my baby has astigmatism

[angie1009]

dear dr. hagan

my daughter  (only 1 year and 10 mos.) was diagnosed to have astigmatism
pedia optha sd it is 150. is there a cure for it? the doctor advised me to be back in 6mos,
did'nt prescribed any medication or drops for her eye. can you please enlighten me about this
problem

thank you!

[JohnHaganMD]

=

[PaceHo]

Thanks Doctor for the information.

[JohnHaganMD]

There are only a very very few  pediatric refractive laser teams in the world but it will become more common. So you're looking at a cooperative older child probably 12-16 years of age

JCH MD

[PaceHo]

Hi Doctor,

When can the child do refractive laser?

[JohnHaganMD]

The glasses are necessary for the eyes and vision to develop normally. The glasses do not make astigmatism "go away" it clears the blurred vision the astigmatism causes. That degree of astigmatism will likely not go away. When the child is older perhaps a refractive laser can be used to round the cornea and make the astigmatism go away.

This often runs in families. Make sure all children are checked for astigmatism

JCH MD

[PaceHo]

Hi Doctor,

My 8 months old baby having serious astigmatism, 350 at right eye and 400 at left eye.
Will it be okay when she grow up? if wear glasses, will it be okay after that or need to wear glasses continuously?

[PaceHo]

Hi Doctor,

My 8 months old baby having serious astigmatism, 350 at right eye and 400 at left eye.
Will it be okay when she grow up? if wear glasses, will it be okay after that or need to wear glasses continuously?

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

You are welcome
JCH MD

[ttljbj]

Thanks docotor for your response!

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

No that is not a good plan to not wear glasses and hope the astigmatism "rounds" out and goes away. the reasons:
1. It may not go away in fact may increase.
2. The visual system is developing between birth and ages 5-9 very rapidly and if during that time one or both eyes has a blurred image due to astigmatism it may develop permanently reduced vision  (refractive amblyopia) which is not treatable, even with glasses, in the older child.

JCH MD

[ttljbj]

Doctor,

When I was looking for some suggestion for my 2 years old daughter's  Astigmatism, I came acorss this topic. I'm really interested in the cornea "rounds out", seems it is another option other than "wearing glasses" from such a young age. I just want to know if we'd like to take the chance to leave it and wait for cornea to round out, how long should we wait before we can conclude if it works for our daughter or not? And what is the potential risk of it,if we don't wear the glasses right now?

Thanks!

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Astigmatism is common it is not very heredity. There are so many variables in the eye that can cause astigmatism it's luck everyone doesn't have it. Often the cornea doesn't round out, if it doesn't and its a problem she'll need glasses or contacts.

Remember in a child the glasses are to help the child see and vision develop. Any "discomfort" from glasses in not nearly as important as good vision.
JCH MD

[angie1009]

dr. hagan,

Myself and my 7 yr old daughter  wears lenses because we both are farsighted and have astigmatism. is astigmatism  hereditary? it she inherits it, is it possible that the cornea wont "rounds out" ? and if not inherits, can was the cause of it? i really  dont want her to experience the discomfort of wearing glasses.

thanks.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Relax it usually is not that big of deal. Astigmatism is not a disease it refers to an aspherical cornea. It does cause some blur but the amount of astimatism is not large and if its present equally it both eyes it is less likely to cause "refractive amblyopia" than if only one eye had the problem.

Many infants and children have astigmatism and never need glasses, many as they grow the cornea "rounds out" and the astigmatism goes away.

JCH MD