What Is It?
Astigmatism is one of the most common vision conditions — and one of the least understood. It occurs when your cornea (the clear front surface of your eye) or lens is shaped more like a football than a basketball. This irregular curvature causes light to focus on multiple points instead of one, resulting in blurry or distorted vision at all distances.
About 1 in 3 people have some degree of astigmatism. Many don’t even realize it because they’ve never known anything different.
How Common Is It?
- Affects approximately 33% of the population
- Often present from birth
- Can occur alongside nearsightedness or farsightedness
- Frequently goes undiagnosed in mild cases
Signs You Might Have It
- Streetlights, headlights, or stars appear to have rays or streaks extending outward
- Difficulty reading small text, especially at night
- Eyestrain or headaches after prolonged reading or screen use
- Squinting to see clearly at any distance
- Difficulty driving at night due to glare from oncoming headlights
What To Do
If the starburst simulator above looks familiar, you may want to:
- Schedule an eye exam — A simple refraction test can diagnose astigmatism in minutes
- Mention the starbursts — Tell your optometrist about any starburst or halo effects you see around lights
- Explore correction options — Glasses, toric contact lenses, or refractive surgery can correct astigmatism
- Don’t worry — Astigmatism is extremely common and easily corrected