I recently found out that I have astigmatism and I absolutely must wear glasses every day. This news made me very worried. I have been wearing glasses on a regular basis for a month now, but I don't like them very much. Although they are well-chosen, nice and delicate, they are also bothersome. The ophthalmologist said that although I have a small defect, I will still have to wear glasses. I am only 15 years old and I don't want to be stuck with glasses. I also read quite a lot of books and could I not only wear glasses for reading? Are there any treatment options for astigmatism? And will I always be forced to wear glasses?
Alternatives to glasses are contact lenses or laser vision correction. Contact lenses can be selected by an ophthalmologist, but with laser correction of the defect you have to wait - until you turn 20 (we assume that at this age the growth of the eyeball is finished and the defect is stable). You do not write about the size of astigmatism, so it is difficult to judge how you can function without glasses.
Remember that our expert's answer is informative and will not replace a visit to the doctor.
Iwona Grabska - Liberek
Ophthalmologist, postdoctoral doctor of medicine, head of the Ophthalmology Clinic and head of the Clinical Department of Ophthalmology at the Medical Center of Postgraduate Education in Warsaw. From 2016, the president of the Polish Ophthalmology Society.
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