How does a patient typically describe their vision with astigmatism?

When a patient has astigmatism, they often describe their vision as distorted or wavy. This distortion occurs due to an irregular shape of the cornea or lens in the eye, causing light to focus at multiple points rather than a single point on the retina. As a result, objects can appear blurry or warped, particularly at varied distances. Patients may notice this effect with straight lines, which can appear bent or uneven, illustrating the distinctive visual experience associated with astigmatism.

In contrast, the other descriptions do not accurately reflect the nature of astigmatism. Blurriness at all distances often indicates a different refractive error, while clarity at a distance but blurriness up close points more toward issues such as presbyopia. Changes in vision depending on lighting is a factor more commonly associated with conditions like cataracts rather than astigmatism. Understanding the specific description helps in identifying astigmatism and differentiating it from other vision problems.