• When to seek medical advice

  

Get emergency medical care if you have sudden changes in vision or injury to your eye. Specific factors that may accompany urgent vision-related medical conditions include sudden onset of:

• Severe eye pain or irritation
• Vision loss or double vision
• Eye floaters, flashes of light or halos around lights
• Severe headache
• Nausea or vomiting
• Numbness or paralysis on one side of the body
• Confusion, dizziness or difficulty speaking

See a specialist in vision problems (optometrist or ophthalmologist) if you experience any vision problems that impair your ability to read or write comfortably, drive safely, or participate in everyday activities.

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Vision problems

Find possible causes of vision problems based on specific factors. Check one or more factors on this page that apply to your symptom.

Problem is

• Blurry distant objects

• Blurry nearby objects

• Blurry or blind spot in center of vision

• Blurry vision at all distances

• Bright zigzag lines

• Clouded, hazy or dim vision

• Double vision

• Fading of colors

• Flashes of light

• Glare with bright lights

• Halos around lights

• Inability to distinguish certain shades of color

• Loss of side vision

• Objects appear crooked or distorted

• Poor night vision

• Progressive expansion of shadow or curtain over visual field

• Seeing nonexistent things, or hallucinating

• Sensitivity to light

• Shimmering spots or stars

• Spots or strings floating in field of vision

• Swelling around the eye

• Tunnel vision

• Vision loss, partial or total

Problem affects

• Both eyes

• One eye

Vision improves somewhat with

• Holding objects away from face

• Holding objects close to face

• Squinting

• Use of bright lighting

Onset is

• Gradual or progressive

• Recent (hours to days)

• Sudden (seconds to minutes)

Duration is

• A few minutes

• Usually no longer than 30 minutes

Accompanied by

• Confusion or difficulty speaking

• Dizziness or difficulty walking

• Eye pain or discomfort

• Eye redness

• Eyestrain

• Headache

• Numbness or paralysis on one side of the body

• Other sensory disturbances

 

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