A viral Twitter post is giving people a new perspective by illustrating how astigmatism affects a person’s vision—and Twitter users are losing their minds over it.
While the account @UnusualFacts6 has been tweeting interesting trivia for the past month, its posts about how many megapixels an eye has or the Cookie Monster’s real name hardly earned it internet fame.
But last week, a Twitter post showing a side-by-side comparison of an image viewed with astigmatism versus one viewed with perfect vision garnered, by the time of writing, more than 50,000 likes.
Astigmatism is when the cornea is slightly curved rather than completely round..
— ColeTrainThere (@UnusualFacts6) March 25, 2019
With astigmatism, light focuses on several points of the retina rather just one point. This is what people with Astigmatisms vs without. pic.twitter.com/RXWWayFBRJ
For Twitter users, especially ones who never knew they might have astigmatism, it was a real eye-opening moment.
https://twitter.com/SamtheToaster/status/1110267395522875392
…my life and seeing is a lie, I thought everyone saw the lines
— Ambient Hippogryph (@AmbientGryph) March 25, 2019
WELL I JUST LEARNED SOMETHING IMPORTANT ABOUT MYSELF pic.twitter.com/CkUwOtfBZo
— Detective Inuyasha (@misstymystery) March 27, 2019
Wait people can see lights normally? I thought everyone saw those lines-
— Kate ★ (@HildaBillda) March 25, 2019
“Astigmatism is when the cornea is slightly curved rather than completely round,” the Unusual Facts’ Twitter post reads. “With astigmatism, light focuses on several points of the retina rather just one point.”
This curve keeps light from focusing on the retina correctly, causing blurred vision as well as eye discomfort and headaches (a real eyesore). Though most people have a degree of astigmatism, its cause remains unknown, according to the American Optometric Association.
Hopefully, the post’s virality will prompt the many Twitter users commenting “I thought everyone saw the lines!” to visit an optometrist. Who knows: UnusualFacts may end up being the best free advertising LensCrafters has ever had.
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H/T New York Post