Blurred Vision: Meaning, Symptoms, Causes, Risk Factors & Treatment

Blurred vision is a condition that is increasingly prevalent because of the increased usage of electronic gadgets (screen time) and changing lifestyles. Blurred vision in one eye can be caused by a problem with any of the components of your eye, such as the retina, cornea, or optic nerve, but blurring eyesight can also be caused by a number of chronic conditions.

Some individuals also suffer intermittent hazy vision in one eye and eye irritation. Nevertheless, if you are willing to learn about blurred vision continue reading.

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What Is a Blurred Vision?

Blurred vision refers to a condition where things in the surrounding do not appear sharp and clear to the vision of the patients. Sometimes, everything will seem blurry, while other times a part of your vision will blur. you might experience blurry vision in both or one of your eyes. It depends on the reasons behind its cause.

It might cause abnormalities like farsightedness, near-sightedness, astigmatism, or presbyopia, which can be corrected with corrective lenses (glasses).

What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Blurred Vision?

Not every cause of blurry vision is harmless and self-contained. Because a number of eye problems can permanently harm your eye health and vision, it is important to know the signs and symptoms of blurred vision:

Pain in the eyes or headaches
Photophobia or sensitivity to light
Dryness and soreness of eyes
Watering and or discharge from the eyes
The whiteness of the pupil
Eye strain and fatigue
Floaters or spots/ mosquitos in front of the eye
Signs of trauma to the eyes

What Are the Causes of Blurred Vision?

A few of the primary causes of blurred vision include:

1. Hyperopia

When you have farsightedness or hyperopia, you can see things clearly in the distance, but you might have trouble focusing on things up close. Otherwise, you can experience extraordinary eye fatigue and strain. So, severe farsightedness can cause even distant objects to appear blurry.

2. Myopia

Near-sightedness or Myopia, along with squinting, eye strain, and headaches, is one of the blurred vision causes for one or both eyes. The most frequent refractive defect, Myopia, generates blurry images of distant objects.

3. Astigmatism

Blurred vision is frequently associated with an astigmatism symptom. Astigmatism is a form of refractive error that is typically brought on by an unevenly shaped cornea. No matter how far the seen item is from the eye, astigmatism prevents light rays from focusing on a single spot on the retina to create a clear vision.

4. Drop in Blood Sugar Level

A sudden drop in blood sugar level, or simply its fluctuations can make you dizzy. This can cause a blurred vision when the sugar level is changing from high to low or vice versa. It stops as soon as your blood sugar level stabilities with proper glucose intake.

5. Chronic Dry Eyes

Dry eye syndrome refers to a condition where your tears fail to create enough lubrication for your eyes. This causes inflammation and damage of the eye's surface. If left untreated, dry eyes can cause blurred vision, as it leads to an abrasion of the corneal surface.

6. Presbyopia

It is a naturally occurring age-related disorder and is likely to be the cause of hazy vision up close if you're over 40 and starting to notice it when reading small types like in newspapers or other materials. Presbyopia shares the same symptoms as hyperopia.

However, unlike hyperopia, which is a visual impairment brought on by the general shape of the eye, presbyopia is a lessened ability to focus on close objects as a result of the lens inside the eye hardening.

7. Eye Floaters

Temporary spots or floaters that wander into your field of vision might distort your eyesight. Age-related liquefaction of the eye's gel-like Vitreous causes minute tissue fragments to float freely inside the eye, generating shadows on the retina.

While a sudden influx of floaters is common with ageing, it may indicate a torn or detached retina, and you should immediately consult an eye doctor.

8. Headaches or Ocular Migraines

Blurred vision, halos, flickering light, or zigzag patterns are all common symptoms before the onset of a headache or ocular migraine.

9. Eye Drops and Medication

Some eye drops, particularly those used to check the retina, and the strength of your glasses can temporarily distort your vision. For most dilating drops, it resolves on its own over a period of two to six hours.

Additionally, several anti-hypertensive, anti-allergy, and anti-depressant medications can result in dry eyes and blurry vision, which can be treated with tear substitutes.

