Astigmatism

Astigmatism is a common eye disorder characterized by a faulty curvature of the eyeballs. This causes nearsightedness and blurred vision.

For astigmatism to occur, the front surface of your eye, which is your lens or cornea must have mismatched curves. People with astigmatism have abnormal shape of eyeballs.

Instead of their eyes having shape like a round ball, the surface takes the shape of an egg. This leads to blurred vision at any distance.

Astigmatism can occur at birth and it can also occur in combination with long or short-sightedness. At the beginning, it is not pronounced enough to need correction.

At this stage, you can quickly handle it by changing your diet to healthy ones and intake of herbs.

Symptoms of Astigmatism

Common signs and symptoms of astigmatism are:

  • Squinting
  • Difficulty seeing at night or in a dark room
  • Headaches
  • Optic discomforts and eyestrain
  • Distorted or blurred vision
  • Difficulty driving at night

Causes of Astigmatism

Astigmatism is caused by a defect in the cornea and lens of your eyes. It happens when these structures with curved surfaces have a problem.

Your lens and cornea bend or refract light that shines on the retina. This is what makes it possible to see images. Your lenses change shape so that you can focus on near objects.

In a perfectly shaped eye, the lens and cornea have a round curvature.

Types of Astigmatism

Corneal astigmatism

This is the most common form of astigmatism. It is caused by an abnormally shaped cornea.

Lenticular astigmatism

This type is similar to corneal astigmatism. It affects the lens and not the cornea. In this condition, the lens does not have a perfect curve. This makes the images reach the retina imperfectly.

Most people with this form of astigmatism have a cornea with a perfect shape.

Astigmatism can also be classified based on their combination with other refractive errors. They are myopic, hyperopic, and mixed astigmatism.

Myopic astigmatism is combined with nearsightedness. The two curves are focused in front of the retina. Hyperopic astigmatism occurs when it is mixed with farsightedness. The two curves focus at the back of the retina here.

Mixed astigmatism occurs when one curve is farsighted and the other curve is nearsightedness. Regular curve astigmatism occurs when the two curves are at 90 degrees to each other.

Irregular astigmatism is not at angle 90 degrees to each other and it can be caused by trauma, surgery, and an eye condition called keratoconus. In this condition, the cornea keeps getting thin gradually.

Effective Home Remedies for Astigmatism

While this is not yet serious where corrective surgeries and glasses are given, you can correct the condition by following the tips below.

One of the most important ways to go about this is to improve your nutrition. You have to eat healthy and good foods.

Carrots

These are superfoods for the eyes. Carrots have many nutrients needed by the eyes. It relieves the symptoms of astigmatism and makes vision clear.

It is rich in beta-carotene, an important nutrient that is needed by the body to make vitamin A. blend organic carrots and drink the juice without sieving.

Take the carrot whole, don’t throw any part away. Take this throughout your day. Take this in-between meals, before meals, and even on an empty stomach every morning.

Eye exercises

This is one of the most effective home remedies for exercise. You can do it anywhere and at any time of the day.

How to do eye exercise 1

  • Relax your eyes, especially the eye with astigmatism first
  • Cover the dominant eye and try to focus the non-dominant eye on a distant object
  • Uncover the eye and repeat same with the other eye
  • You can do this many times daily to improve your vision.

How to do eye exercise 2

  • Pick a far object and focus on it. Do this while standing
  • Focus on it for a while then gently sway your body to your left and right-hand side
  • Make sure you don’t take your eyes off the object while you sway
  • Do not lose focus, you can do this by swaying slowly
  • If you feel your eyes strain, you can blink and do this after a while
  • Do this many times daily for effective results

Vitamin C

This is a powerful natural antioxidant. Antioxidants are needed by your eyes to eliminate free radicals. Free radicals can cause astigmatism and other vision problems when they get into your eye environment.

Vitamin C is found abundantly in citrus fruits. You can also find it in green leafy vegetables.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E is another powerful antioxidant. It relieves astigmatism and other eye problems. It fights inflammation, this will help reduce blurred vision.

Vitamin E is found in seeds and nuts, and green vegetables.

Amla

Also known as Indian gooseberry is used in Ayurveda to treat eye problems. It is dense in vitamins, nutrients, and phytochemicals that boost eyesight.

Amla relieves astigmatic eyes. It repairs optic cells and tissues. You can get amla extract from a reputable health store if you don’t have access to the fresh berries.

Turmeric

This is one of the strongest antioxidant in nature. The active compound in turmeric, Curcumin is a powerful antioxidant that fights inflammation.

It is also a natural antibiotic. It reduces the levels of cholesterol. This will unclog your arteries and capillary blood vessels. This will improve the flow of blood, oxygen, and nutrients to your eyes.

You can take turmeric tea daily. You can also add it to your meals, it is a wonderful spice.

Ginkgo Biloba

This is another popular traditional herb for eye problems. It unclogs your blood vessels and purifies your blood. It also reduces your levels of cholesterol thereby clearing up your optic blood vessels.

You can get ginkgo tea in a good health store.

Cassia seeds

Cassia seeds have been used in Chinese medicines for hundreds of years to treat vision problems. It treats blurry vision, one of the main symptoms of astigmatism.

It improves your vision and relieves optic discomforts. Boil these seeds in water and drink this decoction three times daily.

Milk thistle

This herb handles toxins that cause astigmatism. It flushes toxins out of the body. Check with your doctor before taking this herb if you are on any prescription drugs.

You can get milk thistle extract, silymarin at a reputable health store.

Green tea

Green tea is a storehouse of powerful antioxidants. It repairs damaged cells and tissues in the eyes. It makes blood reach your eyes easily. Take as many cups of green tea as you can daily.

Egg yolk

Egg yolk has many carotenoids. Your eyes need these nutrients to work best. These carotenoids contain antioxidants that can help your vision.

Add eggs to your breakfast. Make sure you use organic eggs.

Green vegetables

Green leafy vegetables like spinach are dense in eye-boosting nutrients. Spinach contains beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin. These nutrients are needed for good eyesight.

Take your green vegetables raw. Blend them and drink it. These nutrients won’t be lost by heat when you do this. Also, use other green leafy vegetables.

Sources

  1. Astigmatism AOA