Most people downplay the need to visit an eye doctor unless they have serious eye problems going on. Surprisingly, only a few people pay attention to their eye health. That said, most eye problems can go undetected for a long time until they become advanced.
To avoid such issues, make a trip to an eye doctor as soon as you notice any of these symptoms.
Double Vision
Double vision or diplopia is a condition that most people will ignore because it will come and disappear after a while. Diplopia can affect one eye or both, and it's easy to tell whether you have it. If you have double vision, you'll always see things appearing in twos. People with diplopia are most likely to have a wandering eye, droopy eyelids, and headaches.
An eye doctor will conduct tests to understand what's causing your double vision. This way, the eye doctor will treat the root cause of your condition, and it will be much easier if it's done early.
Eye Pain
Eye pain isn't something you want to deal with as it will interfere with your quality of life. Besides, eye pain can be a sign of something more serious. Therefore, seek medical care if you have severe eye pain.
Sometimes eye pain will come and go. But if the pain persists, visit an eye doctor as soon as possible. The optometrist will treat your pain depending on what's causing it. It could be a foreign object, conjunctivitis, flash burns, chemical burns, corneal abrasions, iritis, or blepharitis.
Sensitivity to Light
Sensitivity to light is yet another sign that something is off with your eyes. Healthy eyes can tolerate normal lighting conditions. So, if you notice your eyes are sensitive to normal lighting conditions, consider visiting an eye doctor. Light sensitivity could be a sign of cataracts or severe inflammation inside the eye. Luckily, your optometrist can treat these conditions and reduce your sensitivity to light.
Flashes of Light
If you have been seeing flashing lights in your eyes recently, consider visiting an eye doctor right away. Flashing lights or photopsia can appear as zigzags, flashes, or dots of white light in your eyes.
Regrettably, most people tend to ignore this condition since they don't know its seriousness. Flashing lights in your eyes could mean you have a detached retina, a retinal tear, head injury, or wet macular degeneration.
Other symptoms that might warrant a visit to your local eye doctor include headaches, blurry vision, floaters, and itching or burning eyes. Contact an eye doctor for more information.
Share23 November 2021
Hi, I'm Deena, and as I neared middle age, I noticed that my eyesight wasn't as good as it used to be. I first started out needing reading glasses to read the small print in magazines, and then a few months later, I had to put them on to see the computer screen clearly. I knew by then that my eyes were getting worse and that I needed to do something quickly. I made an appointment with the optometrist and the doctor gave me an eye exam. Even though my sight wasn't as bad as I had feared, I still needed prescription glasses. I love my new glasses because I can actually see now. I have put together a lot of information about eye problems, eye tests and even various types of eye wear so that others don't wait as long as I did to see the eye doctor.