A UK study has shown the change in ocular astigmatism with age, from with the rule (WTR) to against the rule (ATR), was more than three times more likely to pass through oblique astigmatism than sphere-only prescriptions towards against-the-rule in older ages.
Study authors Dr David Elliott and Jeremy Beesley from the University of Bradford, said since changes in oblique astigmatism have been implicated in complaints with new spectacles, they assessed the recorded spectacle prescription history of 326 patients (mean age at first prescription: 46 years, range 28-69 years; median 20 years of prescription data per participant, range 18–29 years).
They found changes in astigmatism occur after the mid-40s (55%) with many (41%) showing no changes until after their mid-50s. “Given this prevalence of oblique cylinder axes (232/640, 36%), continuing professional development is needed regarding reconciling these oblique changes with previous prescriptions,” they wrote in Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics.
