Blurry vision is a common eyesight problem.
Though it isn’t a big deal, sometimes it could lead to a serious problem.
In any case, if you know the reason behind your blurry vision, you can easily get rid of it in no time. Below, we have put together some of the most common causes of blurry eyes as well as what to do about them.
1. High blood pressure
Just like high blood pressure can lead to stroke and heart disease, it can also lead to a mini-stroke of the eye called vein occlusion.
“These patients feel no pain,” says Rajiv Shah, MD, assistant professor of ophthalmology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. “They will wake up and their vision is blurry.”
Blurry vision happening due to this reason usually affects one eye. Vein occlusion can be treated using clot-busting medication, but it should be taken right away so as to be effective.
2. High blood sugar
Besides causing severe diabetes complications, high blood sugar can also lead to blurry vision.
“Really high sugars can lead to swelling of one’s lens,” Dr. Shah says. The swelling affects the focusing properties of the eye causing blurriness.
Such type of blurry vision isn’t so dangerous and may last for a couple of hours or days.
3. Diabetes
People having type 1 or type 2 diabetes usually suffer from diabetic retinopathy. It’s a condition in which extra blood vessels grow and start bleeding or damaged blood vessels get leaked in the back of the eye.
“Unfortunately, this is the sneak thief of vision,” Dr. Shah warns. “You can lose your vision from diabetes and not know you have diabetes.”
If you suffer from Diabetes, you should regularly get your eyes checked so as to prevent diabetic retinopathy. Also, you must control your blood sugar to avoid it in the first place.
4. Age-related macular degeneration
Macula is an area near retina which enables you to see details and objects directly in front of you. It gets damaged with age, especially when you pass 60.
When age-related macular degeneration (AMD) kicks in, blurry vision is one of the initial symptoms.
In order to lower the risk for AMD, you should eat a lot of green, leafy veggies and fish, avoid smoking, and keep your cholesterol and blood pressure at healthy levels, according to the National Eye Institute.
5. Glaucoma
Glaucoma is an age-related vision disease which damages the optic nerve. It is caused by extra pressure in the eye, developed due to several factors.
“Patients with glaucoma don’t even know it because the vision loss happens over decades,” Dr. Shah says. “There’s really no way to suspect other than regular eye evaluations.”
After being diagnosed with it, you can get help from prescription medications, eye surgery, or laser treatment.
6. Cataract
Cataract is also an age-related condition in which lens in the front of the eye gets blurry, blocking light from reaching the retina.
It can be successfully treated with surgery to replace the damaged lens with a clear, plastic one. “That is one of the most successful surgeries in all of medicine,” Dr. Shah says.
7. Eye infection
Herpes keratitis is a common eye infection caused by the herpes virus when you touch your eyes after touching a cold sore on your lips. Eye infection may also be caused due to several other reasons.
Though different medications and eye drops are available, prevention is the best way to avoid eye infection. Your cornea also fights a lot of germs for you.
Bibiana Reiser, MD, director of cornea and glaucoma services at Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and assistant professor of ophthalmology at the Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, says: “The cornea is an amazing structure. It has a lot of [antibodies] that kill things directly on contact.”
8. You sleep with contacts lenses.
Contact lenses usually create micro-scratches on the surface of your eye because they move across the eye every time you blink. Microorganisms can get caught in such scratches, leading to infections.
Sleeping with contacts lenses “is a perfect petri dish to grow those organisms and cause corneal ulcers,” says, Kim Le, MD, a pediatric ophthalmologist with the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.
“Always, always take [contact lenses] out at night,” adds Dr. Shah.
9. Conjunctivitis
The adenoviruses that cause sore throat, common cold, and bronchitis, can also cause conjunctivitis or pink eye.
It usually goes by itself in a couple of weeks, but if you develop severe symptoms then make sure to visit a doctor as soon as you can.
Keeping yourself clean at all times can prevent conjunctivitis.
10. You need prescription glasses.
Blurry vision is frequently caused by astigmatism, farsightedness (hyperopia), and nearsightedness (myopia).
In all these conditions, your eye can’t focus the light rays on your retina, leading to blurry images. So, getting contact lenses or reading glasses might help you. You can also undergo laser surgery for permanent treatment.
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