Worried about astigmatism? Those viral pics likely won't confirm you have it

A viral tweet about astigmatism has Twitter users taking a second look at the quality of their eyesight.

A recent tweet from user @UnusualFacts6 used two images to highlight what people see when they have an astigmatism, an "imperfection in the curvature" in the eye's cornea or lens, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

"With astigmatism, light focuses on several points of the retina rather (than) just one point," the Twitter user said. "This is what people with Astigmatisms vs without."

Both images show a first-person view of a driver at a stop light at night. The image on the left shows the lights appearing to flare outward, a suggested sign of astigmatism.

The tweet, which has more than 55,000 likes, left many users shocked.

However, don't arrive at a diagnosis based on just this tweet.

Dr. Zeba A. Syed, a cornea surgeon at Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, said there are a number of reasons people will see lights appear similarly to those in the tweet's left image, such as nearsightedness or a mild cataract.

"While it is true that things can look like the left photo in patients with astigmatism, that's also how things look even in patients with dry eye," said Syed.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology says the cornea and lens typically curve equally in all directions to help focus light rays on the retina. Astigmatism can develop in either the cornea or lens, which leads to blurry or distorted vision.

Syed said most people are born with the common form of astigmatism based in the cornea, which is usually easy to correct with glasses.

"Some people may think of this as this terrible disease that is untreatable, but the truth is many patients have it," she said. 

Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.