Have you experienced blurring of vision when you were a child? Or is your child complaining of headache due to a distorted vision? You or your child may be suffering from astigmatism. Let us know more about this condition and discover the answer to the question: How common is astigmatism in children?

 What is astigmatism?

Astigmatism is a genetic disorder that is described as an irregularity in the curvature of the cornea or the surface of the eye. Normally, when our eyes are struck by light, it focuses on the retina. However, because the curve of the cornea is irregularly shaped, the light deflects and it causes blurring or distortion of vision.

Causes of astigmatism

Genes. Although it is unclear how one can have genes that cause astigmatism, doctors found out that this condition has a genetic predisposition.

Preterm birth. Premature babies have high chances of having astigmatism when they group. Actually, they may already have it as an infant but because they don’t know that they are already experiencing something abnormal, it is only through an eye exam that they are detected.

Eye surgeries. There may be a possibility that eye surgery can cause injury to the cornea.

Keratoconus. This degenerative disorder thins out the layers of the cornea, making your vision blurry.

How to diagnose astigmatism in kids

When you visit an eye specialist/ophthalmologist or your pediatrician with a complaint about your child’s vision, there are tests that can be used to determine if they indeed have astigmatism. The regular visual acuity test, astigmatic dial, keratometer, and corneal topography are just some of the tested diagnostic exams that identify astigmatism in children.