Clinical examples of the effective correction of low astigmatism for improving vision

In today’s world, the extensive visual load increases the demands on the quality of optical correction. Inadequate optical correction results in additional load on the accommodation system of the eye, increased fatigue, and complaints of asthenopia. Full optical correction is an essential requirement for the correct functioning of a visual analyzer. However, if baseline impairments of accommodation response (fusion) are not considered, full optical correction (eyeglasses or contact lenses) provokes visual discomfort. Daily disposable contact lenses (CL) with power change for each additional month is helpful in these cases, thereby allowing for a stepwise transition to the complete correction of ametropias and recovery of physiological accommodation, convergence, and better central and binocular vision quality. Prescription of spherical (not toric) CL, whose optical power was calculated by the spherical equivalent of sphero-cylindrical correction, is a typical error when correcting low astigmatism. This error negatively affects accommodative response and visual working capacity. A complete correction of astigmatism (even a low one) is required for visual recovery to reduce visual fatigue and improve working capacity and academic performance. When prescribing optical correction, binocular vision patterns and a dominant eye should be considered. Keywords: astigmatism, accommodation, binocular vision, visual discomfort, asthenopia, toric soft contact lenses. For citation: Lobanova I.V., Rybakova E.G., Romanova T.B. Clinical examples of the effective correction of low astigmatism for improving vision. Russian Journal of Clinical Ophthalmology. 2021;21(4):249–252 (in Russ.). DOI: 10.32364/2311-7729-2021-21-4-249-252.