I have worn glasses for the past 30 years or so. To say that my eyesight is crappy would be a fair assessment. My chosen career path in the Navy had to change because of it. Eye vision problems symptoms of color-blindness and myopia (shortsightedness) made things more challenging in the Military but nothing was impossible. After-all Glasses or contact lenses gave me close to 20/20 vision.
In 2005 I began to get the warning signs that there may be a serious eye problem. The optician was unable to correct the vision in my right eye to any kind of decent level. Where did I notice this most?
On the golf course of all things….I literally couldn't see the ball after hitting it. My buddies would look at me funny whenever I asked where my ball went. They would think I was joking around when I asked the question and the ball had gone straight down the fairway.
This led to 15 years of investigations into what my eye problems were.
I'll save you the time.
Here's the punchline.
I am low-vision / legally blind.
I can't drive.
This changed everything for obvious reasons. Hence I have an interest in the symptoms of eye vision problems.
What I've learned from experience is to get checked out. AND REGULARLY! It's obvious to us all that eyes aren't exempt from the wear and tear of aging.
Some of the age-related changes in the eyes are annoying but aren't serious. Like it or not, we will all need glasses to readas we get older.
As the hair on my head has been thinning for the past 15 years, so will our eyelashes. Ever wondered why seniors seem to have more trouble getting things in their eye or excessive tearing?
But other changes in the eye, or with your vision, can signify a serious eye problem. If unchecked, this just may threaten your vision.
So, how do you know if an eye problem is a nuisance or the start of some serious eye disease? Well you're in the right place.
In this article we are going to highlight the 13 Foreboding Signs of Eye Problems. And the best ways to get effective help for Eye Vision Problems Symptoms.
Table of Contents
- 13 Foreboding Signs of Eye Problems – Effective Help for Eye Vision Problems Symptoms
Common Eye Problems.
Understanding whether a pain in your eye is a symptom of serious eye problems or just dry eyes syndrome can be tricky.
I've been affected by allergies in the spring and summer my whole life. The summer cold as I like to call it leaves me with watery and itchy eyes. They go red if I don't take anti-histamines.
I mention this because these allergies have many of the same symptoms of other serious eye problems. I know in those months what to expect. If I had the same symptoms at a different time of year, I'd get them checked out by the doctor , or optometrist AS A MINIMUM.
Here is a list of the 5 most common eye problems:
- Dry Eyes. This is one of the most common eye problems. When you don't produce the right kind of tears or enough tears your eyes begin to dry up. Left unattended your eye can become inflamed and painful. Chronic dry eye makes it uncomfortable to use a computer or watch TV. Symptoms include:
- Like something's in your eye.
- Red eyes
- Itchy eyes
- Sensitivity to light
- Blurred vision
Your doctor can prescribe a treatment. That said, it may be worth checking with a pharmacist as well who may recommend an OTC treatment like Thera Tears Eye Drops for Dry Eyes which you can buy at the drug store or on Amazon.
- Cataracts. As we get older, the lenses inside our eyes may get cloudy. Cataracts might not impact your vision initially. However, as they grow worse the vision may become difficult for you to see or operate especially at night. The signs of cataracts are:
- Foggy vision
- Trouble seeing at night
- You require a bright light source to read or read in fine detail
- The lights are illuminating and you can see halos
- Fading colors
- Sensitivity to glare and light
Regular eye exams can help detect cataracts. However, consult your eye doctor immediately in the event that you observe a decrease in vision.
- Diabetic Retinopathy. Retinopathy is the most frequent eye issue in people suffering from diabetes. The high blood sugar can damage the retina, which can cause it to lose its connection. This could result in vision loss. There may not be any symptoms until the beginning stages of this condition. Consult your eye physician immediately If you notice:
- The floating strings or spots in your vision
- Blurry vision
- Blank or dark areas of your vision
- Vision that shifts between blurred and clear
- Colors appear washed-out.
- Vision loss
You can safeguard your eyes from retinal diseases. Manage your blood sugar and blood pressure. Get an eye exam each year to identify and treat issues early.
- Glaucoma. Glaucoma is a very common eye disease that affects those who are over 40 years old and the leading cause of blindness among people older than 60 years old. A buildup of fluid occurs in the front portion of your eye , and it damages optic nerve. In the beginning Glaucoma can be present without symptoms. Therefore, you might not be aware you're suffering from it. Some of the signs you'll notice first include:
- Side vision loss
- Halos appearing around lights
- Tunnel vision
- Eye redness or pain
Eye exams every year can help keep your eyes safe from Glaucoma. The eye doctor will test your eyes for any signs of glaucoma, and suggest treatment.
