How to Have Clearer Eye Vision:
Why is My Vision Blurry?
A HealthTap patient asked what she can do to have clearer vision. This is a great question as it is so common.
The most common things that can cause vision issues/blurry vision:
1) Need for new glasses
2) Unstable tear film or dry eyes or Meibomian Gland Dysfunction
3) Cataract: can be even a mild change in the lens of the eye
4) Undiagnosed Diabetes
5) Diabetes with or without Macular edema
6) Glaucoma/ High eye pressure
7) Macular Degeneration
8) Other Macular issues (ie, inflammation, infection, previous trauma)
9) Other Optic Nerve issues (ie, inflammation, infection, previous trauma)
10) Rare tumors of eye, brain
If you have not so clear vision or blurry vision the key question is: Does it Come and Go or is it there all the time?
If it comes and goes then the most common causes are:
a. Unstable tear Film, Dry eye
b. Diabetes
c. High Eye Pressure/Glaucoma
If it is there all the time, the most common causes are
1) Need for new glasses
2) Could still be: Unstable tear film or dry eyes or Meibomian Gland Dysfunction; but more severe
3) Cataract: can be even a mild change in the lens of the eye
4) Undiagnosed Diabetes
5) Diabetes with or without Macular edema
6) Glaucoma
7) Macular Degeneration
8) Other Macular issues (ie, inflammation, infection, previous trauma)
9) Other Optic Nerve issues (ie, inflammation, infection, previous trauma)
10) Rare tumors of eye, brain
What should you do?
1. Get your vision checked to see if you need glasses.
The best way to do this is to:
a. Have an auto-refraction done with a machine and then
b. Have a technician or optometrist hand tune your refraction with a phoropter (the machine that has multiple lenses for distance & corrects for astigmatism). For difficult prescriptions or difficult patients (like most surgeons), you can teach the patient to refine their own astigmatism on the dial to see which axis is the best. Be sure not to overminus the person, though, as many people with myopia (nearsightedness) want more “Minus” than is good for them.
c. or Have Epic machine do it all
d. For patients who are still unhappy with their glasses:
i) double check Rx & glasses & who made glasses: were they made correctly?
ii) Tell patient you can give Cycloplegic drops to paralyze the ciliary muscle of the eye, resulting in a loss of accommodation, to give the best Rx possible: this assures you have not “over-minused/given too much ‘Minu'” to the patient.
e. If patient is still unhappy with vision, a full dilated exam should be repeated to check for Cataract, Macular Edema, Glaucoma. Be sure to look at Posterior Capsule of lens as this is often missed.
f. If all looks normal on exam, send patient to PCP for diabetes check: this is the number one cause of blurry vision not helped with glasses and a truly normal eye exam.
2. Improve your tear film function:
see:
This will help the quality of your vision.
4. Be sure you have had a dilated eye exam with an eyeMD
The most common things that can cause vision issues/blurry vision:
1) Need for new glasses
2) Unstable tear film or dry eyes or Meibomian Gland Dysfunction
3) Cataract: can be even a mild change in the lens of the eye
4) Undiagnosed Diabetes
5) Diabetes with or without Macular edema
6) Glaucoma
7) Macular Degeneration
8) Other Macular issues (ie, inflammation, infection, previous trauma)
9) Other Optic Nerve issues (ie, inflammation, infection, previous trauma)
10) Rare tumors of eye, brain
5. If all is normal, see your PCP for a diabetes and blood pressure check.
I hope this helps!
Sandra Lora Cremers, MD, FACS
