Astigmatism does get worse if you don't wear glasses.
In cases of more significant astigmatism, when not corrected by glasses or contact lenses, symptoms could include: Headaches.
Having to squint to see clearly at all distances.
Eye strain or tiredness when focusing on prolonged tasks.
Generally, eyes with 1.5 diopters of astigmatism or more require glasses or correction.
For people who have only mild astigmatism and you have at least 20/40 vision you usually do not need or require glasses.
For those with worse levels of astigmatism that more blurs your vision then you would be required to wear glasses or contact lenses when driving.
If it's really hard to see when your astigmatism then your eye doctor would likely prescribe and recommend eye glasses.
You could also opt for Lasik Eye surgery which can correct the astigmatism and then you would not be required to wear glasses or contact lenses.
Yes astigmatism can sometimes cause floaters in peoples eyes.
It's normal to get eye floaters if you do have astigmatism but if your vision really worsens more than just eye floaters then something could be going wrong and you should see an eye doctor.
The condition astigmatism usually gets worse gradually and takes at least a few years or so to see any worse results of the astigmatism.
However in rare cases the astigmatism could get worse suddenly and if that does happen you should see an eye doctor.
The good news though is that astigmatism is not an eye disease and won't cause any harm to your eyes health.
For some people with astigmatism the astigmatism can go away and come back later.
A kid I went to school with years ago had astigmatism and it went away for about 3 months and then after those 3 months the astigmatism came back.
So yes astigmatism in some people can go away and come back.
Although for the majority of people who have astigmatism the astigmatism stays with them and sometimes even gets worse overtime.
Eventually the person with astigmatism may need to wear glasses or contact lenses to see or may need eye surgery to correct their vision.
Some peoples astigmatism may actually get better overtime but it's rare that it happens that way.
The condition astigmatism tends to worsen as the person ages and there's not much known cause.
But it's likely that as you age and leave astigmatism untreated that the cornea shape changes more and more until the astigmatism worsens.
Astigmatism is caused by an irregularly-shaped cornea which some people are born with so you could have astigmatism since birth.
But even then later on in life you could develop astigmatism if your cornea shape changes.
Having eye surgery such as Lasik Eye Surgery can help cure astigmatism but not everyone is eligible for the laser eye surgery.
But most people are and if you can afford the laser eye surgery it can be worth it.
Eye exercises can also help with astigmatism in some cases but not always and wearing glasses or contact lenses prescribed by your eye doctor can help.
There's no certain age that astigmatism is diagnosed.
But babies should have a complete eye exam as early as 6 months of age and then again at age 2 or 3 and then again at age 5 and 6 and beyond.
Some kids get diagnosed with astigmatism as early as 6 months to a year old and other kids may not get diagnosed with astigmatism until age 3 or 6 years old.
But you should have the babies and child's eyes checked as often as possible because astigmatism can develop at anytime in the child's life.
Astigmatism can sometimes develop later on in the child's life as an adult even though they had perfect vision as a baby or child.