20 Warning Signs of Serious Eye Problems You Shouldn't Ignore!

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Warning signs of serious eye problems issues can vary depending on the specific problem. When your vision is impaired, your life changes. That’s why it’s important that you get regular eye check-up and look out for common eye problems symptoms that indicate you may be suffering from any acute or chronic eye condition.

The sooner you spot these signs and symptoms, the sooner you can treat them, so they don’t become a serious problem to your eye health, as early intervention can prevent the degeneration of your eyes, or in most cases, even save your eyesight!

Here are some common eye problem symptoms that you should be aware of and should prompt you to seek immediate medical attention or consult with an eye care professional.

1. Blurred Vision or Distorted Vision

Sudden blurry vision can affect either your peripheral vision or your central vision, and can be a sign of various eye conditions. If you notice sudden blurriness or a distortion in your vision, like a straight line that appears wavy, you should consult your optometrist immediately.

Conditions that may cause sudden blurry vision or distorted vision includes:

Refractive errors
Age-related macular degeneration
Astigmatism
Keratoconus
Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
Macular edema
Detached or torn retina
Corneal infection
Diabetic retinopathy
Cataracts
Retinal problems

2. Redness or Irritation

Redness in the eye occurs when small blood vessels in the eyes become inflamed, making the whites of the eyes to look pink or red. It may be caused by different conditions or injuries that can lead to irritation, swelling, or vision loss in one or both eyes. When there is persistent redness, itching, or irritation in one or both eyes, it may be an indication of eye infection or allergic reaction. If your eyes are red for an extended period of time, you should visit your optometrist for an examination.

The common eye problems that are associated with red eyes includes:

Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
Blepharitis
Uveitis
Glaucoma
Eye allergies

3. Eye Pain

Eye pain is defined as the throbbing, stabbing, or shooting pains in the eye, which can occur as a result of trauma or irritation caused by foreign object, infection, or another serious condition.

Severe or persistent eye pain can indicate a range of issues such as:

Eye strain
Glaucoma
Corneal abrasions

In frequent situations, you need the attention of an eye doctor as it could be inflammation or nerve damage.

4. Double Vision

Double vision should cause you immediate concern, whether it occurs infrequently and randomly or all the time. Seeing double or overlapping images could be a sign of underlying eye or neurological problems and requires prompt evaluation. It can be caused by several conditions, such as nerve and muscle damage to other illnesses that weaken the eye muscles, drug use or alcohol consumption. Double vision can cause problems with balance, reading and going about daily routines. It can be monocular, If it occurs in one eye or binocular, if it occurs in both eyes.

5. Floaters and Flashes

Floaters are small objects like specks, dots, lines, or cobweb-like shapes that move around in your field of vision, and are commonly caused by age. While Flashes can appear as flashing lights or lightning streaks in your field of vision. Everyone does sees floaters or spots at some point in time, and this will usually occur when you are looking at bright lights or at something that is plain, like a blank wall or the sky. They are harmless in small amounts, and will usually fade away over time.

The sudden appearance of floaters or flashes of light in your vision could be as a result of underlying condition like:

Inflammation in the back of the eye
Diabetic retinopathy
Eye lymphoma
Detached or torn retina
Migraine
Posterior vitreous detachment
Uveitis or bleeding

6. Light Sensitivity

Light sensitivity is a condition that causes bright light to be uncomfortable, also known as photophobia. Mild photophobia will make you to squint in a brightly lit room or while outside. Severe cases may lead to serious pain when your eyes are exposed to any sort of bright light.

Photophobia may be a symptom of various eye conditions or infections like:

Cataracts
Corneal Abrasion
Allergies
Keratoconus
Migraine
Strabismus.

7. Halo Effects

Seeing halos around lights, especially at night, could be indicative of cataracts or other issues affecting the clarity of your vision.

8. Loss of Peripheral Vision

Peripheral vision is the ability to see from the corners of your eyes, which you are not focusing. If you are struggling to see things around you, whether on one side or both, it could indicate that there is damage to your optic nerve.

A gradual or sudden loss of peripheral (side) vision may be a sign of glaucoma, a condition that can lead to permanent vision loss if not treated. It could also be as a result of eye occlusions, a condition that stop the regular flow of blood to the optic nerve, so if you struggle to see from the corners of your eyes (peripheral vision), you should get it checked urgently.

9. Changes in Eye Color

A change in the color of the white part of the eye (sclera) or the appearance of yellowing may be associated with underlying health conditions like injury, trauma or heterochromia.

It’s important to note that significant or sudden changes in eye color should be evaluated by an eye care professional, as they could be a sign of an underlying medical issue.

10. Headaches

Headache is considered as a pain in the head, neck, and face. It can affect different parts of the head, depending on the cause of it, making you to feel dull ache, sharp pain, or throbbing in the temples. It could results from emotional or physical distress, such as stress or high blood pressure.

