Does Vision Therapy Help with Astigmatism?

Do you struggle with glare, blurry vision, or eyestrain due to astigmatism? Vision therapy could help you manage your symptoms and improve your vision.

What Is Astigmatism?

Astigmatism occurs due to an irregularly shaped cornea or lens. The rounded cornea covers the iris and pupil, while the curved lens is located just behind your iris. Both the cornea and lens bend light entering the eye and focus it on the light-sensing retinal cells at the back of the eye.

If the cornea or lens isn't uniformly shaped, some light is focused in front of or behind the retina instead of directly on it. This causes blurry vision at all distances. Astigmatism may occur in addition to myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness).

If your parents have astigmatism, you may be more likely to develop it too. Your astigmatism risk may be higher if you've had an eye injury or eye surgery.

Blurry vision and glare due to astigmatism can lead to eyestrain and headaches, particularly if you must squint to see clearly. You might notice that it's difficult to concentrate on your screen by the end of the work day or find that night driving is challenging due to the halos around lights. Children with astigmatism may struggle with schoolwork, which can lead to poor grades.

If astigmatism isn't corrected, you could develop amblyopia (lazy eye), according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Amblyopia happens when the brain ignores the signals from one eye. If you have amblyopia, closing one eye or tilting your head may make it easier to see well. Do you wish you weren't so clumsy? You may be more likely to run into things or struggle to coordinate your movements if amblyopia affects your depth perception.

Treating Astigmatism with Vision Therapy

Astigmatism is traditionally treated with eyeglasses or contact lenses that correct the way light enters the eye, improving the sharpness of your vision. Some people with astigmatism opt for laser refractive surgery that permanently reshapes the cornea. Vision therapy offers another option.

Vision therapy is more than just eye exercises. Vision therapy strengthens the connection between the eyes and the brain and can even create new neural pathways in the brain. Vision therapists use a variety of therapies and tools to improve vision, including hands-on activities, computer and virtual reality games, prisms, filters, lenses, and balance boards.

Your vision therapy plan will depend on your diagnosis, as astigmatism can sometimes occur along with other vision problems. A typical vision therapy plan may focus on:

• Enhancing the Brain-Eye Connection. Although vision therapy can't change the shape of your cornea or lens, it can improve the way your brain processes the information it receives from the eyes.
• Treating Other Visual Conditions. Vision therapy improves other conditions that can occur along with amblyopia, such as eye tracking, eye teaming, visual processing, visual memory problems or convergence insufficiency.
• Improving Eye Coordination. Good binocular vision is essential for sharp, clear vision. Binocular vision involves using both eyes equally to see. If you have astigmatism, your binocular visual skills may not be as strong as they could be. Vision therapy activities will train your eyes to work together, which may improve your astigmatism symptoms.
• Decreasing Eye Strain. Eye strain is a common complaint, particularly among people who use digital screens for work, school or entertainment. Vision therapy can reduce eye strain and headaches by improving your focusing and eye coordination skills.

Are you struggling with astigmatism? Why not enhance your vision naturally with vision therapy? Contact our office to schedule an appointment with the vision therapist.

Sources:

American Academy of Ophthalmology: What Is Astigmatism? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, 10/1/2024

https://www.aao.org/eye-health/diseases/what-is-astigmatism

American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology & Strabismus: Vision Therapy, 4/2023

https://www.aapos.org/glossary/vision-therapy

All About Vision: What Is (And Isn’t) Vision Therapy for Children, 2/27/2019

https://www.allaboutvision.com/parents/vision_therapy.htm