- Macular Degeneration. Macular degeneration is the most common reason for vision loss in the elderly Americans. The central portion of your retina also known as the macula, deteriorates as you age. It could result in blind spots appearing within your vision's central field. It could become difficult for you to drive, read, or watch TV and identify faces. The majority of people don't have any symptoms in the early stages. When the condition progresses you might experience changes in your vision such as:
- Straight lines seem bent
- Dark, blurry regions in the middle of your vision
- Trouble recognizing faces
- Difficulty seeing fine details
Eye exams every year with an optometrist will help identify and treat macular degeneration.
Signs of an Eye Problem.
According to Harvard Health School eyes aren't immune to the wear and tear caused by the ageing process. Certain changes caused by age in the eyes are a nuisance but not serious. For example, it could make it difficult to concentrate on objects in close-up and the eyelashes can thin.
However, other changes could be serious eye issues that could compromise vision.
As we age, our eyes' ability to retain fluid decreases. Eyes can feel dry, itchy or even gritty.
It's possible that the lens in the eye may be less flexible. Night vision can also deteriorate, which could cause problems while driving at night.
However cataracts, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy may cause blindness if unchecked or treated.
How can you tell when an eye issue is just a minor inconvenience or the beginning of something more serious?
The signs and symptoms listed below require a visit to your ophthalmologist. Finding eye problems that are serious early can maintain your vision.
Even non-vision-threatening eye problems can be treated to keep your eyes comfortable and your eyesight as sharp as possible.
Contact an eye specialist if you notice any of the following symptoms:
-
Change in iris color
Crossed eyes
Dark spot in the center of your field of vision
Difficulty focusing on near or distant objects
Double vision
Dry eyes with itching or burning
Episodes of cloudy vision
Excess discharge or tearing
Eye pain
Floaters or flashers
Growing bump on the eyelid
Halos (colored circles around lights) or glare
Hazy or blurred vision
Inability to close an eyelid
Loss of peripheral vision
Redness around the eye
Spots in your field of vision
Sudden loss of vision
Trouble adjusting to dark rooms
Unusual sensitivity to light or glare
Veil obstructing vision
Wavy or crooked appearance to straight lines
1. Red Eyes.
Many different conditions and injuries can cause redness in the eye. This can cause irritation, swelling, and vision loss. The small blood vessels in the eyes typically become inflamed, causing the whites of the eyes to appear pink or red.
Irritated eyes can cause red eyes. It could also be a symptom of a more serious problem or infection. If your eyes have been red for a long time, see your optometrist for an examination.
The following are some of the most common red eye eyes:
- Conjunctivtis (Pink Eye)
- Allergic Reactions to the Eye
- Uveitis
- Blepharitis
2. Night Blindness.
You may have a night vision problem if you have trouble seeing when it gets dark outside. Your eyes can usually adjust easily between well-lit and dark environments, but some eye problems can make this difficult.
Night vision problems may indicate the following:
- Cataracts
- Nystagmus
- Pigmentosa Retinitis
3. Headache.
A headache can be linked to a variety of eye issues, some of which are considered emergency situations. The following are some of the eye conditions that can cause a headache:
- Angle-Closure Glaucoma
- Error of Refraction
- Migraine
- Photokeratitis
4. Light Sensitivity.
Light sensitivity, also known as photophobia, is a condition that makes bright light uncomfortable. Squinting in a brightly lit room or outside is a sign of mild photophobia.
When your eyes are exposed to any kind of light, more severe cases may cause significant pain.
Light sensitivity is a common symptom of a variety of eye disorders. These include the following:
- Corneal Abrasion
- Allergies
- Cataracts
- Keratoconus
- Migraines
- Strabismus
5. Floaters.
Floaters appear in your field of vision as specks, dots, lines, or webs. They appear to be in front of your eye, but they are actually floating within the vitreous.
The shadows cast on the retina by small clumps of cells are what you see.
Floaters are usually harmless in small amounts, and they fade and disappear over time. When you're looking at something plain, like a blank wall or the sky, you'll usually notice them.
Severe floaters, on the other hand, may indicate a larger issue, such as:
- Eye Lymphoma
- Diabetic Retinopathy
- Posterior Vitreous Detachment
- Uveitis
- Torn or Detached Retina
6. Flashes.
Flashes can appear in your field of vision as flashing lights or lightning streaks. After being hit on the head, some patients report seeing flashes that resemble “seeing stars.“
Flashes are usually caused by the vitreous rubbing or pulling on the retina, and they can occur as a result of ageing. They're also common in certain eye conditions, such as:
- Detached or Torn Retina
- Migraine
It's best to see your optometrist if you start seeing flashes you haven't seen before or if you've recently had eye surgery.
7. Dry Eyes.
Dry eye can make your eyes feel gritty, scratchy, and irritated. Dry eye is a chronic condition that occurs when your eyes don't produce enough high-quality tears to keep them lubricated.
