. Thanks for the great great explanation. I have light astigmatism, basically can function without glasses but it def. sharper with them on. Two question: 1. Does it make sense to look into a laser operation for such light problems? 2. Will it cause some eye problems if i don't use the glasses in VR?
Hi! Great questions! With a low amount, I would Not recommend Lasik... the benefit wouldn't be worth the cost. Also it should cause any permanent problems by not wearing glasses in VR. You could experience more eye strain however, but not to the point of causing long-lasting harm.
Thank you! I put a lot of work into it. This video could have easily been an hour long, so it was a little tricky to condense the information down. Thanks for commenting!
Ive been tired most mornings of my life due to this. It has messed up my school and academic career, relationships etc. I just felt lazy, unmotivated and antisocial. I started working night shifts because I couldt stand mornings. Now its fixed but I feel like I messed up my life because of it. I love people now and suddenly got a rush of hard motivation I should have had in my 20s.
I have a pretty moderate astigmatism. It really started to ramp up a while ago. I just want people who are experiencing rainbow halos around Lights, which is a sign of glaucoma and other eye problems, astigmatism can also cause this as well. After freaking myself out for a week (until I got it checked) it was my astigmatism.
@@DrEyeGuy np. I was a wreck and I couldn't find anything online besides the worst case scenarios. So I figured if anyone was having the same anxiety, this would help.
Thank you for this. I learned that too recently. It was really scary. I just started watching halos and glare apunta night lights and freaked out. Probably stress influences this too, as dilates pupils.
@@kahen100 i see rainbows only around white bright lights not on normal white or yellow lights o those i just see halos and starbursts can it be astigmatism
I hate it. Within a few months, i lost everything, including my great career job. The Stress, anxiety and insomnia affected me mental health, and destroyed my perfect vision. Everything is Blurry now, and was told the stress was extremely bad, i got astigmatism. I can't do anything anymore. Tried to get glasses, i couldn't use them because the distortions was horrible . My life is blurry now, and i have severe depression. I don't do anything, or go anywhere anymore.
Don't give up. This can all be in the past. You can get a good eye dr. And they can fix all of the problems with glasses. Look up all the things the eye dr. Should do about testing your eyes and for sure dilate your eyes to get a good look at the health of your eye. New glasses will be a bit uncomfortable in the beginning but what your going through right now is far worse than new glasses. I would suggest progressive lens. My last pair the dr. Did not get a good prescription for me so he had to re-do them again and got new glasses. I learned so much just asking u tube what to expect your dr. Should do and then learn all about what each part of your test does. When I went back to my eye dr. I was able to understand everything he was telling me. Can't imagine getting the tests now adays without informing yourself to advocate yourself. It will be a blessing you will be all better. I hope you do this. Its all forward for you in no time.
@sharonjohnson1789 Thank you so much for caring 🫶.. what a great informative, inspirational reply⚘️ I'm still walk around blind, totally blurry. Looking at writing on the TV, it's ghosting.! I see it below and top . Its so horrible 😞. I went to terrible places. After trying to get glasses, they were so off'!, I tryd telling the Dr. ( who's always rushing, and doesn't like questions).. he said he'd refund , and that I could try somewhere else. I called a place, they said they do everything. It wasn't a good place . They hardly did any eye prescription testing, they gave a prescription that was way different then the other,.. then they said , oh we don't sell glasses here?. I need to try again somewhere else :( I REALLY don't want to wear glasses. 😫 Can I ask? You said you got used to them? Also, did you have near sight?.. and also. Did you have astigmatism?.. sorry, all questions. I'm so worried. As mentioned, I'm really not in the normal state of mind. Lost so many family members, then at the same time, I lost my job, because of my stress. It's like quicksand... I never experienced depression before, it's horrible 😵💫
Thank you for filling this gap in knowledge. I'm always looking for the technical explanation when I go to the optometrist but rarely will they spend the time describing what's going on (most likely due to the complexity). Love these vids
Ive worn glasses since i was 10 and am 42 now and wondered if its normal for the astigmatism to get worse every year because for the past 5 years my perscription keeps getting stronger
Thank you so much for giving such a wonderful explanation Btw is there also some problems in astigmatism when we directly look into vertical and horizontal lines?
interesting, when i am night driving the lights in front of me seem stretched, you hit on that i thought it was a dodgy windscreen but maybe i have astigmatism. like the lights from another car which are red are definetly stretched longer. Know what i mean
Yep, I have it. Got tested yesterday and my left eye has it. Right eye is perfect with no glasses needed, but now I need glasses because of my left eye.
