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Last Updated: Thursday, 23 July 2015 18:27

Written by Dr. Donald H. Mershon

Summary: Several optical errors can affect vision. As discussed elsewhere, both nearsightedness and farsightedness affect the overall spherical curvature of the eye's optical surfaces. In contrast, astigmatisms involve departures from the spherical curvature itself. A common form of astigmatism may cause a cornea to be more strongly curved along one axis (e.g., from top-to-bottom) than across another (e.g., from side-to-side). Although most simple astigmatisms can be readily corrected with glasses or contacts, other forms of astigmatism involve complex corneal misshapes that challenge simple correction.

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