If you've been experiencing visual disturbances, such as light sensitivity, blurred vision or reduced peripheral vision, you likely feel worried about what could be causing these changes to your vision. It's common to put off a health check when you're worried about the unknown, but there are lots of common causes of visual disturbances that are relatively easy to treat. Read on to learn about three common causes of visual disturbances.
Corneal Abrasions
The cornea is the protective outer layer of your eye. It's transparent, so it can be difficult to see any abrasions. However, the cornea can easily be scratched with foreign objects, such as dust, sand or metal shavings. Some corneal abrasions will heal without treatment, but deeper abrasions need treatment to prevent ulceration from occurring at the site of the abrasion. Symptoms of a corneal abrasion include eye pain, feeling like you have something in your eye, blurred vision, eye watering and eye strain. Your optometrist may prescribe anti-inflammatory or antibiotic eye drops and a prescription eyewash to treat a corneal abrasion.
Cataracts
Cataracts are more common in the older population, but they can develop at any age. Cataracts occur when certain proteins in your eye clump together and cause the lens of the eye to become cloudy. Symptoms of cataracts include deterioration of your night vision, fading of colours, blurred vision and sensitivity to glare. Cataracts can be treated with surgery to remove the lens and insert a donor lens or artificial lens in its place.
Optic Neuritis
Optic neuritis is characterised by inflammation of the optic nerve at the back of the eye. This nerve plays a key role in the transfer of information from the eye to the brain. Symptoms of optic neuritis include reduction in vision, eye pain, seeing light flashes and floaters in your peripheral vision. Optic neuritis can be treated with oral or intravenous corticosteroids to rapidly bring down the inflammation, which will allow the nerve to resume normal communication with the brain.
Visual disturbances can greatly impact your quality of life and leave you struggling to read, enjoy watching a movie or drive safely at night. As you can see above, conditions that cause visual disturbances can often be successfully treated, so don't assume that changes to your vision will be permanent. If you're experiencing visual disturbances, schedule an eye test and let your optometrist know what's going on with your vision. Many eye problems can be diagnosed with a routine eye test, and you can easily fit a check-up into your lunch break. For more information, contact an optometrist. They can assist you with an eye exam.
Share30 September 2021
If you want to maintain your eye health, it is really important that you have regular check-ups with an optometrist. An optometrist will perform a number of different tests on your eyes. Because I didn't need glasses, I didn't think I had to go to an eye doctor. However, my wife suggested that I book an appointment for a check-up. I did so and I am so pleased I did. It turns out that I had a problem with my eyes which could cause blindness if left untreated. Thankfully, we caught it early enough so I am now fully recovered. I hope this blog helps you to look after your vision.