Does my child have astigmatism and need glasses?

Mondo Health Updated on 2024-03-02

Recently, many parents of children with astigmatism in the outpatient clinic have asked Xiao Ai:

My child has astigmatism, does he need glasses?

The answer is: not necessarily, it needs to be analyzed on a case-by-case basis!

Astigmatism is not a disease

Most people have astigmatism

Clinically, astigmatism that does not affect vision at 50 degrees or less is generally referred to as "physiological astigmatism". So if the doctor says you don't have astigmatism, either your astigmatism is very small and doesn't affect your vision, so it's negligible.

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What is astigmatism?

The eye refractive system is not a standard circle, but an oval-like shape, so the external light converges into the eye through the eye refractive system, and there will be a certain difference in the position, and the position difference of the light convergence point forms the degree of astigmatism, and the dimension where the highest or lowest refractive power of the refractive system is located is the axis of astigmatism.

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The effect of astigmatism on vision depends on two main aspects: the degree of astigmatism and the location of astigmatism, i.e., the axis of astigmatism.

Why is there astigmatism

According to the form of expression, astigmatism is divided into regular and irregular. Regular astigmatism, mostly caused by the different refractive ability of the cornea, usually coexists with myopia or farsightedness, and can be corrected by wearing glasses; Astigmatism in irregular forms is often due to the fact that the refractive surfaces of the eyeball refractive system are not smooth. In this case, the corrective effect of eyeglasses is slightly limited.

People with high astigmatism are more likely to be associated with congenital genetic factors, i.e., at least one parent has a high degree of astigmatism. In addition, inappropriate eye behavior, such as frequent eye rubbing, may worsen astigmatism. There are also some corneal diseases or eye trauma that can also cause astigmatism, such as keratoconus.

Are you worried about astigmatism?

Let's take a simple test with this method.

1. Take off your glasses, whether they are eyeglasses or glasses.

2. Hold the mobile phone at the same height as your eyes, and keep this position when you move the mobile phone horizontally from far to near to the position where you can just see the lines.

3. Gently cover one eye and look at the picture below with one eye.

4. Distinguish the color depth of the dotted line in **.

Self-test conclusion. If all the dotted lines are evenly arranged and there is no special distinction between shades and shades, there is no obvious astigmatism in the eye.

If the dotted line is particularly clear and black in one direction, it means that the eye has a certain degree of astigmatism.

However, Xiaoai reminds everyone: this is the most superficial way to measure whether astigmatism is superficial, and to the specific degree, you must go to a professional eye hospital for an in-depth examination. After astigmatism is found, it must be corrected in time to prevent the astigmatism from deepening.

What are the effects of too high astigmatism?

Affects the development of the visual cortex and causes amblyopia. Studies have found that there is a risk of amblyopia caused by regular and retrograde astigmatism of 150 degrees and above, and oblique axis astigmatism of 100 degrees and above, and the probability of amblyopia will increase with the increase of power. If the astigmatism is above 250 degrees, the probability of causing amblyopia is very high, whether it is in the same direction, in the reverse rule or on the oblique axis.

Affects unaided vision. The essence of astigmatism is also a refractive error, so when astigmatism reaches a certain degree, it will affect vision. However, astigmatism has a great impact on vision not only in power, but also in axial direction.

Affects binocular vision. We humans are binocular visual animals, so in the early years, in addition to vision, the development of binocular visual function is also very important. The development of normal binocular ** visual function requires the following basic conditions: the clarity, size, and color of the image seen by both eyes are similar. If there is a large difference in the amount of astigmatism between the two eyes, or if there is a large difference in the axial direction, it will cause the clarity of the image seen by the two eyes to be skewed, and it will be difficult for our brains to fuse. Eventually, monocular inhibition or even strabismus may occur.

Visual fatigue, headaches, eye discomfort, etc. Studies have found that the proportion of patients with astigmatism is very high in people with visual fatigue and headaches, and scientists speculate that this may also have a lot to do with the special blurred vision caused by astigmatism, and some children have also been found to tilt their heads and squint because of astigmatism.

Does my child need immediate intervention if he notices astigmatism?

Astigmatism, like myopia, has no way to do it except for refractive surgery (myopia laser or lens implantation) in adulthood. At present, the conventional medical intervention to deal with hyperastigmatism is to wear glasses or contact lenses (** glasses), and the purpose is very simple, that is, to make us see more clearly.

Therefore, one of the simplest and most basic conditions for judging whether a child needs to wear astigmatism glasses is to see whether astigmatism affects the naked eye, whether there is a risk of causing amblyopia, and whether it causes abnormal development of binocular vision function. Therefore, when considering whether to give a child glasses, it is not only a one-size-fits-all prescription, but also a child's naked eye vision, binocular vision function and other humanistic and psychological factors.

If the astigmatism is below 100 degrees and the binocular axis is symmetrical, there is no need to worry too much, and there is generally no problem. Astigmatism at 100 150 degrees, you must first look at the visual acuity, if the binocular vision is qualified and symmetrical, the child does not tilt the head, squint to see, etc., and the binocular vision function is well developed, then you can also temporarily do not wear glasses, but must be 3 months to half a year follow-up observation. When astigmatism is above 150 degrees, the probability of glasses will be greatly increased due to the risk of amblyopia, but it is still necessary to take it to the hospital for evaluation and examination.

Therefore, the child is found to have astigmatism for the first time.

Take it to a regular professional ophthalmic medical institution.

Do the relevant tests.

Further treatment should be done according to the advice of a medical professional.

Don't over-intervene because of anxiety.

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