Astigmatism

Astigmatism is the most common vision problem. It is usually caused by an irregularly shaped front surface of the eye (the cornea). Astigmatism is accompanied by an inability of the eye to focus clearly. Astigmatism can occur alone or along with short sighted or long-sightedness.

Astigmatism occurs when the cornea is shaped more like a rugby ball and is more curved in one direction than the other, instead of shaped like a spherical soccer ball. The curves of a cornea with astigmatism skew the light and cause the inability of the eye to focus properly. 

Almost all eyes have a little astigmatism, but in most cases, it is so minor that vision is not affected. For those have more than slight astigmatism, it can noticeably blur vision unless glasses are worn

Many adults may experience deterioration in reading vision. This condition is known as Presbyopia. If you that you need to hold the newspaper/menu/book further away to be able to read the text, you may have developed Presbyopia. Problems may also occur with work like embroidery, handwriting and sewing.

Up until around 45 years of age, the eye is naturally able to move and flex to allow clear vision at different distances. With age, the natural lens loses this ability because it begins to harden, and it struggles to focus on close objects. Distance vision is not usually affected.

This is a normal aging process that can be treated with reading glasses or bifocals. Laser eye surgery is another option that can be utilised to treat Presbyopia.