How does blurry vision look like

Your doctor may recommend surgery when your cataracts interfere with your daily life, or reduce your quality of life. During surgery, your clouded lens is removed and replaced with an artificial lens.

The surgery is an outpatient procedure and you can usually go home the same day. You can typically go about your normal activities a few days after the surgery. Full recovery may take several weeks, though. The cornea has a layer of cells called the endothelium, which pump fluid out of the cornea and keep your vision clear. This can cause cloudy vision.

The first symptom will usually be hazy vision in the morning that clears up during the day. Symptoms usually appear after age Macular degeneration is a leading cause of vision loss.

It happens when the middle part of the retina — the part of the eye that sends images to your brain — deteriorates. Most macular degeneration is the dry type.

This is caused by small deposits called drusen building up under the center of the retina. Wet macular degeneration is caused by abnormal blood vessels forming behind the retina and leaking fluid.

In the beginning, you may not notice any symptoms. Eventually it will cause wavy, cloudy, or blurred vision. You can reduce your risk by:. Most people have some floaters.

They can be annoying, but are usually harmless. They may stay indefinitely or spontaneously disappear. There is no treatment for floaters. However, if you suddenly notice a lot of floaters or flashing lights, you should have an eye examination to ensure that the internal surfaces of your eye are correctly positioned and healthy.

Watery eyes Watery eyes can be due to: a low-grade infection of the eyelids, causing irritation on waking and subsequent tear production dry eyes, caused by factors such as medications, general health conditions, environmental factors such as air conditioning or wind or rarely, incomplete closure of the eyelids. Dryness makes your eyes produce more tears a problem with the drainage of tears out of the eye sometimes caused by a blockage a mild allergic reaction foreign material in the eye.

It is worth having your eyes examined to find out whether you need eye drops to lubricate your eyes or other treatment to correct an underlying condition. Eye disorders — focusing problems Problems with focusing refractive errors are the most common eye disorders.

These occur when the image of what you are looking at does not focus precisely on the back of the eye retina and appears blurry. The main types of refractive errors are myopia short-sightedness , hyperopia or hypermetropia long-sightedness , astigmatism and presbyopia inability to focus on near objects. Refractive errors occur when there is a mismatch between the length of the eye and its optical power. These mismatches usually originate during childhood and are thought to be affected by both hereditary and environmental influences.

Myopia short-sightedness People who have myopia short-sightedness do not see distant objects clearly. In a normal eye, the lens and cornea focus light into an image on the retina. In a myopic eye, the light is focused in front of the retina and so the image is blurred. Myopia is a very common condition that affects about 15 per cent of the population. Usually, myopia begins to develop in teenage years, although it can happen any time from birth.

Myopia may progressively increase over the following few years, slowing in the mid to late twenties in most people. Some clues that may lead you to suspect myopia in a child are: screwing up of eyes or squinting to see distant objects difficulty reading the blackboard at school sitting very close to the television poor posture while reading a lack of interest in playing outdoor games.

Treatment for myopia There is no cure for myopia. However, glasses or contact lenses can help you see clearly. There are several techniques available to correct myopia by reshaping the cornea to reduce its power. These include laser surgery, which removes tissue from the cornea, leaving it with a flatter surface.

High levels of myopia can cause more serious problems, such as stretching and thinning of the retina, holes and tears, and the risk of retinal detachments. If you are myopic, you should have regular eye examinations and talk to your optometrist about the potential for problems.

Hyperopia long-sightedness People who have hyperopia long-sightedness may experience blurred vision, particularly for close work. A mildly hyperopic person can often see quite clearly because the eye compensates.

The greater the hyperopia, the harder it is to focus. If there is a significant amount of hyperopia, the effort of focusing for long periods can cause tired eyes or headaches. Treatment for hyperopia Young people who are slightly hyperopic may not have problems. Correcting hyperopia through wearing glasses or contact lenses can improve reading ability and concentration through increased comfort and clarity of vision.

Distance vision may also be improved. For all eyeglasses to correct refractive errors and presbyopia, clarity and comfort can be enhanced with anti-reflective coating and photochromic lenses. Ask your optician for details. Chronic dry eyes: Dry eye syndrome can affect your eyes in numerous ways, including causing variable blurry vision. While artificial tears lubricating eye drops can help, more advanced cases of dry eye may require a prescription medication or punctal plugs to keep your eyes comfortable, healthy and seeing well.

Pregnancy: Blurry vision is common during pregnancy and sometimes is accompanied by double vision diplopia. Hormonal changes can alter the shape and thickness of your cornea, causing your vision to blur.

Dry eyes also are common in pregnant women and can cause blurred vision. You should always report any vision disturbances during pregnancy to your doctor. While blurry vision is not always serious, in some cases it could be an indicator of gestational diabetes or high blood pressure.

Ocular migraines or migraine headaches: While generally harmless and temporary, blurred vision, flickering light, halos or zigzag patterns are all common symptoms prior to the start of an ocular migraine or migraine headache. Eye floaters: Vision can be blurred by temporary spots or floaters drifting in your field of vision.

Floaters typically appear when the eye's gel-like vitreous begins to liquify with age, causing microscopic bits of tissue within the vitreous to float freely inside the eye, casting shadows on the retina. If you see a sudden shower of floaters, this could signal a torn or detached retina and you should see an eye doctor immediately. The clarity of your eyesight typically will improve within a few days, but it may take more time for your vision to stabilize completely. Some people also experience auras , which are sensory disturbances that occur before or during a headache.

According to the American Migraine Foundation, these symptoms will usually last 20—60 minutes for those who experience aura. People can also have silent migraine , which is a migraine with aura but no pain. Treatment for migraine usually involves pain relievers.

Over-the-counter medications may be sufficient for those with an occasional migraine. However, those with frequent episodes may require prescription options, such as triptans, to manage the condition. Learn more about managing migraine at home here. Cataracts develop when the lens of the eye clouds over, causing blurry vision. This can happen in one or both eyes. Cataracts tend to be age-related and are common in older adults.

The only way to treat cataracts is through surgery. During the operation, a surgeon will replace the clouded lens with an artificial one. Learn about cataract surgery and recovery here. Age-related macular degeneration AMD affects the macula, which is the part of the eye that enables people to see fine details. The condition can start in one eye and progress to the other, causing a loss of sharp or central vision.

Wet AMD occurs when blood vessels form behind the retina and under the macula. These bleed and leak into the eye, scarring and damaging it. As people get older, the macula gets thinner, leading to blurry vision. Drusen, or tiny yellow or white deposits under the retina, are the most common early sign of dry AMD.

There is no cure for either type of AMD. However, there are things people can do to slow its progression , including:. In people with wet AMD, doctors may also recommend anti-vascular endothelial growth factor drugs or laser treatment.