Unless your vision has changed, you may not give your eyes much thought when it comes to health. But it’s good for you to be familiar with what good eye health feels like, so if your eyes don’t feel quite right, you know what to look out for, what you can do and when to seek help. 

If you’ve noticed a change in your eyesight, you can find a whole range of eye conditions and vision problems below, alongside helpful information about their symptoms and treatment.  

Your eyes can also indicate signs of more problematic issues to do with your general health like diabetes and high blood pressure. Symptoms of these conditions are not always obvious, so regular eye tests are an essential part of maintaining your eye health and vision.

If you have one of the issues below with your eyes or vision, please call your nearest store directly to book an urgent eye health check. Do not book an eye test appointment online.

  • Blurry vision / cloudy vision

  • Sudden onset blurred vision

  • Reduced vision

  • Eye twitching

  • Floaters / black dots in vision

  • Something’s in your eye / gritty eyes

  • Itchy eyes

  • Bloodshot eye / red eye

  • Headaches

  • Swollen / puffy eye lid

  • Scratched eye

  • Sore / red eye

  • Flashing lights with or without floaters

Frequently searched eye conditions

Long-sightedness

If you’re long-sighted (also known as hyperopia), you’ll find that you can see objects far away clearly, but those close by will be out of focus. It’s quite common and very easy to treat.

Short-sightedness

Also known as myopia, short-sightedness means you can see clearly up close, but things far away are blurred. It’s a common condition and very easy to treat.

Presbyopia

The symptoms of presbyopia start around the age of 40 to 45. It occurs when the lens of the eye hardens as we age, making it more difficult to focus on things close up.

Astigmatism

Like short- or long-sightedness, astigmatism is a very common and treatable cause of blurred vision.

Blurry vision

Blurry vision can be a symptom of an existing eye condition, or a sign that you need a new pair of glasses. Let’s have a look at some of the common causes.

Floaters

Seeing black dots in your vision, also known as floaters, is common and usually nothing to worry about. Find out more about their causes and symptoms here.

Macular degeneration

This affects your central vision and your ability to focus on things like driving, faces and reading. There are two types: dry and wet.

Glaucoma

A group of diseases affecting the optic nerve, often associated with a build-up of pressure in the eye. There are two types: chronic and acute.

Cataracts

Cloudy patches in the lens of the eye, causing blurry, misty vision. They’re usually more common in people over 65.

Other eye conditions

Blepharitis

Chalazion

Cloudy vision

Colour blindness

Conjunctivitis

Corneal ulcers

Diabetic retinopathy

Dilated pupils

Double vision

Dry eye syndrome

Dyslexia and vision

Endophthalmitis

Eye pain

Eye strain

Eye twitching

Gritty eye

Hay fever

Iritis

Itchy eyes

Keratoconus

Lazy eye

Light sensitivity

Macular hole

Macular oedema

Night blindness

Nystagmus

Ocular herpes

Ocular hypertension

Ocular migraines (retinal migraines)

Pinguecula

Posterior vitreous detachment

Pterygium

Ptosis

Puffy eye

Red eye

Retinal detachment

Retinitis pigmentosa

Scratched eye

Snow blindness

Squint

Stye

Subconjunctival haemorrhage

Sunstroke and sunburned eyes

Swollen eyelid

Tunnel vision

Uveitis

Watering eyes

An OCT scan can help detect the early signs of multiple eye conditions such as glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration before you have any symptoms.

Most popular questions

How often should I have an eye test?

For most people, it's advisable to have an eye test every two years, but it's best to attend earlier if any eye problems occur or if advised by your optometrist.

My vision's fine, do I need a regular eye test?

Yes. A comprehensive eye test includes checking the health of the inner and outer parts of the eye.

Even if you're happy with your vision it's worth having a regular check-up as a number of eye conditions could be picked up early.

You should have an eye test every two years or more regularly if advised by your optometrist.

How long should an eye test take?

It depends but a young, healthy person with no apparent problems should take around 20 minutes.

Someone older, perhaps with high blood pressure, diabetes or glaucoma can take much longer.

Your optician will determine what clinical tests are needed to provide the correct information for new glasses or contact lenses.

If necessary, they can refer for another medical opinion.

What test does an optician use in an eye test?

Eye tests, also known as eye examinations, are more than just tests of your vision.

A comprehensive eye test includes a thorough examination of the front and back of the eye for any health problems, too.

You might have certain tests - such as tonometry (a measurement of the pressure inside the eye) before entering the consulting room.

The optician will ask you questions about any problems you're having with your eyes or might have had in the past, and about any family history of eye problems (some eye problems can be hereditary).

The vision test (known as the 'refraction') includes the use of a letter chart, with different lenses being placed in front of the eye while the optician uses further techniques to fine-tune the prescription.

The prescription is the power of lens for the right and left eye which will correct your vision. During the eye health check the optician checks the condition of the eye's various structures using an ophthalmoscope and a number of other instruments.

Our work with Glaucoma UK

Glaucoma is generally a symptomless condition and, left undetected and untreated, can lead to loss of vision. We work closely with the charity Glaucoma UK to help raise awareness of glaucoma and to help avoid preventable sight loss caused by the disease.

Our collaborations have included specialist glaucoma training for Specsavers colleagues so our teams can help people with glaucoma manage their condition – specifically helping people use eye drops.