Table of Contents
Vision changes and problems can be caused by many different conditions, such as presbyopia, or difficulty focusing on objects that are close, which is common in the elderly.
Cataracts are also a common cause, and this is cloudiness over the eye’s lens causing poor nighttime vision, halos around lights, and sensitivity to glare, until even daytime vision is eventually affected. This condition is also common in the elderly.
Glaucoma is the next cause of blurred vision, which is increased eye pressure, causing poor night vision, blind spots, and loss of vision to either side. Glaucoma is a major cause of blindness. It can happen gradually or suddenly but if it is sudden, it is a medical emergency.
Diabetic retinopathy is complication of diabetes that can lead to bleeding into the retina, and is another common cause of blindness.
Macular degeneration is loss of central vision, blurred vision, especially while reading, distorted vision, like seeing wavy lines, and colors appearing faded. This is the most common cause of blindness in people over age 60.
Further causes of blurred vision can be eye infections, inflammation, or injury. Floaters are tiny particles drifting across the eye and although often brief and harmless, they may be a sign of retinal detachment. Retinal detachment with symptoms that include floaters, flashes of light across your visual field, or a sensation of a shade or curtain hanging on one side of your visual field could also cause blurred vision. Optic neuritis is inflammation of the optic nerve from infection or multiple sclerosis, so you may experience pain when moving your eye or touching it through the eyelid.
Stroke or TIA, brain tumor and bleeding into the eye, are also causes of blurred vision.
Temporal arteritis is an important condition, an inflammation of an artery in the brain that supplies blood to the optic nerve. Migraine headaches occur as spots of light, halos, or zigzag patterns. These are common symptoms prior to the start of the headache. An ophthalmic migraine is when you have only visual symptoms without a headache at all.
Other potential causes of vision problems include fatigue, overexposure to the outdoors, temporary and reversible blurring of vision, and many medications. Medications that can affect vision include antihistamines, anticholinergics, digitalis derivatives, some high blood pressure pills, Indomethacin, phenothiazines, medications for malaria, ethambutol, and many others.