About Vision > Normal Vision > What is Nearsightedness? > What is Farsightedness? > What is Astigmatism? > Eye Disorders and Diseases > Cataracts > Children's Vision

Astigmatism refers to a condition where the front surface of the eye, or cornea, is shaped irregularly. Instead of having a smooth curvature like that of a basketball, the cornea has a shape more like that of a football or the back of a spoon. As illustrated in the graphic to the right, light rays entering an astigmatic eye are bent unevenly. As a result, these light rays do not focus at a single point on the retina. This causes both near and far away objects to be blurry.