Warning Signs of Poor Vision

In patients, whether young or old, sometimes poor vision can be caused by several possible factors such as changes in the body or in the eye, eye diseases, side effects caused by medication or eye injuries. Many people also experience visual disturbances due to aging or eye stress. These experiences can cause changes in your vision, which may sometimes make it uncomfortable or difficult to perform daily activities, like reading fine print or using a computer for extended periods of time. These vision problems can be expressed through the following symptoms: eye strain, headache, blurred vision, squinting and trouble seeing from short or long distances.

One of the first signs of a vision problem can be blurred vision. If you have blurred vision when looking at faraway objects, you might be nearsighted, or myopic. If you have blurred vision when you're looking at something nearby it could mean you suffer from farsightedness, or hyperopia. Blurred vision can also be a sign of astigmatism which occurs due to an irregularity in the shape of the cornea, or the curvature of the lens inside the eye. Whatever the cause of blurry vision, it's vital to have your optometrist thoroughly check your eyes and prescribe a solution to help clarify your sight.

A sudden onset of flashes of light, together with floating black spots and the sensation of a dark curtain or veil inhabiting a part of your vision indicates you might have what's known as a retinal detachment. If this is the case, see your eye doctor promptly, as it can have long-term consequences for your vision

Another sign of a vision problem is difficulty discerning different colors or intensity of color. This generally means the patient has color blindness. Interestingly, this condition is often not known to the patient until discovered by testing. Color blindness is mainly something that affects males. If present in a female it may represent ocular disease, in which case, an optometrist should be consulted. For people who can't see objects in minimal light, it is a sign of possible night blindness.

A condition frequently seen in older patients is cataracts, which have several indicating signs which include: blurry vision that worsens in bright light, trouble seeing in the dark or reduced light, difficulty seeing small writing or objects, the need for brighter light when reading, double or triple vision in one eye only inflammation around the eye, and a pale appearance to the usually dark pupil.

Throbbing eye pain, headaches, unclear vision, inflammation in the eye, rainbow coronas around lights, nausea and vomiting are also signs of glaucoma, a serious medical illness, which needs prompt medical attention.

When it comes to children, it's useful to watch for uncoordinated eye movement, or eyes that cross in or out, which could indicate a vision problem known as strabismus. Specific behavior in children, such as rubbing one or both eyes, squinting, or needing to shut one eye to see things better, often indicate strabismus.

Though some conditions are more serious than others, anything that restricts normal sight will be something that really affects your quality of life. A quick appointment with your optometrist can prevent unnecessary discomfort, or even more severe eye problems.