Dry eyes can also be a sign of a more serious problem. It could be a sign of:
- Bell's Palsy
- Blepharitis
8. Excessive Tearing.
You could be suffering from TONS of problems if your eyes are constantly watering and producing too many tears. Tears are produced by irritated eyes in an attempt to lubricate and soothe them.
Tearing is commonly associated with:
- Blocked Tear Ducts
- Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye)
- Dry Eye
- Allergies
- Bacterial Keratitis
9. Vision Loss – A Blurred or Distorted Picture.
Vision that's blurred or distorted is a common symptom of MANY eye conditions.
Sudden, significant changes in your vision are a warning sign to see an eye specialist as a priority.
The following are some of the most common eye conditions that can cause blurred or distorted vision:
- Macular Degeneration as a Result of Growing Older
- Astigmatism
- Cataracts
- Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye
- Torn or Detached Retina
- Keratoconus Macular Edema
- Error of Refraction
10. Swelling.
Swelling in or around the eye could be the result of a injuries to the neck, head or the face. The eye's tissues or the eyelids may be inflamed and irritated, leading to swollen, eyelids that appear discolored.
A swelling can be a sign of an eye issue that is serious. The most common causes are:
- Black Eye
- Blepharitis
- Blocked Tear Duct
- Cellulitis
- Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye)
- Corneal Ulcer
- Scleritis
- Graves' Disease
11. Eye Strain.
Eyestrain occurs when your eyes become tired from prolonged use, such as driving long distances or staring at computer screens and other digital devices.
Eye strain is an annoyance. However, it is usually not serious and will go away once you rest your eyes or take other measures to alleviate your eye discomfort. Eyestrain symptoms and signs can sometimes indicate an underlying eye condition that requires treatment. These include:
- Eyes that are sore, tired, burning, or itching
- Eyes that are watery or dry
- Vision that is hazy or doubles-up
- Headaches
- Neck, shoulder, or back pain
- Increased Light sensitivity
- Concentration problems
- Feeling as if you can't keep your eyes open any longer
12. Lazy Eye.
Reduced vision in one eye (amblyopia) is an eye caused by abnormal visual development early in life. The weaker (or lazy) eye is prone to wandering inward or outward.
Amblyopia is a condition that affects people from birth to the age of seven. It is the most common cause of vision loss in children. Lazy eye rarely affects both eyes.
Early detection and treatment can help your child avoid long-term vision problems. Glasses, contact lenses, or patching therapy can usually help the eye with poor vision.
The following are some of the signs and symptoms of lazy eye:
- An inward or outward wandering eye
- Eyes that don't seem to work together
- Depth perception issues
- Shutting one eye or squinting
- Tilting the head
- Vision screening test results that are abnormal
13. Vision Changes.
Vision changes are any alterations in your ability to see normally and include blurred vision, cloudy vision or double vision.
Vision changes may originate in the eyes themselves or may be caused by many different conditions that affect the whole body.
Many vision changes are the result of simple refractive errors such as myopia or presbyopia, which are easily corrected with eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Mayo Clinic – Symptoms Checker
The Mayo Clinic is world renowned for all things medical. They have VAST amounts of information on eye problems too. What I like most about their website is their handy eye symptoms checker.
It helps you go through any eye symptoms that you may be experiencing. This then highlights potential causes and advice on what to do. This could be the difference in catching serious eye problems early and help preserve your vision.
Products that help with these Problems
Keeping your eyes healthy can make a significant difference in your health and overall well-being. Any Google search will throw up a ton of advice.
Some of it great. Other snippets are just down right BS.
According to Harvard Medical Review, the NUMBER-1-THING you can do to prevent eye problems, is focus on your diet.
BORING!!
True, but like everything in life, the food we eat has a big impact on our overall physical and neurological state.
If you are predisposed to eye problems, or are concerned about the future then think about including the following regularly in your diet.
Best food sources of eye-healthy nutrients |
|
|
Nutrients |
Food |
|
Lutein, zeaxanthin |
Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, corn, eggs, kale, nectarines, oranges, papayas, romaine lettuce, spinach, squash |
|
Omega-3 fatty acids |
Flaxseed, flaxseed oil, halibut, salmon, sardines, tuna, walnuts |
|
Vitamin A |
Apricots, cantaloupe (raw), carrots, mangos, red peppers (raw), ricotta cheese (part-skim), spinach, sweet potatoes |
|
Vitamin C |
Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, grapefruit, kiwi, oranges, red peppers (raw), strawberries |
|
Vitamin E |
Almonds, broccoli, peanut butter, spinach, sunflower seeds, wheat germ |
|
Zinc |
Chickpeas, oysters, pork chops, red meat, yogurt |
Medical Studies have also concluded that supplements can help with vision problems.
