The shape of your eye is like a sphere to ensure the light bends evenly when it enters the eye. This helps you have a clear view of the object. However, your eye is more like the back of a spoon when you have astigmatism. Due to this changed shape, your eye refracts light more in one direction as compared to the other. When this happens, you can have only part of the object in focus at a time. Objects at distance may look wavy or blurry in this case. It is a tricky issue and often makes people wonder if they can correct astigmatism. Let's find out if it is possible and how to do it.

How to Correct Astigmatism

In most cases, you can fix the issue by wearing properly prescribed contact lenses or eyeglasses. Corrective lenses are usually not required for people with only a slight degree of astigmatism – this is usually true when you do not have other conditions, such as farsightedness or nearsightedness. You will require corrective lenses though when your astigmatism is moderate to high.

Corrective lenses work fine to correct astigmatism. Your doctor may prescribe special soft contact lenses (toric lenses) to correct the condition because these lenses have greater light-bending power in one direction as compared to the other.

It is possible for people to have irregular astigmatism, even though the condition is far less common and occurs when people also have keratoconus or other conditions that affect the cornea. Corneal procedures or the use of rigid gas permeable may help correct your vision in case of irregular astigmatism.

Refractive surgery is another common treatment option. The procedure involves using a laser beam to correct the shape of the cornea. Keep in mind that not everyone with astigmatism is a good candidate for refractive surgery. You need to have healthy eyes without any retinal problems or corneal scars to be able to benefit from refractive surgery.

Natural Ways That Help with Astigmatism

Along with wearing contact lenses, you can also learn how to correct astigmatism with some natural treatments. In most cases, you need to stick to certain eye exercises that help fix the shape of your eyes. Here is what you can do:

1. Read and Focus

• Find a safe position and maintain an upright stance. Ensure that you are not wearing your corrective lenses.
• Get a book and read some text in it. Then, change your gaze to a playing card or a different object and switch back to the text in the book.
• Keep switching between the text and the other object until your eyes become tired.
• Give your eyes some rest and try the exercise again.

Ensure that you do not strain your eyes while exercising. By doing this exercise regularly, you will make your eyes more comfortable switching between reading and focusing. Your eyes will not get tired quickly, which actually confirms you are making some progress.

2. Check Your Head

You need to pay serious attention to the position of your head. When you have astigmatism, it is common to tilt your head in one direction or another. Get your head in a neutral position every time you feel like tilting it to right or left. Do not worry if you find yourself tilting your head quite often – continue fixing it and you will notice a great improvement.

3. Fun with Paper

You can try an interesting exercise that is not only fun but is also great for your peripheral vision. Here is what to do:

• Get a piece of thick paper long enough to cover your eyes but not block your side vision.
• Get in a comfortable and safe position first and ensure you are not wearing your corrective lenses.
• Get a piece of tape and attach it to the paper. Now, attach the tape to your forehead along with the paper just above the bridge of your nose in a way that it covers your eyes completely but lets you see from the corner of your eyes.
• Raise one of your hands up to the level of your eyes – it should be to the side of your eye.
• Now, move your eyes without moving your head to the side and try seeing each finger.
• Repeat the same with your other eye and continue for a few minutes or until you feel your eyes become a bit tired.

4. Improve Your Focus

In order to learn how to correct astigmatism, you need to learn how to correct your focus. If you could somehow retrain the focus of your eyes, you will be able to strengthen your eyesight and correct astigmatism as well. Here is what you can do.

• Find a comfortable place to sit.
• Cover one of your eyes, preferably your astigmatic eye and focus on a distant object with your other eye.
• Repeat the same with your other eye and continue doing the exercise for a few minutes.
• Do the exercise daily for 3-4 minutes to notice improvement in your vision.

5. Take Vitamins

You may notice a considerable improvement in your eyesight by eliminating free radicals in the eyes. Free radicals deteriorate your eyesight over time. You can eliminate them by increasing your vitamin C intake, an active antioxidant that prevents free radical damage. You should be getting at least 75-90mg of vitamin C daily. You can get it from fruits and veggies or take a supplement to meet your recommended daily intake of vitamin C.