This question was answered live on air with Dr Wu!
Most of the time, it is hereditary, but there are certain cases whereby the child has had high astigmatism, while their parents do not.
There are many different kinds of astigmatism, the most common astigmatism being on the cornea. Cornea astigmatism is very much like the fingerprint of your eye, everyone has a little bit of astigmatism to a certain extent, and it depends on how much it affects them - will it cause a problem whereby they have to wear glasses or not?
Some children do have a high level of astigmatism, that may be attributed to the rubbing of the eye. It is very important for us to do a mapping of the cornea to see if we’re dealing with regular, or irregular astigmatism. If it is irregular astigmatism, it could be caused by cornea diseases, of which it is extremely important for us to pick it up early, as it has the potential to impede your child’s vision and cause lazy eyes in the future.
Yes, astigmatism can be hereditary, and generally can be exacerbated by the rubbing of the eyes. It generally is not harmful, and shouldn’t really progress. Make sure to send your child to your eyesore professional once in a while, to make sure that his/her astigmatism is not progressing. If it is progressing, we have to make sure that it is not a cornea disease we are not dealing with.