For several years, researchers studied the effects of high doses of several antioxidants taken together. AREDS2's final recommendations were as follows:
| vitamin C | 500 mg |
| vitamin E | 400 IU |
| lutein | 10 mg |
| zeaxanthin | 2 mg |
| zinc | 80 mg |
| copper | 2 mg (taken to prevent copper deficiency caused by zinc) |
Nootropics have also been shown to benefit certain eye conditions. To save you time, check out this YouTube video that goes into greater details on some of those available.
The final product that I want to mention is one that I tried. ReVision.
The herbal ingredients in ReVision 2.0 capsules work together to give the body the nutrition to optimize vision and brain health. The effects of this supplement on the eyes are as follows.
- Eyesight improvement
- Improved Brainwork
- Can Help Repair Damage.
- Prevents age-related damage.
Check out my ReVision Review and how it helped stall my loss of eyesight.
Eye Surgery Problems – Common Symptoms
I've been fortunate. I have not had to go under the knife so to speak. Post-Op Eye surgery problems do happen. Your ophthalmologist will highlight these before / after your operation. The most common problems are :
- Blurred vision
- Dry eye
- Glare, halos and other unwanted images
- Light sensitivity
- Floaters or flashes of light
If you believe you have a detached retina, you should seek the advice of a qualified ophthalmologist as soon as possible. It could be that you need to start the retina surgery recovery process and treat the problem.
At first, you may notice blurry vision, floaters, or flashes as a result of retina tears, and it may appear that your vision is deteriorating.However, if a detachment is not treated, it can result in permanent vision loss or blindness.
What are the 3 vision or eye problems?
The majority of people who need glasses or contacts when they're young have one of three common vision problems: myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism. All of these are refractive errors, which are problems with how the eyes focus lightrather than eye diseases.
Myopia (near-sightedness).
- Nearsightedness, or myopia as it is medically known, is a vision condition in which people can see clearly close objects but see blurry objects further away.
- When the eyeball is too long or the cornea (the clear front cover of the eye) is too curved, myopia develops.
- Nearly 30% of the population in the United States suffers from myopia.
- While the exact cause of myopia is unknown, there is evidence that many people inherit myopia, or at the very least the proclivity to develop myopia.
- Even though a person's proclivity for developing myopia may be inherited, how they use their eyes can influence how it develops.
Hyperopia: Gazing Into The Distance
- Farsightedness, also known as hyperopia, is a condition in which you can see distant objects clearly but everything up close is blurry.
- Myopia causes hyperopia, but hyperopia causes myopia.
- The eyeball is either too short or the cornea is too flat, rather than being too long.
- Corrective lenses must be convex (thicker in the middle) and have a positive prescription to correct hyperopia.
The stronger the prescription, the higher the number.
Astigmatism: Warped Perspective.
Astigmatism is the third most common refractive error, and it's a little different from the other two.
- A normal cornea has a single focal point and is uniformly curved.
- Astigmatism causes things to appear blurry at any distance and bends their images because the cornea is more football shaped, creating multiple focal points.
- Astigmatism is frequently associated with one of the other refractive errors, and it necessitates the use of more complex lenses to correct it.
- Rather than being spherical, the lens is usually cylindrical.
How do you know if something is wrong with your eyes?
How can you tell if an eye problem is just an annoyance or the beginning of something more serious?
Early detection of serious eye problems can help you keep your vision. Eye problems that aren't life-threatening can be treated to keep your eyes comfortable and your vision as sharp as possible.
If you have any of the following symptoms, contact your doctor right away:
- Change in iris color
- Crossed eyes
- Dark spot in the center of your field of vision
- Difficulty focusing on near or distant objects
- Double vision
- Dry eyes with itching or burning
- Episodes of cloudy vision
- Excess discharge or tearing
- Eye pain
- Floaters or flashers
- Growing bump on the eyelid
- Halos (colored circles around lights) or glare
- Hazy or blurred vision
- Inability to close an eyelid
- Loss of peripheral vision
- Redness around the eye
- Spots in your field of vision
- Sudden loss of vision
- Trouble adjusting to dark rooms
- Unusual sensitivity to light or glare
- Veil obstructing vision
- Wavy or crooked appearance to straight lines
Final Thoughts
So there you have it. The 13 foreboding signs of serious eye problems and how you can find out if you have them.
I'm not saying that I would've maintained my vision had I been checked out earlier. My eye condition is an anomaly.
There are loads of eye problems and eye disorders. The links contained in this article give you a wealth of information should you want to do more research.
The critical thing is to not bury your head in the sand. If you notice a problem or your vision changing see an eye specialist as soon as possible.
Your pharmacist at the drugstore can also provide some great advice on over-the-counter treatments for common ailments.
Nootropics like revision have been shown to have incredible benefits alongside more traditional treatments. Be sure to check out my Revision review if you want more information.
