Contacts and mild Astigmatism?

[Spera01]

I have a very mild case of astigmatism. I can see almost 20/20 with the exception of bright things ghosting (such as LED lights, lights at night, white on black text, or anything bright on a dark contrast). I was recently was prescribed glasses by my ophthalmologist to see if they'd help with my vision. He originally said I didn't need the glasses if I didn't want to, but since I tend to use the computer a lot and like to play a lot of video games, I requested the glasses since the ghosting is extremely annoying.

Anyway, he prescribed my glasses to me about 3 weeks ago, and I finally got them yesterday. However, when I wear them, they don't change anything. Everything still stays the same; the ghosting doesn't get better or worse. In fact, if anything I notice that everything gets slightly foggier/lighter in color. I feel like I'm looking through normal window glass while I'm wearing them.

Anyway, onto my question. I recently heard that certain contact lenses can help with mild astigmatism, especially with ghosting. Is this true? If so how can I go to obtain these? Do I need to call my ophthalmologist and be prescribed them as well? Also, are they a specific type of contact lenses and if so, any idea what the price range may be?

This ghosting has been driving me nuts for months now, and I really just want to have something to be able to correct it, if possible. Thanks for any replies in advance, I really appreciate it!

[gwencalon]

Hi there
Just a quick reply, since I'm at work now ;)

Yes, I notice a lot of difference with glasses on with the ghosting. However, it's a bit hard for me to isolate just the ghosting, because I see everything blurry in the distance. But, for instance, when looking at the moon without glasses, inspite it's all blurry, I can still distinguish some sort of 4 or 5 layers of "semi-transparent moons" (yep, not just double!) with some offset from each other. With glasses it gets minimized a lot (i just see a bit of double ghosting and lack of sharpness) - but, like I've been saying, under certain light conditions it may be a lot worse (for example, there's a board with very bright violet numbers here: I see about 3 layers of offset numbers - and with glasses - it feels terrible looking at it!).

About the charts, perhaps later I'll send you some simulated images of how I see them, for you to have an idea.. but I can clearly notice I see vertical lines better/darker.

Thanks for the hint on HOA's! Well, let's not spectulate too much =P.. but we could be dealing with something like that.

I found this website with some nice info:
http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/aberrations.htm
http://www.allaboutvision.com/lenses/wavefront-lenses.htm

In the first site, they say:
"Aberrations also may result when dry eye diminishes your eye's tear film, which helps bend or refract light rays to achieve focus."

When talking about someone who stays a long time in front of tv/computer, this could be it, I guess... Dry eye, eye strain..

I have a friend who suffers from keratoconus and he sees reeeeeally bad! It may depend on the degree, but I doubt you'd see almost 20/20 with that ;)

[Spera01]

Hey, I apologize for taking so long to reply.

Yes, I'm gonna wear them for at least week to see if I notice any change. If not, I'm going to call my ophthalmologist.

Yeah, I've heard about some of the issues that come with wearing lenses. I'd only rather not, but since I'm someone who spends a lot of their free time watching tv/playing games, the ghosting is kind of a big deal to me, since it seems to happen the most during these times. Like I said, I'm gonna try to see if the glasses help at all before I give my doctor a call. Maybe the prescription is just off or something? Do you notice any difference when you put on your glasses with the ghosting, and if so, how much?

And yes, that makes sense. I agree that it'd probably be best to rest my eyes. I do notice that after I wake up in the morning, or if I close my eyes for a long period of time (say for about 15 minutes) and reopen them, the ghosting is gone for a little while. This makes me wonder if part of it could be due to eye strain. I have been sleeping a lot lately however, and it hasn't gone away, so I'm unsure. I'll probably try some eye exercises and see if they help.

Nice find with the tests, thank you! Unfortunately, from what I can tell, I notice no difference with those charts no matter the distance I'm standing. I can see the black lines clearly and they don't appear wavy/blurry as far as I can tell... The top does ghost a little though in the first test, but that's it. I also don't notice any difference with my glasses on either.

As for your question, I'm no doctor, but after a little research I've done over the past weeks, ghost images can be caused by many things, not just astigmatism. There are multiple things from diseases such as keratoconus (a disease which makes the cornea in your eye bulge outward in an almost triangular shape) to minor things such as eye strain. They can also be caused by higher order aberrations, or HOA's, which from what I can tell, could be what we both have since I hear doctors sometimes have a hard time diagnosing and correcting them.

[gwencalon]

I was wondering, can ghost images have another cause besides astigmatism?
Can a doctor provide an insight here?

[gwencalon]

Hi again

Yes, I think, in some cases, there can be an adaptation period. However, in your case of mild astigmatism, I think you should imediatelly notice the difference for better. Try wearing them for a while anyway.

About the contacts, I don't think they would eventually fix the astigmatism (or perhaps if it's very low they could), but you're right. I've been searching a bit more an some do say it could provide a sharper vision.

New contact lenses appear every day, with new technology to make them more confortable and better for your eye. Looking at the computer screen for a long time can cause dry eye (even if you see ok), and I think lenses can make this worse. However, I know several people who work all day in front of the computer and wear contacts with no problem... you can always put some eye drops, if needed. These are issues that, if you decide to go for lenses, I'm sure your doctor will explain to you. If the ghosts won't go away, ask your doctor what he thinks about lenses and if he can give you some free samples for you to try on.

Thanks for your images! It is indeed very similiar to how I see far bright things in the dark, mainly (and with my glasses on!). If I take off glasses and look at the TV power button its just like that (a bit less sharp, because of myopia). With glasses on, if the TV isn't very far, it gets a lot better, but still not perfect. So yes, I get star bursts in my vision too.