I’m about to turn 52 in March and have had VERY stable prescriptions for 35 years. My prescription in each eye was equal at -2.50 and remained unchanged until I was about 45 years old a few years ago. They are now only separated by -0.25 and yes, I realize that age IS a huge factor and have been nearsighted since the mid 1980s. “Standard” Age-related weakening of my near vision began only about 4 years ago and is easily corrected with mild readers. My right eye vision has givin me FITS for the last few years. SEVERAL eye doctors concur on my prescription and all agree that I do NOT have any astigmatism at all. I’ve even paid out of pocket for a comprehensive eye exam at a local (expensive) “eye specialist”. This is my dominant eye, it is NEVER clear, focused or anywhere near the vision in my left eye and has all but totally DESTROYED my ability to enjoy (or even participate in) ALL of the hobbies/ activities that I’ve come to love as well as even making work far more difficult. What do I do????😞😔
I just recently learned I have astigmatism. I thought seeing "after images" (think, hand waving under LED light) and streaks of light at night were normal. Turns out the two pairs of glasses I've ever had both have astigmatism correction based on the distortion test, but I've never been told that and it's not enough correction I guess?
I have low level astigmatism (and short-sighted too) and it seems fine until I try reading at night in bed in low light without my glasses. I'm noticing I'm (unconsciously) closing one eye in order to read. When I catch myself, I open both eyes and realise the letters on the page are doubled. I should probably keep wearing my glasses when I read. Thanks for explaining this so well!
Does astigmatism change over time? Why? It would seem like the shape of your eye is what it is, at least once you’ve reached adulthood. I had astigmatism and near sightedness as a child, with progressively worsening vision throughout my childhood, teens and 20’s, got LASIK as an adult, then needed glasses again within a few years because the astigmatism recurred. They did say “you might need glasses again someday” when I got LASIK, but didn’t explain why.
It can change. There is a type of astigmatism called lenticular astigmatism where the crystalline lens inside the eye can change shape, inducing astigmatism.
I have a different Astigmatism in each eye, and i get that double vision thing, If i focus far away everything close doubles and if i focus close up everything far away doubles. I can hold my finger up about 1 foot away from my face and focus far away and it will appear to me that I am seeing two fingers with 1 to 2 in gap between them.
Are you seeing this double vision with both eyes open? If so, that is actually normal to see that. If you see it with just one eye, then that could be astigmatism.
I have monocular astigmatism, was diagnosed with at 6. It's mild so I never use glasses except for working in front of computer screens or whenever I really feel the urge to relax my eyes, namely during spring and fall season. My usual and quite constant symptom is dry skin all around my eyes, which makes skin moisturizing and makeup quite an effort.
I was told I had astigmatism when I was around 14 or so, then later on as an adult I was told I no longer have it. Apparently I out grew it? Go figure.
Hi, Doc. thanks for the information. Last month I did LASIK surgery. Would you recommend if I use VR headsets? And Are they generally bad for eyes? Thanks
Great question. The trickiest part with you and VR might be the dryness issue. The eyes are typically more dry after lasik, and the VR headset can make them feel even more dry. Just make sure you use artificial tear drops and take breaks often and you should be ok.
Hi doc, thanks for the great explanation. Just wanted to ask that I have with the rule astigmatism of -0.75 OS and -1.00 OD. I only use glasses while working on computer and using mobile phone. Will the astigmatism worsen if I do not wear glasses all the time? I'm 21 years old.
hey did you see without glasses on computer, like on computer or tv you can see a person clearly but behind the person everyything is extra blurred i experience this pls tell
I am having double visions, yes every object I see a one more layer on top with less opacity, I don't know how to cure it , and I see the lights spreading in 5-6 directions just like a firework its really irritating I am tired of it every text and object I see it double
@@DrEyeGuy I got my eyes checked the doctor gave prescription but still I see double objects and have light problems, he told me to go to somewhere outside of where I live, I think yes I have astigmatism (refractive error) and diplopia (Double Vision) as well
This felt like going to the therapist. Nothing like having whatever is wrong with you finally explained in 20/20 vision! "Ahh that's why I'm so messed up. Thanks!'
