Can playing with a cell phone every day during pregnancy cause astigmatism?

Written by Du Rui Xia
Obstetrics
Updated on September 02, 2024
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It is not recommended to use cellphones every day during pregnancy. Although using mobile phones does not cause astigmatism, it can still harm the eyes of pregnant women.

Astigmatism is caused by congenital changes in the corneal shape and the intrinsic refractive state of the lens. Various acquired factors can also affect the outcome of astigmatism, such as unhealthy visual habits in daily life and changes in refractive status, which can lead to acquired astigmatism. Engaging in prolonged mobile phone use during pregnancy might lead to myopia, but it will not cause astigmatism. Long-term accumulation of myopia can lead to symptoms like dizziness and fatigue.

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Written by Tao Yuan
Ophthalmology
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Why is astigmatism more serious than nearsightedness?

Astigmatism and myopia are both common eye diseases and are two different types of refractive errors. Under the same degree of refractive error, astigmatism can cause more damage to visual function than myopia. This is because patients with astigmatism usually experience abnormal development of the cornea, leading to different refractive powers in different directions. As a result, when light passes through the cornea and enters the eye, it cannot converge to form a single focus, but instead forms a line intersection, which greatly affects the quality of vision. On the other hand, myopia is caused by an overly long eye axis or excessive corneal refractive power. When light passes through the cornea and enters the eye, although it cannot focus accurately on the retina, it can still form a focus. Therefore, the impact on vision is less severe than that of astigmatism.

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Written by Tao Yuan
Ophthalmology
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Are there any treatments for high myopia and high astigmatism?

High myopia combined with high astigmatism can be treated in the following ways: First, correction by wearing frame glasses is the most widely adopted treatment method currently, which is affordable and safe. Second, using rigid corneal contact lenses for correction, which provide higher image quality than regular frame glasses. Third, correction can be done through laser surgery, such as excimer laser surgery, femtosecond laser surgery, and full femtosecond laser surgery, but it is only suitable for adult patients. Fourth, correction can be accomplished by implanting phakic intraocular lenses in the posterior chamber, generally suitable for patients whose corneal condition does not permit laser surgery, at a higher cost compared to laser surgery.

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Written by Wang Fang
Ophthalmology
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What should I do if I have astigmatism in my eyes?

Astigmatism should be corrected by wearing astigmatic lenses. Astigmatism is a type of refractive error where the refractive power of the eye varies along different axes, resulting in a refractive abnormality. Particularly with high degrees of astigmatism, there may be symptoms such as blurred vision, distorted vision, or even eye fatigue. Therefore, once astigmatism is detected, it is important to visit a hospital for a medical eye examination promptly. It is recommended that astigmatism of 50 to 75 degrees or more should be timely corrected with glasses, otherwise prolonged uncorrected astigmatism can lead to severe eye fatigue. Additionally, if adult patients have other refractive errors such as myopia along with astigmatism, they could also consider undergoing laser surgery for myopia correction.

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Written by Li Zhen Dong
Ophthalmology
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Can pseudomyopia cause astigmatism?

Pseudomyopia generally does not involve astigmatism. Pseudomyopia is caused by ciliary muscle spasm, while astigmatism is due to changes in the curvature of the cornea, or changes in the eyeball itself; these two are not the same. Pseudomyopia can be completely cured with proactive treatment, adequate rest, reducing close-up activities, avoiding eye fatigue, and using eye drops that alleviate ciliary muscle paralysis, such as low-concentration atropine eye drops and digoxin eye drops. If not treated actively, prolonged pseudomyopia can turn into true myopia. True myopia involves elongation of the eye axis, leading to blurred distance vision but clear near vision. Therefore, when this occurs, a proper dilated refraction test should be conducted. (Medication should be used under the guidance of a physician.)

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Written by Tao Yuan
Ophthalmology
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Can high myopia with astigmatism be treated with surgery?

High myopia combined with astigmatism can also be treated surgically, but it requires the patient to be at least 18 years old, and both the myopia and astigmatism must have been stable for over a year without worsening. Before undergoing surgical treatment, a detailed eye examination is necessary. This includes an optometric examination to accurately measure the degree of myopia and astigmatism, a corneal topography test, and an ophthalmic ultrasound to understand the corneal curvature and thickness. Based on these parameters, a specific surgical plan is designed. If the patient’s corneal condition allows, laser surgery is the preferred method for correction. If the patient’s corneal condition is poor and not suitable for laser surgery, correction and treatment can be achieved through the implantation of a posterior chamber intraocular lens in phakic eyes.