I'm 27 and I wear glasses since I was about your age. Back then, I had no idea I was seeing so bad (no reference!) but, when putting my first glasses on, everything got sharper and more contrasting - but hey, I have myopia too. When I don't rest my eyes enough, or spend a lot of time looking at a close distance, I realize my vision gets worse. See if you get enough sleep and take regular brakes when you're ate the computer and make some eye exercises, like looking at further distances, closer, etc.

You can find some astigmatism tests online. For example:

http://library.thinkquest.org/C005949/fun/astigmatism.htm
http://www.perret-optic.ch/optometrie/test_vision_astigmatisme/opto_test_astigmatisme_gb.htm
http://www.vision-training.com/Vision%20test/Astigmatism%20test.htm
http://www.jnjvision.com/thinking-whocanwear-test.htm

I see vertical lines better. So, when looking at those circles they seem a bit oval, and vertical lines are black and get grey when turning horizontal (because ghosts are on the vertical direction). The first one, with the concentric circles, I see much darker on the sides (an increasing from the center to the border) than on the top/bottom, where the lines are closer to being vertical. How about you? Can you notice the difference looking at these pictures with and without glasses?

[Spera01]

Oh, I also forgot to mention that I see slight "streaks" or rays of light sometimes if I look at glowing buttons in the dark, such as a power button a tv. Here's an example I made:

http://img815.imageshack.us/img815/335/streakexample.png

Also included an example of the ghosting i experiance (example of both text and the moon):

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/963/ghostingexample.png

P.S. Also for reference, the ghosting some days appears worse while others it appears better.

[Spera01]

Hey, thanks for the replies. I agree with you about going to see if my prescription is right first. It's just weird to me that when I put them on, the only thing that happens is that everything gets a tiny bit foggier. If anything, I expected things to be possibly sharper, but the fogginess seems to slightly remove the sharpness if anything.

I'm wondering if maybe I wear them for a certain period of time, things will get better? Since I've gotten them, I haven't really used them much due to the no help they provide. I used them most of the day I got them, but then stopped, and just continued to use them earlier today to read part of a book possibly hoping that I could somewhat be suffering from eye strain as well and to see if it helps.

As for the contacts, I heard since they're spherical and are actually directly in your eye, they help guide light into your eyes correctly, reducing the ghosting if not significantly; then completely. I haven't heard anything about them eventually fixing the astigmatism though.

I agree with you there honestly. I'd prefer not wearing them since I can imagine trying to put them in/take em out would be hard for me to do. However, the ghosting that I'm experiencing is starting to really irritate me. If I try to read white text in a film or on tv (such as subtitles) and see almost of double of it, I find myself no longer focusing on what I'm watching, but more at the ghosting. If contacts are truly the only way to correct it, I think I might be willing to suffer through it. Are they truly not comfortable to wear though while watching tv/working on a computer?

As for your case, it sounds very similar. I see almost double when I look at the moon at night, or if I look at a illuminated billboard, see part of it ghosted onto the sky. Do you see halos/star bursts in your vision as well? I notice them a lot around street lights and some car lights. I mentioned them to my ophthalmologist when I got examined but he said it was probably just due to the astigmatism and that I didn't have any trace of cataracts, glaucoma, or any other type of disease in my eye. I don't think I could be suffering from photo-sensitivity as much as it is a refraction problem, but maybe. How long have you been experiencing you're symptoms? I'm 18 years old and just recently started experiencing mine early october. It hasn't gone away since then.

[gwencalon]

Just one more thing, personally, I'm not against contact lenses. Even with almost perfect vision, if you don't use eye correction just when watching tv at home or at the computer but also when going out, you may prefer these to glasses.. Please ask advice to your doctor to see what's best for you.

Also, it's funny. I just posted an issue of mine and I just realized your case is not so different. Like I said, i also have astigmatism (and myopia) and, although doctors say I have 20/20 vision with my glasses, I still see the ghosts you mention, mainly under certain light conditions, like traffics signs at night or trying to read an illuminated advertisement even with huge letters.. or even looking at the moon - they all show ghosts. Maybe my problem has nothing to do with yours (and you just got the wrong glasses), but... could you suffer some type of photosensitivity? Once a doctor prescribed me some drops for that, but it didn't work.

[gwencalon]

Hi there.

I'm no expert, but I also suffer from astigmatism.

First, I think you should go to the optician where you bought your glasses and ask for a review to see if they are according to the prescription. If they are, call your doctor and say you still have the same problem.

As to your questions, contact lenses are prescribed by your doctor, just as glasses are. Yes, I've also read something about contact lenses (of the rigid type) helping to decrease astigmatism. Supposedly, if you wear them long enough, they can help to correct the shape of the astigmatic cornea. However, I don't know if this is actually true, but you can always ask your doctor.

However, although I read somewhere that contact lenses provide a better eyesight correction than glasses, I believe that the glasses you were prescribed should correct the problem the same way contact lenses would. What you heard about contact lenses being better, is probably related to the continuous use I mentioned and, therefore, could end up with the same "instantaneous" result - but, like I also said, please confirm.

Besides, since you have very mild astigmatism, I'm not sure wearing contacts justifies - I find it quite unconfortable (but that's just me, I would love to wear contacts instead of glasses!), and some don't recomend wearing them while at the computer or watching tv - probably beacause of dry eye. Prices vary, depending on the type and duration of the lenses.