Blurred Vision: The Ultimate Guide

If the three layers of a tear – oil, water (H2O2), and lipid (fatty) – are not balanced, they can be abnormal and become an almost film-like tear that can cause blurred vision. This may be due to dry eye. After assessing hdry eye and tear production, there are a multitude of solutions we can use to rebuild the delicate yet complicated surface.

If the surface is irregular, a condition called corneal dystrophy may be present and cause blurred vision. There are more than 20 types of corneal dystrophies, each with different symptoms. All cause a buildup of foreign material in one or more layers of the cornea. Over time, vision may become cloudy or blurry.

When the cornea gets scratched or injured, a corneal abrasion may develop. In addition to blurry vision, you may feel like there’s something in your eye.

The conjunctiva is the clear, thin membrane that covers part of the front surface of the eye and the inner surface of the eyelids. If irritated from allergies or another irritant, conjunctival tissues may cause blurred vision.

If the eye lids are not even and normal, like a good “windshield wiper,” this can blur vision. A stye and lid bumps can make this worse and more painful.

Aqueous fluid behind the cornea must be clear and clean of inflammation. It’s common to get an iritis, which is where thousands of white blood cells flood this area and cause blurred vision, pain, and redness. This all can be greatly helped with medication and a diagnosis by an eye doctor.

The lens of the eye can become defective and not focus (causing blurred vision) at young age, or with the aging of the eyes it can stop working with presbyopia. In later years, the lens can be the area that gets cloudy in a cataract.

With today’s digital-driven lifestyles, eye strain is incredibly common. But it doesn’t always have to involve digital devices (cell phone, computer, TVs). It can occur after looking at and focusing on something for a long time without a break.

When it’s the result of focusing on an electronic device like a computer or cellphone, it’s sometimes called digital eye strain. Other causes include reading and driving, especially at night and in poor weather.

Very high blood sugar levels cause the lens of your eye to swell, which results in blurred vision.

Conjunctivitis, also known as pinkeye, is an inflammation of the conjunctiva – the thin, clear tissue on top of the white part of the eye and the lining of the inside eyelid.

While common among children, adults can catch this highly contagious virus. Pink eye usually will subside in one to two weeks without treatment, but, in the meantime, it is known to cause spurts of temporary blurred vision.

If you feel you have a severe case of pink eye, schedule an appointment to see your optometrist.

When you blink, your contact lenses move across your eyes, causing micro-scratches on the surface of your eyes. Sometimes, infection-causing microorganisms can get caught under the lenses and get into these small scratches. When you sleep with your contacts in, you are allowing these organisms to grow and cause corneal ulcers that can lead to blurred vision.

A very simple solution? Remove your contact lenses every night before you fall asleep.

During pregnancy, your body undergoes several hormonal changes. These fluctuations can alter the shape and thickness of your cornea and tear production which can lead to blurred and variable comfort.

Blurry vision is common during pregnancy, and it can sometimes be accompanied by bouts of double vision.

Even though blurred vision is usually not threatening to your sight or health, you should always communicate any vision issues to your doctor, as, in some cases, blurred vision could be a symptom of gestational diabetes or high blood pressure. Some patients just need to wear their glasses more and take a mini vacation on their contact usage.

Did you know that blurred and/or fluctuating vision is a cause of dry eye syndrome? In addition to the irritated, gritty, scratchy or burning eyes you feel, your vision can seem out-of-focus.

You can reclaim comfortable, clear vision with dry eyes, but sometimes it takes more than artificial tears to achieve this.

After assessing your vision, your optometrist can prescribe prescription eye drops to keep your eyes lubricated and healthy.

An ocular migraine (retinal migraine) is a rare condition that can cause short-term vision loss or blurred vision,missing vision, kaleidoscope vision, among other possible bizarre visual symptoms, before the migraine pain sets in, or during the migraine period.

An in-depth eye exam by an optometrist will be able to fully assess your eye health and identify any vision issues you may be contending with. Upon completion of the exam, you will receive a definitive treatment plan to address your specific eye condition that will aim to prevent future migraine episodes and temporary blurred vision.

Type 1 and type 2 diabetes can cause blurred vision if it is uncontrolled. The biggest concern with diabetes and your vision is diabetes can cause diabetic retinopathy – a serious eye disease caused by diabetes that is a leading cause of vision impairment and blindness.

Diabetic retinopathy has been dubbed a sneak thief of vision, as you can tragically lose your vision from diabetes without even knowing you have diabetes.

If you have or suspect you have diabetes, make regular eye exams apart of your round of routine checkups.

High blood pressure can cause vein occlusion, a painless, mini stroke of the eye. Vein occlusion can cause patients with HBP to experience blurred vision – usually in just one eye.

If you live with HBP and are experiencing blurred vision, see your optometrist right away. While this condition can be treated, diagnosis and treatment must be administered right away for the most effectiveness.

Regular eye exams – which can protect against vein occlusion – should be a part of any individual’s round of routine checkups if they live with high blood pressure. There is also a higher risk of glaucoma problems in the eye because of higher than normal pressures in the body.

As previously noted, refractive errors – such as nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism – are the most common causes of blurry vision.

More times than not, refractive errors are fairly easy to fix with a prescription from your optometrist. This includes getting an updated prescription or reading glasses. Each refractive error is discussed in more detail below.

Myopia – also known as nearsightedness – is the most common refractive error. With nearsightedness, objects in the distance become blurred, and you could be experiencing blurry vision in one or both eyes. Accompanying symptoms to nearsightedness are eye strain, headaches, and squinting.

If you can clearly see objects in the distance but objects close-up appear blurry, you could be developing hyperopia, or farsightedness. Accompanying symptoms to farsightedness include eye strain and fatigue from trying to constantly focus on objects right in front of you.

Struggling to see at near and far distances is a sign of an astigmatism – a refractive error that is caused by an irregularly shaped cornea.

Blurred vision with an astigmatism is caused by light rays failing to meet on a single focus point on the retina. Without a single focus point, clear vision cannot be produced at any distance.

Regardless if you are nearsighted, farsighted or have an astigmatism, these refractive errors can be corrected with an eyeglass or contact lens prescription or refractive surgery, such as LASIK.

Most commonly occurring in individuals aged 40 and older, presbyopia is a naturally occurring age-related condition where blurry vision begins to develop when reading or viewing objects up-close.

Since the lenses inside the eye begin to harden with presbyopia, progressive lenses, bifocals, reading glasses or presbyopia surgery are all viable options to correct this condition.

An eye floater is a spot in your vision that may appear as black or gray specks, black or gray strings, or cobwebs.

When these temporary spots drift into your line of sight, you can experience blurred vision.

While eye floaters are a normal part of aging, you should call your optometrist immediately if you suddenly experience a shower of floaters, as this could be a sign of a torn or detached retina. Visual exam for best outcome needs to occur within 24-48 hours that is why most offices have after hours emergency phone service.

Glaucoma, also known as the silent thief of sight, is a disease that damages the optic nerve, causing the optic nerve to slowly die over time. Vision loss with glaucoma is a slow process, and, for the most part, there are no obvious symptoms.

This is why an annual eye exam is so crucial – to catch diseases like glaucoma before they permanently claim your vision.

When signs do present themselves, blurred vision can be a symptom of glaucoma. To err on the side of caution, be sure to schedule an eye exam.