{"id":10544,"date":"2025-09-26T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-26T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ramirezgalvez.com\/2025\/09\/uncategorised\/astigmatism-stretched-lights-at-night\/"},"modified":"2025-09-26T12:00:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T10:00:00","slug":"astigmatism-stretched-lights-at-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ramirezgalvez.com\/en\/2025\/09\/ophthalmology\/astigmatism-stretched-lights-at-night\/","title":{"rendered":"Astigmatism: Why Do Lights Look \u201cStretched\u201d at Night and How Is It Corrected?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;I&#8217;m short-sighted and I have astigmatism.&#8221; It is one of the phrases we hear most often in clinic. While most people understand what myopia (poor distance vision) or hyperopia (poor near vision) is, astigmatism remains a mystery to many. Is it a disease? Is it serious? Why does it make car headlights look like they have a halo at night?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The good news is that it is a very common condition and it is not a disease. At <strong>Cl\u00ednica Ram\u00edrez &amp; G\u00e1lvez<\/strong>, we will explain in simple terms what it is, how it affects your vision and the range of precise solutions available to correct it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The origin: a &#8220;flattened&#8221; cornea instead of a round one \ud83e\udd14<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The easiest way to understand astigmatism is with a sporting analogy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>An eye without astigmatism has a cornea (the clear front layer) with a regular, spherical curvature, like a <strong>basketball<\/strong> \ud83c\udfc0.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>An eye with astigmatism has a cornea with an irregular curvature, more &#8220;flattened&#8221; along one axis than another, like a <strong>rugby ball<\/strong> \ud83c\udfc8.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Because of this irregular shape, instead of light being focused on a single point on the retina to create a sharp image, it is focused on several points at once. The result is distorted, blurred vision at <strong>all distances<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Beyond blurred vision: the symptoms of astigmatism \u26a0\ufe0f<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Astigmatism does not only cause blurred vision. If you recognise any of these symptoms, you probably have it:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Distorted objects:<\/strong> Straight lines may appear slanted.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Difficulty seeing at night:<\/strong> This is one of the most characteristic symptoms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Seeing halos or &#8220;stretched&#8221; lights<\/strong> around car headlights or street lamps.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Eye strain and headaches<\/strong>, especially after reading or using screens.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Needing to squint<\/strong> to try to focus better.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The precise solution: how we correct astigmatism \u2705<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Correcting astigmatism means compensating for that irregular curvature so that light is focused on a single point again. We have several excellent solutions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Glasses:<\/strong> This is the simplest solution. The lenses have a &#8220;cylindrical&#8221; prescription that counteracts the irregularity of the cornea.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Toric contact lenses:<\/strong> These are contact lenses designed specifically for astigmatism. They have different powers along different axes and a system that stops them rotating on the eye so they stay in the correct position.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ramirezgalvez.com\/en\/eye-problems\/refractive-errors\/refractive-surgery\/\">Laser Refractive Surgery<\/a> (FemtoLASIK, PRK, SMILE):<\/strong> Laser surgery is a definitive solution. The laser reshapes the cornea, &#8220;sculpting&#8221; it to make it more spherical and regular, thereby eliminating astigmatism along with any myopia or hyperopia you may have.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ramirezgalvez.com\/en\/eye-problems\/refractive-errors\/astigmatism-surgery\/\">Toric Intraocular Lenses<\/a>:<\/strong> The 2-in-1 solution! During cataract surgery or refractive lens surgery, we can implant a special intraocular lens (toric lens) that permanently corrects astigmatism from inside the eye.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>A solution for every eye \ud83c\udf1f<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Astigmatism is one of the most common vision conditions and, fortunately, today we have highly precise solutions tailored to each patient. You no longer have to put up with seeing distorted lights at night or suffering from eye strain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The first step is always a <strong>comprehensive diagnosis<\/strong> to measure the exact degree and axis of your astigmatism. At <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/ramirezgalvez.com\/en\/\">Cl\u00ednica Ram\u00edrez &amp; G\u00e1lvez<\/a><\/strong>, we have the most advanced technology to carry out this assessment and offer you the solution that best suits your lifestyle. <a href=\"https:\/\/ramirezgalvez.com\/en\/contact\/\">Book your appointment<\/a> and start seeing the world with complete clarity!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m short-sighted and I have astigmatism.&#8221; It is one of the phrases we hear most often in clinic. While most people understand what myopia (poor distance vision) or hyperopia (poor near vision) is, astigmatism remains a mystery to many. Is it a disease? Is it serious? Why does it make car headlights look like they [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":5651,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rs_blank_template":"","rs_page_bg_color":"","slide_template_v7":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[144,147,141],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10544","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-eye-conditions","category-eye-health","category-ophthalmology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ramirezgalvez.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10544","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ramirezgalvez.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ramirezgalvez.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ramirezgalvez.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ramirezgalvez.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10544"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ramirezgalvez.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10544\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ramirezgalvez.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ramirezgalvez.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10544"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ramirezgalvez.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10544"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ramirezgalvez.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10544"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}