Eye Society

Categories
AllContactsGlassesExamEye Health
Home  |  Eye Health  |  What causes blurred vision?

What causes blurred vision?

Blurry vision can be caused by dry eyes, the need for an updated contact prescription, or it can be a sign of a more serious medical issue. Often, blurry vision gradually gets worse, but there are some emergent medical conditions that may cause sudden blurred vision or blurred vision in one eye. Seek medical attention immediately if you have sudden vision loss. 

Common causes of blurry vision 

  1. You need an updated prescription. If you’re a contact or glasses wearer and have started to notice blurry vision, it may be time to update your prescription. If your prescription has changed give us a call and we’ll take back those boxes of unopened contacts and send you contacts with your new prescription.  

  1. You need reading glasses. Most people start needing reading glasses around age 40 as their eyes naturally develop presbyopia. Not a fan of glasses? Schedule an appointment with your eye doctor to see if multifocal contacts may be a fit for you.  

  1. Dry eyes. Yep, dry eyes can cause blurry vision. It can be from allergies, sleeping in your contacts, taking some medications before bed (cold medicine, antihistamines, high blood pressure medication, sleeping aids), drinking alcohol late at night, or even sleeping with a fan on.  

  1. Eye strain. How long have you been looking at the computer today? If it’s been more than a few hours straight and you're experiencing some blurry vision, it may be due to eye strain. Check out this blog post for a few quick tips to relax your eyes and refocus your vision. 

  1. Pregnancy. When you're pregnant, the body creates additional fluid retention in the body, which can change the shape of your corneas and cause blurry vision. It's also pretty common for tear production to decrease, which affects visual acuity. We have a blog post all about vision changes during pregnancy here.  

  1. Eye infection or conjunctivitis (aka pink eye). Blurry vision is a common symptom of an eye infection or pink eye. If you wear contacts and are experiencing significant redness, pain, swelling, sensitivity to light, or cloudy vision, you should be evaluated by your eye doctor quickly. 

  1. Diabetes. If you’re experiencing blurred vision along with extreme thirst, frequent urination, unexplained weight loss, and extreme fatigue—visit your primary care physician promptly.  

  1. Migraine headache. If you have a migraine headache, you’re likely to experience blurry vision and sensitivity to light. More extreme changes to your eyesight during a migraine are called an aura, they may include loss of part or all your vision (for 30 minutes or less), seeing flashes of light, or seeing wavy lines/spots.  

Article Image
Order contact lenses online

Learn how to order contact lenses online at 1-800 Contacts

Learn how

Urgent causes of blurry vision 

  1. Stroke. If you’re experiencing a stroke involving your eye you may experience sudden blurred vision, double vision, or loss of vision in one eye. Call 9-1-1 immediately if you have either of those changes and other stroke warning signs such as dizziness, face drooping, loss of balance, slurred speech, weakness, or numbness in one arm.  

  1. Retinal detachment. This happens when the retina is damaged and loses blood and nerve supply. Symptoms include areas of blurred vision, floaters in your vision, a “curtain” descending over your vision, or the appearance of flashing lights.  

  1. Cataracts. Like presbyopia, cataracts can come with aging. They cause clouding of your eye's lens and can occur in one or both eyes. If your blurry vision comes and goes it may be a sign you're developing or have a cataract. Other vision difficulties may include problems with night driving, halos around light sources, and refractive errors. Schedule an appointment with your optometrist if you suspect you’re developing cataracts.  

  1. Glaucoma. The symptoms of glaucoma depend on the type and stage of your condition. If you experience a sudden severe headache and eye pain, go to an emergency room or call your eye doctor immediately.  

  1. Diabetic retinopathy. Over time, high blood sugar can damage the tiny blood vessels in your retina. This can lead to bleeding inside the eye. Early treatment is the best way to prevent permanent damage. It’s important for people with diabetes to see their eye doctor regularly.  

  1. Macular degeneration. Age-related macular degeneration is the most common cause of vision loss in older Americans. It causes an inability to see right in front of you and can affect one or both eyes.  

  1. Concussion. Blurry vision is a common symptom of a concussion. Depending on the force which caused the concussion, you may need to seek immediate medical attention.  

Before you go, a couple more blurry vision questions addressed: 

  1. What causes blurred vision in the morning? If waking up isn’t hard enough already, why not add blurred vision into the mix? Blurred vision in the morning can be caused by a few different things: dry eyes, sleeping on your face, or oil gland problems.  

  1. What causes blurry vision in one eye? You can read about a few of these above, but to sum it up we have a list of emergency causes: stroke, retinal detachment, brain tumor, glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and a list of non-emergency causes: pink eye, migraine, cataract, and eye strain. 

Blurry vision can be a nuisance, but if experienced it’s important to do some investigating to ensure any emergent causes are addressed.  

 

Everything you need to know about contact lenses

A box of contact lenses from 1-800 Contacts flying across a blue and white background.

Free shipping for contact lenses

See how to get free shipping on affordable lenses, as well as the time it takes to get them and how to save time and money on the entire process.

Read more
A variety of contact lens brands with dollar sign icons on a blue background.

How much do contacts cost?

How much are contact lenses? Compare the prices of daily, weekly, biweekly, and monthly contact lenses and find the best option for you.

Read more
Someone using their phone to order contacts online.

Where to order contacts online

See where to order contacts online, according to price and shipping times. Compare top online retailers to find the best deal for you.

Read more