In patients, whether young or old, sometimes poor vision can be caused by a few conditions such as changes in the body or in the eye, eye diseases, side effects of medicine or injury. Many people also suffer from visual abnormalities resulting from aging or eye stress. Aging and stress can cause changes in your eyesight, which can sometimes cause pain and even make it harder to perform everyday activities, like reading fine print or working on a computer for extended periods of time. Common signs and symptoms of these types of vision problems include eye strain, headache, blurred vision, squinting and problems seeing at close and far distances.
One of the most common signs of a vision problem can be blurred vision. If you suffer from blurred vision when you're looking at faraway objects or signs, you could be nearsighted, or myopic. Blurred vision that's present when you are looking at objects at close range may be a sign of hyperopia, or farsightedness. Blurred vision can also be a sign of astigmatism which occurs because of a flaw in the way the cornea is formed, or sometimes the curvature of the lens inside the eye. Whatever the cause of blurry vision, it is vital that an optometrist examine your vision and decide on the most effective way to rectify your sight.
Another warning sign of a vision problem is the inability to distinguish between shades or brightness of color. This is an indication of a problem perceiving color, or color blindness. Color blindness is generally unknown to the patient until diagnosed via a consultation. Color blindness is mainly found in males. If present in a female it might indicate ocular disease, in which case, an eye doctor should be consulted. For people who can't see objects in minimal light, it is a sign of possible night blindness.
A condition commonly found in older patients is cataracts, which can have numerous indicating signs which include: blurry vision that weakens in bright light, weak night vision, difficulty seeing small writing or details, muted or faded colors, improvement in near vision but a decline in distance vision, redness around the eye, and an opaque white look to the usually dark pupil.
Throbbing pain in the eye, headaches, blurred vision, inflammation in the eye, rainbow rings around lights, nausea and vomiting are indicators of glaucoma, a serious medical condition, which requires prompt medical attention.
With younger patients, it is important to look out for uncoordinated eye movement, or crossed eyes, which could indicate a vision problem called strabismus. Specific things children might do, like rubbing eyes, squinting, or the need to close one eye in order to focus better, can often point to this issue.
If you are familiar with any of the symptoms mentioned here, see your eye doctor as soon as possible. Though some conditions could be more severe than others, anything that limits normal eyesight can be something that compromises your quality of life. A brief appointment with your optometrist can save you from unnecessary discomfort, not to mention even more severe eye problems.
