Blurry vision is pretty common with people nowadays. It commonly develops through time and slowly progresses into an eye problem. However, sudden blurred vision and dizziness are typically caused by one specific reason. It’s important to take care of our eyes as they are one of the primary senses that we use every day, besides, getting a cataract surgery might be costly.
Causes of Sudden Blurred Vision And Dizziness
Some of the reasons sudden blurry vision occur are due to medical conditions that require immediate medical attention. Consulting an eye doctor should be your priority after experiencing symptoms such as eye strain, blurredness, and dizziness as this might cause total vision loss.
Listed below are the common reasons why you experience blurry vision all of a sudden as stated by an ophthalmologist in Melbourne at Dr Anton van Heerden clinic:
Stroke
Sudden blurred vision could occur when a person gets a stroke. This is because stroke can affect a certain part of the brain, specifically the one that controls vision. Blurry vision can also be accompanied by other symptoms such as:
- Dizziness
- Drooping face
- blurry vision in one eye
- Speech problems
- Difficulty moving
- Weakness
Retinal Detachment
When your retina gets disconnected from the back of the eye and stops having nerve and blood supply, lights that are flashing and sudden blurry vision could follow. In worst cases, this condition leads to permanent vision loss due to ack to medical treatment.
Symptoms:
- sudden occurrence of floaters
- light flashes in either one or both eyes
- blurred vision
- reduced peripheral side vision
- shadowy over the visual field
TIA or Transient Ischemic Attack
TIA is a kind of stroke that lasts for a few minutes only. It takes place when the blood supply to the brain gets blocked. Medical conditions like this happen all of a sudden. Some of the early signs of transient ischemic attack include the following:
- numbness or paralysis of the arms, leg, or face
- slurred speech
- double vision or blurriness
- loss of balance and coordination
Angle Closure Glaucoma
Angle-closure glaucoma is a condition where the drainage angle formed by the cornea and iris gets blocked. When this occurs, fluid won’t be able to circulate around the eyes, hence, causing eye pressure.
Symptoms:
- blind spots in peripheral or central vision
- dizziness
- headache
- halos
- eye strain
- redness
Wet Macular Degeneration
Wet macular degeneration is one of the medical conditions that are related to leakage in blood vessels. This is a chronic eye disorder that causes blurry vision along with symptoms like:
- blurry vision
- dark areas in vision
- incorrect color perception
Conjunctivitis
Pink eye, conjunctivitis is an infection in the conjunctiva. When the small vessels in the conjunctiva get inflamed, the eyes will appear reddish or pinkish. Apart from sudden blurred vision, conjunctivitis also comes with symptoms like:
- itchiness in both eyes
- gritty sensation in one or both eyes
- eye discharge
- involuntary eye tearing
Conjunctivitis is among serious medical conditions that require urgent professional treatment.
Eye Strain
Eye strain commonly occurs when a person looks at something in particular for a period of time. It can be experienced after watching tv, using a computer, or reading. An eye strain is basically an uncomfortable sensation that comes along with:
- headache
- dizziness
- mild tearing
- eye dryness
- double vision
- eyesore
High Blood Sugar
One of the medical conditions to look out for when sudden blurred vision occurs is high blood sugar. This often happens to people with diabetes and comes with other symptoms such as:
- fatigue
- nausea
- vomiting
- extreme thirst
- hunger
- headache
Corneal Abrasion
The cornea is the outermost layer of the eye. It is the clear cover that can be seen in front of the eyes. When the cornea gets damaged or injured, corneal abrasion might take place. Aside from blurry vision, you might feel like a particle is stuck in your eyes.
Symptoms:
- pain
- gritty sensation
- tearing
- redness
- headache
- light sensitivity
Hyphema
Hyphema occurs when the anterior chamber of the eyes collects blood excessively. With too much blood, the iris and the pupil get blocked affecting the vision. Depending on the case, hyphema can be painful in some events.
Symptoms:
- visible blood in the eyes
- blurred vision
- clouded vision
- pain
- light sensitivity
Iritis
The colored part of your eyes is called the iris. Iritis takes place if the iris is infected or inflamed causing problems in vision. If left neglected, iritis can lead to serious eye damage, or worse, loss of vision or blindness.
If you experience the following symptoms, it’s time to give your doctor a call.
- eye pain
- headache
- reduced vision
- red eye
- vision loss
- sensitivity to light
Macular Hole
A macular hole can be seen in the middle of the eyes light-sensitive tissue, the retina. The macula is an essential part of the eye that we use in reading or seeing fine details. This eye condition develops over time and gradually progresses making it hard to notice at first. However, its symptoms could include:
- blurry vision
- distorted vision
- bent lines
As time goes by, the symptoms get worse and the visions deteriorate as well.
Keratitis
Keratitis is an inflammation of the eye which impacts the cornea. Although it is a common condition, keratitis still needs medical treatment so be sure to visit your doctor if the following symptoms take place:
- red eyes
- irritated eyes
- light sensitivity
- eyes are hard to open
- severe tearing of the eyes
- discharge
Classic Migraine
Classic migraine (migraine with aura) is a recurring headache that comes and goes with uncomfortable disturbances. The disturbances could differ from one person to another but these often include light flashes, changes in vision, and blind spots.
Symptoms:
- intense headache
- nausea
- sounds and light sensitivity
- zigzag lines in vision
- seeing shimmering spots
- light flashes
Optic Neuritis
When pain and loss of vision occur, optic neuritis could be the culprit to blame. Optic neuritis is the inflammation that happens to the optic nerve. The signs and symptoms can be seen immediately but in some cases, they come a little bit late. Some of the indicators of optic neuritis are:
- loss of vision
- pain in the eyes
- visual field loss
- loss of color perception
- light flashes
Uveitis
Uveitis is an inflammation in the middle layer of the eyes. The symptoms come all of a sudden and get worse over time. This is a serious eye condition that must be treated promptly to prevent blindness.
Symptoms:
- redness
- eye pain
- sensitivity
- blurred vision
- floaters
- deteriorated vision
Temporal Arteritis
Another eye condition that’s caused by inflammation is temporal arteritis. This medical condition happens when the blood vessels get inflamed due to the obstructed supply of blood from the heart to the scalp. Signs of temporal arteritis are as follows:
- fever
- dizziness
- fatigue
- jaw pain
- scalp tenderness
- muscle pain
- sudden weight loss
Diagnosis
The root cause of your sudden blurred vision and dizziness can be diagnosed with the help of the following tests:
- physical examination
- blood tests
- X-rays
- CT scans
- MRI
Treatment
The treatment will most likely depend on the result of the diagnosis. If the symptoms occurred once only, medical treatments may not be given.
However, in accordance with the test results, the following treatment options might be advised by your doctor:
- blood thinners
- medication for pain
- drugs for migraine
- medicines for blood pressure
- surgical operation
- corticosteroids
Do not attempt to self-medicate if you are experiencing any kind of symptoms. Always consult your doctor for an accurate diagnosis and correct treatment plan. If you’re looking for a trusted ophthalmologist in Melbourne, you can check out this link for more info.