What is Blurred Vision?

Blurring of vision is the lack of sharpness of vision resulting in difficulty to see fine details. It can affect one eye or both eyes depending on the cause.

Causes

Blurring of vision can be due to many conditions, some common ones are:

• Refractive errors – Myopia, Hypermetropia or astigmatism
• Corneal abrasion – Loss of the surface epithelial layer of the eye’s cornea. They are extremely painful due to nerve exposure and can cause tearing, squinting and vision loss.
• Cataracts – Clouding (opacity) of the lens of the eye that causes a progressive, painless loss of vision. Vision may be blurred, contrast may be lost and halos may be visible around lights.
• Infectious retinitis – Inflammation of the retina which can permanently damage it and cause blindness. Retinitis can be caused by several infectious agents, including toxoplasmosis, cytomegalovirus and candida.
• Migraine – Migraine causes moderate to severe headache that worsens by light, sound, or movement. Aura is another word for blurred vision that accompanies a migraine. Other symptoms of aura include blind spots, temporary vision loss, and seeing bright flashing lights.
• Optic neuritis – Optic neuritis is an inflammation that affects the myelin lining of the optic nerve, which transmits visual stimuli to the brain. It manifests with vision loss, usually in one eye, which varies from a small area of blurring to complete blindness. There may be distorted vision, inability to distinguish certain colors (dyschromatopsia), loss of contrast, and washed-out or less vivid vision than normal.
• Retinopathy – It is any damage to the retina of the eye which can cause vision impairment.it is mostly an ocular manifestation of systemic diseases like diabetes and hypertension.
• Injury to eyes – Any trauma to the eyes can also lead to blurring of vision.

Medical attention should be sought for immediately if the blurring of vision is sudden and accompanied with symptoms like severe headache, difficulty in talking, muscle weakness, facial drooping, pain in eyes, sudden blindness, etc.

Diagnosis

Certain eye tests like refraction test, ophthalmoscopy, etc., with proper history helps in diagnosing the underlying cause.

Management

Treatment is focused on the cause. Blurring of vision in general can be prevented by-

• Wearing protective sunglasses when out in the sun
• Eating a healthy diet rich in Vitamin A like carrot, green leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes, etc.
• Regular eye check-ups
• Washing hands before touching eyes or wearing contact lenses
• Using protective eyewear when using machines or while doing repair work.

Warning: Above information provided is an overview of the disease, we strongly recommend a doctor’s consultation to prevent further advancement of disease and/or development of complications.

Disclaimer: The information provided herein on request, is not to be taken as a replacement for medical advice or diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. DO NOT SELF MEDICATE. PLEASE CONSULT YOUR PHYSICIAN FOR PROPER DIAGNOSIS AND PRESCRIPTION.