9 Eye Health Warning Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore

Your vision plays an integral role in your wellbeing as well as your everyday experiences. Your eyes can also tell you a lot about your health in general.

During an eye exam, your doctor will examine the blood vessels as well as the nerves in your eyes, which can highlight potential health concerns and medical conditions.

For this reason, regular eye exams are a must, but even more so if you start experiencing any of the below symptoms.

9 Eye Health Symptoms That Warrant a Visit to a Doctor

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 20 million Americans are affected by vision problems. Many of these problems are minor and can be corrected with eyeglasses, while others can allude to more serious underlying health conditions.  

Here are the symptoms you shouldn’t ignore.

1. Double Vision

It doesn’t matter whether it’s infrequent, random, or occurs quite often, double vision is always a cause for concern. Double vision can cause balance problems and make reading incredibly difficult. While double vision can be caused by dry eyes, it can also indicate potential neurological concerns, so it is best to see your doctor.

2. Blurred Vision

Blurry vision can affect your central vision, peripheral vision, or both. Whatever your experience, blurry or distorted vision could indicate a serious eye condition and requires a diagnosis and prompt treatment. Conjunctivitis, a detached retina, a corneal infection, and angular-closure glaucoma can all cause blurry or distorted vision.  

3. Eye Pain

Trauma, irritation, an infection, and objects stuck in the eye can all cause a throbbing or shooting pain in the eye. However, eye pain can also be the start of other serious eye conditions.

If the eye pain is often accompanied by a headache, this is more than likely just a severe headache or migraine. But, if the eye pain is isolated, it’s time to schedule a visit to your doctor. Inflammation and nerve damage can both cause eye pain.

4. Eye Swelling

Eye swelling is most often caused by inflammation or general irritation of the eyelids or the tissue surrounding the eye. Allergens, insect bites, and trauma can all irritate the eye area. The only time swelling is really a potential concern, is when it doesn’t subside after a few days.

Persistent, long-term swelling could be signs of conditions such as cellulitis, a blocked tear duct, black eye, or a corneal ulcer, to name but a few.

5. Narrowed Field of Vision

If you can only see dead ahead of you and have little to no peripheral vision, it could be a sign of an underlying issue such as glaucoma. A narrowing field of vision should be treated as soon as possible by a medical professional. 

6. Red Eyes

Irritated and inflamed blood vessels can cause the eye to look pink or red in appearance. When left untreated, prolonged eye redness can cause permanent damage, which is why it’s best to see a doctor sooner rather than later.

Some of the most common conditions that cause eye redness include glaucoma, blepharitis, and uveitis, which affects the uvea that supplies blood to the retina.

7. Severe Light Sensitivity

Your eyes can handle varying degrees of light. However, when even a gentle light seems unbearable, it could indicate photophobia. Light sensitivity that doesn’t go away could be a sign of a more serious condition such as cataracts, strabismus, or corneal abrasion.

8. Blind Spots

Noticed a dark spark around the edges or the center of your vision? Are the spots often paired with headaches? It might be time to see your doctor. Unfortunately, blind spots can be linked to health conditions such as a tumor, glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, or even stroke.

9. Floaters

Everyone sees floaters from time to time. However, it’s when you experience a sudden onset of floaters, or you see more than you usually do that you may need to see a doctor. A large number of floaters all at once could indicate a torn or detached retina or it could be linked to conditions such as ocular lymphoma or diabetic retinopathy.

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms mentioned in this article, it’s a good idea to see your general practitioner or an eye doctor as soon as possible.