It can be hard to realize that your vision is starting to get worse.  You may notice that things aren't the same when you look at signs or try to read.  Here are some great signs that indicate that your sight might be getting worse, and it may be time to go pay a visit to the eye doctor. 

Symptoms of Failing Eyesight       

You may find that the following things start happening:

• Eyestrain when reading or when trying to see something in the distance
• Having a hard time focusing
• Keeping concentration is becoming more difficult
• Headaches when reading, watching TV or looking off in the distance
• Tripping or bumping into furniture
• Leaning into a computer screen or TV to try to see it
• Inability to see something in the distance
• Inability to see something up close
• Nausea or fatigue
• Rubbing your eyes more often

Types of Vision    

There are two main types of vision, and most eye problems fall into one of these two categories. 

• Farsighted:  If you are farsighted, you can't see things that are too close.  The eyes have a hard time focusing on something that is too close to the face, and have to work overtime.  Headaches, nausea and fatigue can be a result of farsightedness that has gone untreated over time.  It also does long term damage to the eyes. 
• Nearsighted:  If you are nearsighted, you can't see clearly when looking at something that is far away.  You can only focus on things that are closer to you.  When you are nearsighted and you don't wear glasses or contact lenses, you can develop a lazy eye. 

If your vision falls into one of these two categories, you should call your eye doctor immediately and get an eye exam. 

Astigmatism      

When you have astigmatism, some parts of what you are seeing may be out of focus or blurry.  The cornea, which is the front surface of the eye, is not shaped correctly.  Instead of being round, that portion of the eye can be flatter, causing vision to be distorted or blurred.  Astigmatism causes the eye to focus on light unequally and can cause you to have headaches or unnecessary eyestrain.  Glasses can easily correct astigmatism.     

Binocular Coordination      

Your eyes should work together to provide concise and efficient vision.  When you suffer from fuzzy vision, your eyes may not be working together as a team.  To stay comfortable while working all day with a computer screen, or by reading all day, your eyes must stay in sync.  Binocular coordination is when your eyes don't work together and cause blurred vision, eyestrain, headaches and double vision.  Glasses can correct this condition in order to train your eyes to work as a team.

Eye Diseases    

There are other issues that can affect your vision and cause you to lose clear sight.  If glasses don't correct an issue, you may be suffering from eye disease.  Usually eye disease starts out in early stages while you are younger, but progresses with age.  Blurred vision is the main symptom of eye disease when glasses aren't correcting your vision.  Some eye diseases include macular degeneration, glaucoma, cataracts and diabetic eye disease.  Paying a regular visit to your eye doctor will help to prevent these diseases early.  

(For additional questions on eye doctors, contact Atlantic Ophthalmology or another practice)