If over-the-counter medication does not help with your headache and the pain is persisting for a long period of time, you should consult your doctor.

Frequent or severe headaches, especially around the eyes, may be caused by eye conditions like:

Angle-closure glaucoma
Refractive error
Migraine
Photokeratitis (sunburn of the eye)
Corneal infection
Eyestrain

11. Night Blindness

Difficulty seeing clearly at night or adjusting to changes in lighting conditions could be due to various eye conditions, including cataracts, nystagmus, or retinitis pigmentosa. If you’re having difficulty seeing when is dark, you may be having night blindness. Your eyes can easily adjust itself when the place suddenly turns dark, but some eye problems can make it difficult to do so.

Conditions that may cause night blindness includes:

Nystagmus
Glaucoma
Cataracts
Retinitis pigmentosa

12. Dry Eye

Dryness of the eyes is a chronic condition that is caused by the eyes not producing enough good quality tears for the eyes to stay lubricated. It causes the eyes to feel gritty, scratchy, and irritated.

Underlying conditions that can cause dry eye includes:

Blepharitis
Dry eye syndrome
Chronic dry eye
Bell’s palsy
Blocked tear ducts

13. Excessive Tearing

Excessive tearing occurs when your eyes are producing too many tears and are continually watering. Irritated eyes produce tears in an attempt to lubricate and soothe the eyes.

Excessive tearing may indicate underlying issues such as:

Bacterial keratitis
Blocked tear duct
Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
Dry eye
Allergies

14. Narrowed Field of Vision

A narrowed field of vision is similar to loss of peripheral vision. It is when a person may only be able to see what is right in front of them. It can start from loss of peripheral vision and goes all the way to the tunnel vision, making you feel as if you are peering through a hole.

If you begin to notice that your field of vision is narrowing, you should see a doctor immediately. As it may also be a sign of glaucoma.

15. Blind Spots

Blind spots also known as scotoma, can appear at any point in your vision. It might appear as a dark spot in the center of your vision, or around the edges. It may also occur as a flickering light in the center of your eye, and may even move around the eye. Blind spots may come with migraines, or may stay permanently.

Blind spots could also be a sign of stroke, tumor, trauma, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, or exposure to toxic chemicals.

16. Swelling

Swelling in the eyes can be caused by trauma to the head, neck, and face or as a result of allergies, fluid retention, or serious eye infections that can cause permanent damage or potentially impair your vision forever if it is left untreated.

Swellings on or around the eyelid can cause other serious health problems that can potentially impair your vision forever.

However, if swelling persists over a long time, this may be a sign of more serious health problems such as:

Orbital cellulitis
Ocular herpes
Black eye
Blepharitis
Blocked tear duct
Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
Corneal ulcer
Scleritis
Graves’ disease

17. Scratchy Pain on The Eye Surface

Scratching pain on the surface of the eye is as a result of foreign object such as a piece of sand, small hair. It could also be as a result of dry eyes, which is when your eyes are not properly lubricated, causing your eyelids to irritate the surface of your cornea each time you blink.

This may stop when you have removed the foreign object from your eyes, but if it persists, it could be a symptom of other underlining problems. So, consult your doctor, as they can identify the problem and address the underlying condition that causes it.

18 Puffy Eyes

Puffy eyes could be as a result of allergies, inflammation, pink eye, aging, sinus congestion, or another infection. In some cases, puffy eyes may be due to thyroid problems.

To reduce puffy eyes, you can try applying a cold compress, getting more sleep, using over-the-counter eye creams, or addressing any underlying causes such as allergies or sinus problems. If puffiness persists or is accompanied by other concerning symptoms, consult a healthcare professional

19. Cloudy Eyesight

Cloudy eyesight can be caused by various factors, including cataracts, which are a common age-related condition where the lens of the eye becomes cloudy. Other possible causes include glaucoma, macular degeneration, or certain infections.

Although it is not a medical emergency, it can worsen over a period of time. It’s important to consult with an eye specialist for a proper diagnosis and treatment options if you’re experiencing cloudy vision.

20. Lumps

Styes are painful red-colored lumps that are caused by bacteria. It can occur on eyelashes or under the eyelid of the eyes.

chalazion lumps are a painless swollen bump, and occurs on the lids of the eye because of a clogged oil gland.

Painful red lumps can be treated with medication but chalazia lumps will require surgical removal.

In conclusion: If you experience any of these warning signs or have concerns about your eye health, it’s essential to seek professional advice from an eye doctor or ophthalmologist. Early detection and timely treatment can help prevent or manage many eye conditions effectively.

Source

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8 ‘Do Not Ignore’ Warning Signs of Serious Eye Problems. Russel Lazarus, December 12, 2021. https://www.optometrists.org/general-practice-optometry/guide-to-eye-health/8-do-not-ignore-warning-signs-of-serious-eye-problems/
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