astigmatism

[shb75]

my daughter who is 5years old has been diagnosed with astigmatism by an optometrist.he prescribed her glasses :  right eye- sph +125,cyl  _400.axis 180.     left eye:sph +125,cyl _375,axis 180.  she has got no family history of astigmatism.she has been asked to wear these glasses all the time. can u tell me what is the interpretation of these readings.and how severe is her astigmatism..can her astigmatism get better with growth and maturing of eyeball .is she having regular or irregular astigmatism.should we see an eye doctor.

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

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[shb75]

Thanks Dr Hagan for your response.its really helpful .as u advised i will soon be seeing opthalmologist Eye MD.thanks again.

[shb75]

thanks Dr Hagan,thats quiet reassuring to me ...can i ask u that will she ever be able to see normally and how bad is her astigmatism as i was told that she had severe one and that after glasses also she wont able to see completely perfect...as a parent i m lost i dont know exactly what is her vision like and what difference she will see after glasses and also that if she does'nt develop amblyopia...am very anxious and depressed as she is such a young child.i want her to give best treatment needed. thanks for ur valuable opinion.

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

Astigmatism is not a disease and usually means the cornea is somewhat aspherical. That is not a strong RX. I would suggest you see an Eye MD physician ophthalmologist.  Optometrists according to published studies prescribe glasses more often than ophthalmologist. Find an Eye MD near you at www.geteyesmart.org or ask your pediatrician for a referral.
JCH MD