Astigmatism happens when the cornea and/or the lens of the eye do not curve evenly. This causes problems in both close-up vision and distance vision. Glasses or contact lenses can help your child see clearly.

If eyeglasses were prescribed for the astigmatism, encourage your child to wear them. Here are some tips:

• Let your child pick a pair of frames they like.
• For active kids, find glasses that are very durable and comfortable.
• Together, make a schedule for wearing the glasses. Help your child follow it.
• For younger kids, point out famous people or characters who also wear glasses.

If your child wears contact lenses, these should be cleaned, cared for, and/or thrown away according to your health care provider's instructions.

Follow up with the eye doctor as instructed.

Your child:

• wears contacts and has eye pain, redness, or discharge or becomes overly sensitive to light. They should not wear the contacts until you talk to your health care provider.
• wears contacts and has itching or dryness that does not go away with the use of eye drops
• has blurred vision despite wearing glasses or contact lenses
• squints a lot, complains of headaches or sore eyes, or has a hard time reading or recognizing faces

What happens in astigmatism? The cornea is the clear outer layer that covers the front of the eye. It works with the lens and other parts of the eye to let light inside the eye so we can see. When a person has astigmatism, either the cornea, the lens, or both have an uneven curve. Because of the curve, the picture that the brain sees is blurry or warped. 

What problems does astigmatism cause? Kids with astigmatism may squint a lot, get headaches, or have eye strain. Astigmatism can cause "lazy eye" (amblyopia), when the brain ignores the blurred image from one eye, leading to some loss of vision in that eye.