Poor vision in adults or children can be caused by several possible factors such as anatomical changes or defects in the eye or visual system, diseases affecting the eye, side effects of medication or injuries to the eye. Many people also report visual abnormalities due to aging or eye strain. Aging and stress can cause changes in your eyesight, which might sometimes cause pain and even make it harder to get through normal activities such as reading fine print or using a computer for extended periods of time. These vision problems can be expressed through the following symptoms: blurry vision, headaches, eye strain, squinting and trouble seeing from close and far distances.
Blurred vision is one of the most oft-reported signs of a vision problem. If you have blurred vision when looking at faraway objects or signs, you may very well be myopic or nearsighted. Blurred vision that's present when you are looking at objects at close range could mean you suffer from hyperopia, or farsightedness. It can also be a sign of astigmatism which occurs due to an abnormality in the shape of the cornea, or the curvature of the lens inside the eye. Whatever the cause of blurry vision, it is really important that an optometrist examine your vision and prescribe a solution to help clarify your sight.
Rapid flashes of light, together with black floating spots and the feeling of a dark curtain inhabiting a portion of your vision indicates you might have a retinal detachment. If this happens, make an appointment to see your eye doctor right away, because this can have severe consequences for your eyesight.
Another warning sign of a vision problem is the inability to distinguish between shades or brightness of color. This generally means the patient has a problem perceiving color, or color blindness. Interestingly, this condition is usually not known to the patient until discovered via a consultation. Color blindness is generally found in males. If present in a female it could mean she has ocular disease, in which case, an eye care professional needs to be consulted. If you have difficulty distinguishing objects in dim light, it could mean the patient suffers from night blindness.
A problem commonly found in elderly people is cataracts, which can have a number of indicating signs which include: unclear vision that is worse in bright light, trouble seeing in the dark or reduced light, trouble seeing small writing or details, the need for brighter light when reading, improvement in near vision while distance vision worsens, inflammation of the eye, and a pale look to the usually dark pupil.
Throbbing pain in the eye, headaches, blurry sight, redness in the eye, colorful rings around lights, nausea and vomiting are also signs of glaucoma, an acute medical illness, which requires medical attention.
When it comes to children, it's useful to keep an eye out for weak eye movement, or eyes that cross in or out, which may indicate a vision problem known as strabismus. Some behavior in children, such as rubbing one or both eyes, squinting, head tilting, or the need to close one eye in order to focus better, can often indicate this issue.
While clearly some conditions may be more problematic than others, any disruption to good vision can be something that compromises your quality of life. A short visit to your optometrist can save you from being avoidably uncomfortable, not to mention even more severe eye and vision damage.