This helps so much, my eye doctor has told me my vision is fine but it looks so blurry and focusing is excruciating sometimes. Especially in vr or at night. We didnt discuss this possibility
@@DrEyeGuy One thing I have to ask, Streetlights! Does this cause them to look like bright stars with super long god ray like strands of light at night.
I just don't get i. my doc said I have an astigmatism so now I have to wear glasses. I never felt like I had an eye problem. when I look at lights they don't blur like in this video. however I noticed my eyes can focus quicker with my glasses on. idk how to describe it but its like my eyes don't have to do as much.
How I so wish that instructional videos like this did not have any music at all. I just had cataract removal surgery with premium ocular implants, but I think I still have some astigmatism. I see a shadow above the letters on a back lit screen like a computer screen.
I can’t wait to get my glasses to fix my astigmatism especially because i got a glimpse of how I’m going to see with them on and omg I can’t believe my vision was so blurry, i guess i got used it to the point where i thought it was normal. HD here i come😂
@@DrEyeGuy Quick question i got my glasses and my vision is really clear unless i tilt my head to the right and my vision becomes blurry is this something i can get fixed or do i got to get used to it?
@@Anvilosrs to an extent it is normal. It's kind of like rotating your glasses. The Astigmatism correction in your glasses won't match up with the curve of your eye (the astigmatism of your eyes). As you tilt your head, your eye can rotate a little bit, cyclotorsion. With your eye rotating, the glasses won't be lined as well. Does that make sense?
Hi! My son just came back from an eye exam with astigmatism in the left eye only. I know this now from looking at the contact lens prescription which only shows the letters 'sph' for the right eye and no numbers (or degrees...I was listening) for the axis. Now, I feel much more educated. The prescription states: "fill exactly as written, no substitutions". It also lists the words with a check mark or x next to each word: "disposable and toric" (astigmatism) with the manufacturer name, Vistakon and the Series as Acuvue Oasys 8.4 for right eye and Acuvue Oasys w/Astigmatism for left. Question #1: Does this mean I have to purchase only this brand and they must be disposable? Question #2: Are hard contact lenses not an option for him? Thanks for this video. I learned a lot!
Good questions! 1) Yes, contact lens brands have specific parameters, and he was fit with that specific lens. So that means he has a prescription for that specific contact lens. 2) For hard lenses he would need to be specifically fit for hard lenses. Hard lenses would be an option, but he would have to go back to his eye doc and get fit for a hard lens. I hope those answers made sense. Thanks for the questions!
I have astigmatism, I wear glasses, I can see clearly even when reading, but when I read books, I get a headache after a while. It's better when reading on the iPad and on the computer, I can even read the same text that was in the book, but it's scanned on the computer or tablet. I don't understand where the problem is.
You explained it so well, thank you. I have -1.75 Cyl and Axis of 133 in one eye. I'm scheduled for cataract surgery on this eye. Should I get toric IOL or just simple monofocal to correct far vision? Would there be complication with toric IOL? Is poor night vision caused by astigmatism? I have v poor night vision.
Hi @DrEyeGuy Thank you so much for your effort to put up this video. My 3 year old was diagnosed with Astigmatism and Far Sightedness. Doctor said my son has around 7 diopters but has prescribed -3.75 for both the eyes since it seemed to be the lowest value from multiple tests done, because they couldn’t get an accurate test since my son was moving at times. My concern is - my son has been able to identify very small objects very clearly, able to trace lines etc. We have never seen him squinting his eyes for anything.. The values -3.75, -7 sounded like he should’ve had difficulty even figuring out facial features of us and differentiating people.. Could you please share your feedback?
You're right, that would have been better. That's one thing about watching your own past videos... you wish you would have done something better or different. I guess that's all part of the learning process.
This only affects me at night and now with letters/numbers not objects. Never has with objects, always sun ray beams around the outside of the light, I guess its called a halo??
