Astigmatism is best described as a condition that causes:

Astigmatism is best described as a condition that causes:

• A. They cause tunnel vision
• B. They cause clouding of the lens
• C. They cause blurry, stretched images due to defective curvature of the cornea or lens
• D. They cause double vision

Answer: (C)

Astigmatism happens when the eye’s surface isn’t curved the same in all directions, so light doesn’t come to a single sharp focus. The cornea or lens is more curved in one meridian and flatter in the perpendicular meridian, creating two focal points and causing blur or distortion. That’s why vision can look blurry or stretched, especially for fine lines. The other options describe different problems: tunnel vision is a restricted field of view, clouding of the lens is cataracts, and double vision comes from misalignment or other eye problems. Astigmatism specifically is about the irregular curvature producing blurred, smeared images. It’s typically correctable with cylindrical lenses or toric lenses, which compensate for the unequal curvature.

Astigmatism happens when the eye’s surface isn’t curved the same in all directions, so light doesn’t come to a single sharp focus. The cornea or lens is more curved in one meridian and flatter in the perpendicular meridian, creating two focal points and causing blur or distortion. That’s why vision can look blurry or stretched, especially for fine lines. The other options describe different problems: tunnel vision is a restricted field of view, clouding of the lens is cataracts, and double vision comes from misalignment or other eye problems. Astigmatism specifically is about the irregular curvature producing blurred, smeared images. It’s typically correctable with cylindrical lenses or toric lenses, which compensate for the unequal curvature.