Astigmatism

In an eye with astigmatism, the cornea (the clear front window of the eye) or the lens inside is shaped a little more like a rugby ball than a perfectly round one. Light then focuses at more than one point, so vision can look slightly blurred or stretched at both near and far distances.

It very often sits alongside short-sightedness or long-sightedness, and most people have a small amount. It usually stays fairly stable, though it can shift slowly over the years.

It's almost always simply the natural shape of your cornea or lens — usually something you're born with.

Occasionally it can change after an eye injury, surgery, or with certain corneal conditions.

For everyday vision, astigmatism is easily corrected with glasses or contact lenses, usually through your optometrist — most people never need anything more.

Where it matters to us is during eye surgery: if you're having cataract surgery, a toric (astigmatism-correcting) lens can address both the cataract and the astigmatism at once, reducing how much you rely on glasses afterwards. Dr Leong can talk through whether that's an option for you.