Can you tell me and how can you tell if you have astigmatism?

Astigmatism: It's hard to know if you have astigmatism without an eye exam. Astigmatism is one type of refractive error. Myopia (or nearsightedness), hyperopa (or farsightedness), and astigmatism all can cause refractive error which is what causes a patient to require glasses or contact lenses to see better. Astigmatism is typically when the cornea is shaped more like a football than a basketball.

Evaluation: If you have gotten eyeglasses the astigmatism will be built in - just rotate the lens and look at a series of parallel lines and they will dramatically change as you turn it. If you have never had glasses, and you have it, it is probably minor but an ophthalmologist can easily measure you (refraction) to determine if it is present. It is not a big deal and is easily correctable mostly.