Information on symptoms and visual disorders

Symptoms

Eye pain

If you experience significant pain in the eye, the cause must always be examined. There are many possible causes including increased intraocular pressure or a serious infection. These may cause sudden severe pain, and redness of the eye and even nausea. If you have these symptoms you should seek treatment as soon as possible.

Eye redness

There can be several causes for eye redness. The most common causes are usually quite harmless, for example dryness, allergies, fatigue or dust. If you experience eye redness without experiencing pain or reduced vision, you can treat the symptoms with an over-the-counter medication found at your local pharmacy. However, the symptoms can be caused by an eye disease, especially if you experience any pain, light sensitivity or having a small item in your eye. In this case, you should make an appointment with an eye doctor.

Eye redness and discharge

If you experience eye redness and discharge (pus), the cause is may be a bacterial infection that can be treated with antibiotic eye drops. If any pain and/or reduced vision is experienced, you should see an eye doctor.

Eye redness and itching

Allergic redness and itching of the eyes is usually seasonal, and usually these symptoms appear together with other symptoms such as sneezing and sniffles. The treatment is allergy medicine, either eye drops or pills.

Eye redness and feeling something in the eye

These symptoms may be caused by corneal ulcer, an open sore in the eye, or perhaps a foreign body. Usually you experience tearing and sharp pain as well. You should see an eye doctor.

A blood red spot on the white of the eye

These symptoms are usually caused by a harmless bleed under the mucosa covering the eye, a “subconjunctial haemorrhage,” which heals by itself and does not require treatment. If it is caused by an injury, you should see an eye doctor.

Eye redness and sensitivity to light

These symptoms can be a sign of intraocular infection or inflammation and require an examination by an eye doctor.

Watery eyes

Watery eyes are quite common. For elderly people this can be caused by reduced quality of the tear fluid. In this case, the tears do not lubricate as it before, and the eye produces more tears in an attempt to protect its surface. Tears may run down your face especially in wind and dry indoor air, and when you stay up late or work with a computer. The treatment is moisturizing eye drops. Sometimes watery eyes are caused by blocked tear ducts, and the treatment then is to open them surgically.

Eye redness, sensitivity to light and watery eyes

If these symptoms start suddenly during the night, they are often caused by a burn on the surface of the cornea (“snow blindness”). The burn can be caused by long exposure to sunlight or by radiation from an arc welder. The treatment is lubricating ointment, pain medication and keeping your eyes closed until the symptoms resolve. If the symptoms don’t improve within a half a day, then contact an eye doctor.

Visual disorders

Reduced vision with age

This is usually caused by cataracts. We recommend an examination performed by an eye doctor, to evaluate if further check-ups are necessary or if surgical treatment is recommended.

Reduced vision with blurred or non-straight lines

These can be a symptom of wet macular degeneration and requires immediate examination by an eye doctor and a computer-aided examination of the fundus.

Floating opacities, perhaps with light flashes

Floating spots or figures are usually caused by changes in the aging vitreous body (the jell like substance in the rear part of the eye), a condition which most people experience at some point. If the symptoms appear suddenly, especially if one sees light flashes when in total darkness or there are tens of spots (like raining soot), then this condition requires an examination by an eye doctor, as there may be a hole in the retina. The retina will be examined, and if necessary laser surgery will be performed.

Curtain over the field of vision

A dark curtain over the visual field can be caused by retinal detachment, which can cause reduced vision and blurred lines as it progresses. You should immediately see an eye doctor.

Flashing lights and headache

These are usually caused by migraine and are treated with migraine medication.

Defects in visual field

If these symptoms appear suddenly, they can be caused by a stroke (cerebrovascular disorder), especially if symptoms such as the ability to speak or paralysis appear as well. In this case, the cause of the symptoms must be examined in a hospital immediately. If defects in visual field are slowly progressing, they can be caused by glaucoma. In this case you should see an eye doctor within the next few days.

Sudden and painless loss of vision in one eye

If these symptoms appear suddenly, they may be caused by a blood clot in a retinal artery, which should be diagnosed and treated immediately. If the symptoms progress more slowly, they may be a sign of blood clot in a retinal vein, and you should see an eye doctor within the next few days.

Sudden deep pain and blurred vision

Sudden deep pain in an eye, along with a dilated iris, blurred vision and perhaps even nausea may be caused by acute angle-closure glaucoma. In this case you should see an eye doctor immediately.

Sensitivity to light and blurred vision

These symptoms may be a sign of iritis, especially if you also experience a small pupil and eye redness. The symptoms require an examination and treatment by an eye doctor.

Reduced near vision

These symptoms may be a sign of iritis, especially if you also experience a small pupil and eye redness. The symptoms require an examination and treatment by an eye doctor.

Double vision

Double vision always requires the examination and treatment by an eye doctor or a neurologist..