Post
by mehulkamdar » Sun Sep 17, 2006 8:47 am
Hello Doug,
Mark has some very good suggestions. I can also assure you that astigatism is nothing to be worried about. A small aperture could make a dramatic difference - vision through pinholes is usually good even for people with high corrections. If I may ask you, what kind of astigmatism do you have? I could give you some suggestions - my family have been in the optical business for four generations in India and though I am not an optician by education or training myself, I may be able to suggest something that could help.
In the USA, it is usually not a good idea to go to chain stores like Lenscrafters because they do not have the time or the inclination to look for custom solutions. If you were in Chicago, I would have referred you to a very good Optometrist here. In NH, I don;t know anyone, though I have a very good friend who is an Ophthalmologist who teaches at Harvard's Med School and whom I could refer you to if you want a solution. Just PM or e-mail me if you need any suggestions.
As a basic guide:
1. Vertical (90 degree) or horizontal (180 degree) axes in astigmatism would be easy to handle as they would distort the view of the target in a vertical or horizontal axis and that is easier to adjust to overall. Cross axes are usually more difficult to handle, though a proper pair of spectacles would easily take care of these problems. Cross compound corrections with a plus sphere correction and a minus cylinder or vice versa need to be handled even more carefully.
2. If you use contact lenses and you have vertical or horizontal astigmatism, you should not have any problem when you shoot. If you require a cross axis or a cross compound, then avoid the use of contact lenses while shooting. Since astigmatic corrections have to be corrected at a specific axis, a contact lens that is fitted for astigmatism has a ballast attached to the bottom of the lens to keep it at the right axis (blinking can rotate contact lenses and change the axis) - this is not done perfectly with cross axis or xross compound corrections
3. Use spectacles with a small frame aperture when you shoot. They can be de-centered more precisely than spectacles where the frame size is large. You could always wear shooting glasses over them
4. I don't know how old you are, but most people who are born by Caeserean or Forceps delivery require some degree of correction for astigmatism early in life. No one knows the reason for this, but if this is the reason why you have astigmatism, it should disappear over time. I had this problem as a boy though when I was 39-39 I began to have much better vision than I had ever had before. These days I only use spectacles for reading, and that too, only occasionally. For most light reading, I am okay with just my bare eyes, and you may find this happening to your eyes as well. There have been cases where children with this kind of transient astigmatism have had full recovery in their early to mid 20s as well. You don't have to feel bad about this at all
5. If you are particularly unhappy with your astigmatism, try lasik treatment. Astigmatism has to be treated with a mask and though lasik depends on your corneal topography and the endothelial cell count in your eyes, most corrections upto 6 dioptres can be effectively removed with this method. If you would like to discuss this with my friend at Harvard, I could introduce you
Don't feel bad about this. Astigmatism is only a minor problem and you can easily tackle it and shoot well. I did for many years without any trouble.
Good shooting!
Mehul