Astigmatism, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

By Kenneth Kee

This book describes Astigmatism, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases

Why is Astigmatism so important?
It is to me because I develop astigmatism after my cataract operation.
It affects my night vision to the extent that I have wear eye glasses when driving at night.

Astigmatism is a disorder in which the cornea of the eye is curved differently leading to blurred and distorted vision at all distances.

The eyeball is flattened normally from above downwards or occasionally sideways or along an oblique axis.

It is different from near or far sightedness.

It is therefore important to recognize Astigmatism and seek the correct treatment for it.

Astigmatism is a frequent form of refractive error that produces blurred vision

It appears when the cornea (the clear front cover of the eye) is irregularly shaped (more oval than round) or occasionally due to the curvature of the lens inside the eye.

Astigmatism is induced by an irregularly shaped cornea or lens that stops light from focusing properly to a single point on the retina, the light-sensitive surface at the back of the eye.

In this instance, the vision becomes out of focus at any distance.

Also, the curvature of the lens inside the eye can alter, resulting in a rise or reduction of the degree in astigmatism.

This change often happens in adulthood and can happen before the development of naturally happening cataracts.

Astigmatism often happens with other vision disorders like myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness).

Together these vision disorders are regarded as refractive error disorders since they influence how the eyes bend or "refract" light.

Astigmatism is normally an inherited disorder where the curvature of the cornea of the eye is different from a normal person.

Due to the curvature the eye is seeing the objects in front of it at a different angle.

The light is entering the eye at a different angle which cast shadows and induces blurred vision.

Other causes of Astigmatism are from:
1. Eye surgery or
2. Sport injuries

Astigmatism appears when the light is bent differently depending on where it reaches the cornea and passes through the eyeball.

It can happen due to a relatively rare disorder called keratoconus in which the cornea becomes progressively thinner and cone-shaped

The astigmatism can decrease or increase over time.

Astigmatism can involve both children and adults.

Some patients with slight astigmatism will not observe much change in their vision.

It is essential to have eye examinations at regular intervals in order to detect any astigmatism early on for children.

The most important symptom is blurred vision at any distance, unlike near or far sightedness.

Other symptoms are:
1. Blurred and distorted vision of near and distant objects
2. Blurring of vertical, horizontal and diagonal lines
3. Eye strain and fatigue
4. Sensitivity to light
5. Tired and dry eyes
6. Headaches
7. Squinting
8. Difficulty seeing and driving at night

An eye examination is accompanied by vision tests and computerized testing of the curvature of eye, nearsightness, farsightness and any other abnormality of eye vision.

A keratometer measures the curvature of the cornea.

The treatment of astigmatism can be done with eyeglasses, contact lenses, or surgery.

The person’s lifestyle affects the way the astigmatism is treated.

Orthokeratology requires the fitting of a series of rigid contact lenses to reshape the cornea.

Refractive Surgery aims to alter the shape of the cornea permanently.

Astigmatism can also be treated by reshaping the cornea through LASIK (laser in situ keratomileusis) or PRK (photorefractive keratectomy).

TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 Astigmatism
Chapter 2 Causes
Chapter 3 Symptoms

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kenneth Kee
• Release date: Oct 13, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005549688

Kenneth Kee

Medical doctor since 1972.Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009.Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993.Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 74However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours inthe afternoon.He first started writing free blogs on medical disorders seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com.His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiography account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.comThis autobiography account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com.From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 1000 eBooks.He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books.He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures.Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.The later books go into more details of medical disorders.He has published 1000 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter.The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health disorders and not meant as textbooks.He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke.His clinic is now relocated to the Buona Vista Community Centre.The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall.He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) startingwith the Apple computer and going to PC.The entire PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core.The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive.He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance.His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner.The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned.This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale.Dr Kee is the author of:"A Family Doctor's Tale""Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine""Case Notes From A Family Doctor"

Book preview

Astigmatism,

A

Simple

Guide

To

The Condition,

Diagnosis,

Treatment

And

Related Conditions

By

Dr Kenneth Kee

M.B.,B.S. (Singapore)

Ph.D (Healthcare Administration)

Copyright Kenneth Kee 2020 Smashwords Edition

Published by Kenneth Kee at Smashwords.com

Dedication

This book is dedicated

To my wife Dorothy

And my children

Carolyn, Grace

And Kelvin

This book describes Astigmatism, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases which is seen in some of my patients in my Family Clinic.

(What You Need to Treat Astigmatism)

This e-Book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader.

If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Introduction

I have been writing medical articles for my blog: http://kennethkee.blogspot.com (A Simple Guide to Medical Disorder) for the benefit of my patients since 2007.

My purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of my patients.

Health Education was also my dissertation for my Ph.D (Healthcare Administration).

I then wrote an autobiography account of my journey as a medical student to family doctor on my other blog: http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com.

This autobiography account A Family Doctor’s Tale was combined with my early A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders into a new Wordpress Blog A Family Doctor’s Tale on http://kenkee481.wordpress.com.

From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 800 eBooks.

Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.

For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.

The later books go into more details of medical disorders.

The first chapter is always from my earlier blogs which unfortunately tends to have typos and spelling mistakes.

Since 2013, I have tried to improve my spelling and writing.

As I tried to bring the patient the latest information about a disorder or illness by reading the latest journals both online and offline, I find that I am learning more and improving on my own medical knowledge in diagnosis and treatment for my patients.

My diagnosis and treatment capability has improved tremendously from my continued education.

Just by writing all these simple guides I find that I have learned a lot from your reviews (good or bad), criticism and advice.

I am sorry for the repetitions in these simple guides as the second chapters onwards have new information as compared to my first chapter taken from my blog.

I also find repetition definitely help me and maybe some readers to remember the facts in the books more easily.

I apologize if these repetitions are irritating to some readers.

Chapter 1

Astigmatism

What is Astigmatism?

Astigmatism is a disorder in which the cornea of the eye is curved differently leading to blurred and distorted vision at all distances.

The eyeball is flattened normally from above downwards or occasionally sideways or along an oblique axis.