Astigmatism

My daughter who is 5 years old was seen by a pediatric opthalmologist 2 days ago and we were told she has astigmatism along with nearsightedness.
here left eye  is 20/80 and right eye is 20/50. the doctor at this point has not presciribed glasses for her.
How bad is it right now?
What questions do I need toa sk the doctor?
What is the prognosis?
How can I help slow the astigmatism?
How do I know if her astigmatism is severe?
Can the  astigmatism be slowed down?
i have read if the vision does not improve by 9 could cause blindness. how true is this? what are the chances of this happening?
Any advice?
We are worried sick for our baby and any good advice would help.

[Ray T Oyakawa, MD]

Not enough information.  What are the numbers?  Doe she see 20/20 with correction?

Dr. O.

[anjali0304]

Dear DR. ray,
thank yuou for replying back. I am not sure what numbers you are asking for. If you give me more information i can ask my doctor. She did see 20/20 with the corrective lense at the doctors clinic.
Thank you again.
regards
A

[ash1031]

Did everything go alright with your daughter's  visit?

I should preface by saying that I am not a doctor. But, I am a 26 yr old female, and I also was diagnosed with severe astigmatism and near sightedness when I was 5. My mother was also very worried and anxious about the experience. But, my first pair of glasses was one my greatest experiences. I had no idea I couldn't see before. It was so wonderful to finally be able to do so. I am sure that your daughter will have also be happy to see.

I am guessing that the numbers to which the doctor referred are those in your daughter's eye prescription. The second number in the prescription is the cylinder, and that is the part that addresses astigmatism. I don't know what constitutes severe, but anything over -3 is considered pretty bad. Mine is -4.75. But, astigmatism is not a degenerative disease or anything. So, you shouldn't worry about "slowing it down". It just simply means that your daughter's eye is not shaped correctly , and this means that light is not properly refracted. This is fixed easily with glasses.

Sometimes this gets a little better with age. Mine has. Sometimes it gets a little worse. But, wearing corrective lenses is the best thing that you can do. Problems usually develop by not having corrective lenses because the eyes are compensating. Some advise, though. Be sure  that her glasses do not get bent. This effects the axis,  or the curvature of the lens. And, the problems with this are more severe with astigmatism. (I once changed my vision with glasses from 20/20 to 20/40 from sitting on them at the playground) But, children tend not to  inform parents of injuries to glasses.

Anyway, I hope this helps! Congrats on getting some glasses, and good luck!