Can astigmatism be cured by wearing glasses?

Written by Tao Yuan
Ophthalmology
Updated on February 19, 2025
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Astigmatism cannot be completely cured by wearing glasses. Astigmatism is a common eye disease and a type of refractive error, usually caused by congenital developmental abnormalities. Some patients' astigmatism is related to poor eye habits, such as squinting for long periods, which can lead to astigmatism. The cornea of people with astigmatism has different refractive powers in the vertical and horizontal directions. Therefore, when light passes through the cornea and enters the eyeball, it cannot converge to form a perfect focus, causing the images projected on the retina to become blurry, and the patient will experience a decrease in vision. By conducting an optometric examination, the exact degree of astigmatism and the axis of astigmatism can be determined, and then corrected by wearing glasses. However, the purpose of correction is to improve the patient's vision, and it cannot eliminate the degree of astigmatism.

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Written by Hu Shu Fang
Ophthalmology
47sec home-news-image

Astigmatism refers to a type of refractive error in which the eye does not focus light evenly onto the retina, often due to an irregular shape of the cornea or lens.

Astigmatism is a type of refractive error. Because our eyes are not a perfect sphere, they are more like an egg shape, with different meridians having different refractive powers. Thus, after imaging, the axial images may form in front of or behind the retina, rather than forming a focal point on the retina. Normally, astigmatism of some small degrees and with good axial alignment may not significantly affect vision. However, high degrees of astigmatism, especially irregular astigmatism, will definitely impact visual quality and require the prescription of special lenses to correct the astigmatism.

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Written by Tao Yuan
Ophthalmology
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Can you wear contact lenses with 200 degrees of astigmatism?

Astigmatism of 200 degrees or less can be corrected by wearing regular contact lenses. However, when purchasing lenses, one needs to divide the astigmatism diopter by two and incorporate it into the prescription for myopia during the fitting process. If a patient's astigmatism exceeds 200 degrees, they typically are not suitable for regular contact lenses. Instead, they may opt for custom contact lenses with astigmatism correction or use rigid corneal contact lenses for correction. Patients with astigmatism should promptly visit an ophthalmology department at a hospital for an optometry examination to accurately determine their astigmatism and undergo vision correction tests. Following this, a doctor will issue a prescription for fitting contact lenses.

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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 Lian Wen Xi
Pediatrics
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Can 300 degrees of astigmatism in children heal by itself?

Children with 300 degrees of astigmatism will not heal on their own. Astigmatism in children is usually congenital, meaning it is due to genetic factors. There are also a few cases where astigmatism is secondary, caused by poor eye habits or eye injuries, among other reasons. However, regardless of the cause, once astigmatism occurs, there is basically no possibility of it resolving on its own. Astigmatism is a type of refractive error that needs to be corrected by wearing glasses. Moreover, 300 degrees of astigmatism is considered high and can lead to eye fatigue over time. If not corrected, it can also have a serious impact on a child's vision, so parents must pay adequate attention.

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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.)