EYE OPENING
How these two photos could reveal if you need to wear glasses to drive
Social media went crazy after a Twitter user shared two pictures of cars in traffic online
GETTING behind the wheel at night can be a challenge even for the best drivers.
But those with vision problems can have a totally different experience driving in the dark.
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And it may not even be something you've noticed before as one social media user set out to prove.
Posting two images on Twitter, the account claimed that they show what driving with astigmatism looks like compared with "normal" vision.
In one picture, a car is seen at traffic lights but there are streaks of light splayed across the image making it difficult to see.
The second photograph shows a similar scene of cars waiting in traffic, but the lights had just a slight blur around them.
'Astigmatism vs without'
According to the account, the side-by-side images show "what people with Astigmatisms vs without".
Astigmatism is when the eye isn’t perfectly round like a football but more like a rugby ball shape, which can lead to blurred vision.
This means that light from an object does not focus exactly on the retina, but at two separate points.
The images, posted online last week, have left social media users stunned with many unaware that the streakier image "wasn't normal".
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One said: "I thought everyone saw the lines, when I was little I would squint to make 'em longer to entertain myself, thought that was normal".
Another wrote: "Had no clue this was a thing! Honestly just thought that's how light worked!!!"
Someone else said: "Wait people can see lights normally? I thought everyone saw those lines".
Wait people can see lights normally? I thought everyone saw those lines
Twitter user
Practising optometrist Ceri Smith-Jaynes told Sun Online that the image "is not a bad representation" of what astigmatism might look like.
She said: "You do get a bit of streaking with astigmatism.
"But it could also be a number of other things such as cataracts, opaqueness or even when a lash gets in your eye."
She added: "That type of blur could happen for other reasons and it needs checking out by an optometrist to find out what's causing it."
What is astigmatism?
Lateef Iqbal BSc, an optometrist at Specsavers in Surrey, said: "It’s something you’re usually born with although it can develop later on in life due to changes related to age.
"Astigmatism can develop after an eye injury, eye surgery or an eye disease – you’re also more likely to have it if you’re short or long-sighted.
"In more developed cases, or without treatment, symptoms can include headaches, having to squint, eye strain or tiredness when focusing.
"Astigmatism can be detected during a routine eye test and can be easily corrected with glasses, contact lenses or surgery."
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Ceri, a spokesperson for the Association of Optometrists, explained that those with astigmatism will notice that objects near and far are blurred and certain lines of a letter are clearer than others.
She said: "You might find some of the lines of a letter E clearer than some of the lines of a letter X or vice versa.
"This is because some light entering the eye focuses on your retina and some focuses behind your retina."
Can it be treated?
There are two types of astigmatism, regular and irregular.
Irregular astigmatism is often caused by a corneal scar or "scattering" in the eye’s crystalline lens.
While this type of astigmatism can’t be corrected by standard prescription lenses, it may be corrected by contact lenses or, in minor cases, by laser eye surgery.
Regular astigmatism, arising from either the cornea or crystalline lens, can be corrected by a toric lens.
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