Seeing Round Objects as Ovals
MAR 10, 2014
Question:
When my husband removes his eyeglasses, round objects appear to be oval. Do you know what causes this? Should we be concerned?
Answer:
He most likely has astigmatism, which means that the image, usually formed by the cornea, is shaped more like a football than a basketball. This is corrected by the lenses in his eyeglasses, but the distortion is obvious when he removes them. This is not abnormal and you should not be concerned, especially if he has worn glasses since childhood and the prescription has not changed in years. If this is recent, your ophthalmologist should test him for keratoconus, a disease of the cornea. If he does not have keratoconus and the condition is stable but annoying, he could try extended wear contact lenses or refractive surgery such as LASIK.