Your eyes can change, the astigmatism prescription can change. It's very common if you have astigmatism, then you keep astigmatism your whole life, unless you have it corrected.
Here's a strange story. I have a facial issue related to both a mandibular idiopathic condition and a misplaced tooth that is slowly pulling my face towards my right side (right ear canal is already restricting as a result). Knowing my astigmatism history, I began noticing a seemingly slight improvement in my left eye vision and less general blurring in my normal eyesight as well, but thought it was just suggestion and didn't care much. Recently I had to renew my driver's license and consequentely had also to undergo the usual eye examination. I couldn't believe my senses when I saw I was effectively able to discern letter shapes in the third-from-last line using my left eye alone (never went past mid-table, everything got too blurry to be clearly seen). My condition is weirdly improving my eye shape and the doctor there said I should contact my eye doctor for a change in lens gradation.
I have astigmatism and am nearsighted as well. But I'm noticing now that if I want to read text like in a book or on the phone or just watching something I must remove my glasses and can only see clearly through them when looking at things far away. 😬😨
@@DrEyeGuyI have done smile surgery before 8 months, if it produce distorted image in all distance, then it's called as regular or irregular astigmatism? Can it correctable with spectacles? i recently done test, but they tested only my distance Vision, - 1 in Cyclindral, is same - 1(c) correct near, intermediate vision?
I recently had a prescription update and the doctor changed my astigmatism settings and I see worse with my new glasses than the previous ones. Been trying to adjust to the new prescription for weeks to no avail. Doctor and optometrists won’t listen to me.
Will cataract surgery correct astigmatism (with or without corrective lense) and if so, will the cataract surgery prevent further astigmatism progression? Also, will astigmatism ever cause a lazy eye, if the correction in the glasses is out of date (old) ? My right eye can only be corrected to 20/40, and my glasses prescription is out of date. Thanks so much.
Good questions. -The IOL (Intraocular Lens) implant does have a toric option that can correct for astigmatism, but it costs more then the standard IOL usually. If you opt for the standard IOL, then you can correct your remaining astigmatism with glasses. -Catarct surgery can prevent astigmatism progression, but mainly lenticular astigmatism. You can still have changes in other parts of your eye that can increase astigmatism. -High amounts of astigmatism can cause "lazy eye", but usually only during younger years of life. Can you only be corrected to 20/40 because of the cataract you have?
Hi Doc. Thanks for great video. I am 31 and never had glasses always saw perfect but few months i have problem with reading subtitles or gloving text. During day i think everything is great but in dark i see like ghosts text is clear visible but doubled upfront or if i look on the moon i see moon but there is like another one. I am programmer and spending a lot of time at computer after this i am thinking about glasses but i am not sure how will this glasses work during day when i see great. Will i have to remove them and use them only for nights ? Thank you for great job
Thank you. I've had it for so long, I never thought to look up what it meant or how it affected me. I did know that I have eyes that are flatter in the front, so regular contacts would pop off . That was annoying until they changed to a flatter contact. (I don't wear contacts anymore.)
Hello, I'm 18 years old and I used the acne drug roaccutane. My question was before I used this drug, I had a very clear vision. After the drug, astigmatism appeared in both eyes. Can acne medication cause astigmatism?
Ty for your explanation, I just wanted to ask you. I'm wearing glasses, in daytime I can see clearly without any issues but at nighttime lights get so blurry and I have double vision should I schedule for appointment to check my eyes? Also the docotor had never mentioned anything about astigmatism
I think it would be a good idea to get an eye exam. Usually night time blur is a sign of uncorrected astigmatism, or slightly uncorrected myopia as well. Has it been a while since the last exam?
Your glasses are 1 month old? It's usually harder to see at night anyway, but it might be good to tell your eye doctor that you are having blurry vision at night with your new glasses.
@@DrEyeGuy I'm not having trouble seeing things at night just lights and signs look a little bit fuzzy and distorted I already told the docotor but he said it's normal to see like that at night I guess I'm gonna check another docotor
@@dazen1k Ok, I understand. Yeah, a second opinion can be a good thing. Night time is tricky though, there a few things that can mess it up other then astigmatism.
