Astigmatisme kan dowwe visie veroorsaak.

Because Afrikaans often sends the main verb to the end when there is a modal verb like kan.

So in:

Astigmatisme kan dowwe visie veroorsaak.

• kan = modal verb, like can
• veroorsaak = main verb, cause

This is a very common Afrikaans pattern:

• Hy kan swem. = He can swim.
• Die medisyne kan help. = The medicine can help.
• Astigmatisme kan dowwe visie veroorsaak. = Astigmatism can cause blurry vision.

So if an English speaker expects can cause to stay together, Afrikaans often separates them.

Here is the breakdown:

• Astigmatisme = astigmatism
• kan = can
• dowwe = blurry / dim / blurred
• visie = vision
• veroorsaak = cause

So structurally it is:

Astigmatisme + kan + dowwe visie + veroorsaak
subject + modal + object + main verb

That is a very normal Afrikaans sentence structure.

Dof is the basic adjective form.
When an adjective comes before a noun, Afrikaans often adds -e.

So:

• dof = dull / dim / blurry
• dowwe visie = blurry vision

This spelling change is normal:

• dof → dowwe
• compare similar adjective changes in fixed forms learners often just memorize as they meet them

So in this sentence, dowwe is the correct attributive form because it comes before visie.

Yes, visie works well here, especially in a medical or formal context.

Afrikaans also has sig, which often means sight or vision more generally. Depending on context, you may also see:

• dowwe visie
• dowwe sig
• vaag sien = to see unclearly

In a sentence like this, dowwe visie sounds natural and medical.

Because astigmatisme is being used in a general sense, not as a specific, identifiable thing.

Compare:

• Astigmatisme kan dowwe visie veroorsaak.
  = Astigmatism can cause blurry vision.
  (general statement)

If you said die astigmatisme, it would sound more like the astigmatism, referring to a specific case already known from context.

Afrikaans often leaves out the article in general statements like this.

For the same reason: the sentence is talking about blurred vision in general, not a specific instance of blurred vision.

So:

• dowwe visie = blurred vision, as a general condition or symptom

If you wanted to make it specific, you might say something like:

• die dowwe visie = the blurred vision

But in a general medical statement, no article is very natural.

Usually, yes. In this kind of sentence, kan works very much like English can:

• ability
• possibility
• potential result

Here it means something like:

• can
• may
• is able to

In medical writing, kan often expresses possibility:

• Dit kan hoofpyn veroorsaak. = It can cause headaches.
• Astigmatisme kan dowwe visie veroorsaak. = Astigmatism can cause blurry vision.

So it is not saying it always happens, only that it is possible or common.

A rough English-friendly guide would be:

• Astigmatisme ≈ as-tig-ma-TIS-muh
• kan ≈ khan / kun (with a short a)
• dowwe ≈ DOH-vuh
• visie ≈ VEE-see
• veroorsaak ≈ fuh-ROHR-sahk

A few pronunciation notes:

• v in Afrikaans is often pronounced closer to an English f
• w is usually like English v
• g can be a throaty sound, though this sentence does not contain it
• aa in veroorsaak is a long vowel

This is only an approximation, but it is a useful starting point.

Yes. Astigmatisme is very close to English astigmatism, so it is an easy cognate to learn.

A lot of scientific and medical vocabulary in Afrikaans looks familiar to English speakers. In this sentence:

• Astigmatisme is very recognizable
• visie also resembles vision
• veroorsaak may be less obvious, but once learned it is common and useful

So this sentence is a nice example of how some Afrikaans medical language can feel quite accessible.

Yes, you could, but the meaning changes slightly.

• Astigmatisme kan dowwe visie veroorsaak.
  = Astigmatism can cause blurry vision.
  This is cautious and general.

• Astigmatisme veroorsaak dowwe visie.
  = Astigmatism causes blurry vision.
  This sounds stronger and more definite.

In medical language, kan is often preferred because it avoids sounding too absolute.

It follows a very common Afrikaans pattern:

Subject + finite verb + rest of sentence + main verb at the end

Here:

• Astigmatisme = subject
• kan = finite verb
• dowwe visie = object
• veroorsaak = main verb in infinitive form

This pattern appears all the time with modal verbs such as:

• kan = can
• moet = must
• wil = want to
• sal = will
• mag = may

For example:

• Hy kan Afrikaans praat.
• Jy moet water drink.
• Sy wil huis toe gaan.

So this sentence is a very useful grammar model.