10. Pregnancy

During pregnancy, blurry vision is typical and can occasionally be coupled with double vision (diplopia). Your cornea's shape and thickness can change as a result of hormonal fluctuations, causing blurring of your eyesight. Most importantly, pregnant women frequently experience dry eyes, which can impair vision.

11. Change in the Power of Glasses/ Contact Lens

Even with corrective lenses in place, you may still have a blurry vision if your prescription for glasses or contact lenses is outdated. Hence, vision loss may result from wearing contact lenses longer than recommended or using filthy or oily-stained eyeglasses.

What Are the Risk Factors of Blurred Vision?

Some of the symptoms of blurred vision might be the reason for:

1. Cataracts

A cataract may cause vision changes such as blurred or foggy vision, glares, and night-time "halos." Cataracts can eventually get so opaque that they cause blindness if left untreated. Luckily, cataract surgery has a very high success rate in recovering lost vision by replacing natural lenses with artificial ones.

2. Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetes can lead to the development of new blood vessels and harm the retina of the eye. These blood arteries are porous, which can cause swelling, haemorrhage, and vision loss. In this regard, treatment options include simple observation, Laser surgery, Intravitreal injections, and Intricate Retinal Surgery.

3. Age-related Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration may be the cause of blurring of vision and gradual loss, including distortions, particularly in elderly people. Depending on the nature and stage of the condition, the recommended course of treatment may include vitamin supplements, observation, and injections into the eye.

4. Glaucoma

Except for Acute-Angle Closure Glaucoma, which manifests as an excruciatingly painful red eye and visual loss, glaucoma is asymptomatic. In extremely advanced cases, blurred or tunnel vision is visible, and the loss of vision is typically irreversible. Treatment options include incisional surgery, eye medications, and lasers.

5. Eye Infection, Inflammation, or Injury

A temporary loss of eyesight from these may also occur, which may or may not go away after therapy. Depending on the cause of the visual loss and the severity of the eye disease, appropriate medical care is implemented.

How Is Blurred Vision Diagnosed?

If you suspect blurred vision, visit an ENT specialist. Your doctor will ask some detailed questions to understand the current intensity of this issue, or the time period for which you are experiencing it. Furthermore, they might also inquire about your personal medical background and any family members who have had eye disorders.

Apart from that, they might consider the following activities to diagnose blurred vision in patients.

Eye Tests: The doctor will perform a physical examination of your eyes to get a reality check regarding the current status of your eyes. Asking the patient to read an eye chart is one of the common tests. Other tests include refraction test, ophthalmoscopy, slit lamp examination and tonometry.

Blood Tests: Doctors might perform blood tests on patients to check if they have bacteria in their blood, which might be contributing to the condition. Moreover, these tests are also beneficial in counting your WBC count to confirm if you are suffering from any infection. Once the doctor checks off these possibilities, the actual treatment begins.

How to Treat Blurred Vision?

Consuming foods rich in fast-acting sugars is one of the blurred vision treatments caused by a drop in blood sugar. Candies and juice are included in this. Additionally, you can take glucose pills to quickly raise your blood sugar levels.

Additionally, depending on the illness that's producing your symptoms, there may be other therapies for blurry vision. They could consist of eye drops, laser procedures, or treatments to manage the underlying illnesses.

So, the above article deals with details of blurred vision meaning and other allied factors. However, depending on the causing factors, you might only have one eye suffer hazy vision. Sometimes only a little of what you are looking at will be blurry, and other times everything that you are looking at will be.

Frequently Asked Questions

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When should I get in touch with my Ophthalmologist about blurry vision?

Contacting your eye doctor is a good idea if you experience blurred vision along with one or more of the symptoms mentioned above.

How to cure blurred vision caused by conjunctivitis?

Conjunctivitis-related blurred vision typically heals on its own. However, antiviral and antibacterial drugs can be taken as prescribed by your Ophthalmologist to ensure a quick recovery and stop its spread.