Lazy Eye Astigmatism

Astigmatism in one eye can cause it to become what is known as "lazy eye". To understand exactly what type of eye disorder this is you need to understand what astigmatism is.

At the front of the eye, there is a curved window, known as the cornea, which is used to focus light. It is usually a smooth spherical shape, like a football. This smooth, round shape allows light to be focused onto one single point on the retina. The retina is the light sensitive area at the back of the eye, like the film in a camera. If light focuses on one part of the retina, vision will be clear.

Astigmatism occurs when the cornea is flattened, shaped more like a deflated football than a football. Light is focused on more than one point at the back of your eye. This causes blurred vision.

Many children under the age of 6 have astigmatism until their eyes mature. Since only one eye sees clearly, the other eye doesn't work as hard and becomes lazy.

The treatment for young children usually requires either eye drops (atropine) or to exercise the lazy eye. The eye is exercised by putting a patch over the good eye to make the lazy eye work at correcting its focus. After age 6 it is frequently acknowledged that a child may need more help in the form of lenses.

Whether young or old, take a close look at today's toric contact lenses to see if they may be the right choice for your lens correction.