I'm trying to figure out exactly what astigmatism is?!

I'm trying to figure out exactly what astigmatism is?

I googled it but I get all this different stuff and I don't understand how my cornea being shaped a different way does anything. I wore glasses before but haven't owned a pair in a year. I never had astigmatism before. I went to the eye doctor and she said I have it in both eyes. Can anyone explain what it is. All the information I get is different.

I'll try to explain it as simply as I can :)
Well the most common cause of astigmatism is the cornea being shaped like a football instead of a baseball. Another cause is the lens in your eye being misshapen in the same manner. When the light goes through a "perfect" non-astigmatic eye it lands perfectly on the retina and the person can see clearly. A cornea or lens with a surface of a smooth baseball bends (refracts) all incoming light the same way and makes a sharply focused image on the back of your eye (retina).
However, if your cornea or lens isn't evenly and smoothly curved, the light rays aren't refracted properly
Astigmatism, no matter the source, causes light passing through the cornea/lens to focus at more than one location on the retina, causing blurred vision and sometimes ghosting. So basically when the light doesn't land on your retina correctly you can't see well.
Don't worry about it though hun!!! It's quite common and easy too correct with eyeglasses or contacts :)