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.
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 health.
Senior Optometrist Dr Nigel Best has spent 23 of his 25 years in optometry with us at Specsavers. You’ll see him quite a bit as you navigate through the eye health pages, providing some of his expertise on all matters around eye health.
Astigmatism
Like short- or long-sightedness, astigmatism is a very common and treatable cause of blurred vision.
Blepharitis
Red and swollen eyelids – particularly around the edges – that can be caused by an infection or a skin condition. It’s not serious but it can lead to further problems.
Blurry Vision
Blurry vision can be a symptom of an existing eye condition, or a sign that you need a new pair of glasses.
Cataracts
Cloudy patches in the lens of the eye, causing blurry, misty vision. Usually more common in people over 65.
Chalazion
Sometimes confused with a stye, a chalazion is often a painless swelling or lump that develops in your eyelid. It’s not serious, and will usually disappear on its own.
Cloudy vision
Unlike blurry vision, cloudy vision is when objects appear as if you’re looking through a cloudy piece of glass. It can also result in colour dullness and halos.
Colour blindness
Or colour vision deficiency, happens when people find it diffiult to distinguish between certain colours. You’ll know it as colour blindess, but it’s very rare to be totally colour blind.
Computer eye strain
Computers are a big part of our everyday lives, but they can have quite an effect on our eyes. See our tips on how best to manage and reduce computer eye strain.
Conjunctivitis
Inflammation of the membrane that covers the eye and inside of the eyelids, making the eye look red with a burning or itchy feeling.
Corneal ulcers
A painful sore on the cornea (the clear layer at the front of your eye). It might feel like you have something in your eye and looks like a grey or white spot.
Diabetic retinopathy
A condition caused by diabetes that affects the small blood vessels in the eye, damaging the retina, which is vital for sight.
Dilated Pupils (Mydriasis)
Pupil dilation is normal and happens when light levels drop. However, fixed dilated pupils can be a sign of something more serious.
Double vision
Double vision, or diplopia, happens when you see two versions of the same image. There are two types: monocular and binocular.
Dry eye syndrome
Occurs when your eyes don’t make enough tears or they evaporate too quickly causing dry, red and irritated eyes.
Dyslexia and vision
Dyslexia is a learning difficulty that can have an impact on vision by causing problems with reading, writing and spelling, making text appear blurry or jumbled.
Endophthalmitis
Inflammation of the tissues inside the eye. This is a rare eye condition, but potentially serious, so it is usually treated as an emergency.
Eye twitching
An involuntary muscle spasm in the eyelid, usually in one eye. It can be bothersome, but it’s completely harmless and painless, and will go away on its own.
Feeling of something in the eye
Feel like there's something in your eye, even if there's not? We look at some common causes for gritty and sore eyes.
Floaters
The appearance of spots or strands floating across your vision, particularly against a bright background.
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.
Hay fever
Also known as allergic rhinitis, hay fever is an allergic reaction to pollen – a fine powder released by plants during their reproductive cycle
Iritis (Anterior Uveitis)
An inflamation of the iris that can result in pain, redness, light sensitivity and blurred vision.
Itchy eyes
A common symptom of certain eye conditions and allergies, itchy eyes are generally short-lived and easy to treat.
Keratoconus
This condition causes the usually round cornea to weaken at the centre, changing it to a cone-like shape. This can affect the way the eye focuses and can lead to blurred or distorted vision.
Lazy eye
Also known as amblyopia, this condition is very common in children, and usually means that one eye is weaker than the other.
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.
Macular Oedema
Affecting the macula, which is in the retina, macular oedema refers to a fluid build-up that results in blurry vision.
Macular degeneration
Affects your central vision and your ability to focus on things like driving, faces and reading. There are two types: dry and wet.
Macular hole
A hole that forms in the centre of the retina – where we process detailed and central vision. It may lead to reduced vision, but in many cases can be treated with an operation.
Myopia
More commonly known as short sight, people with myopia can see things clearly up close, but things far away are blurred.
Night Blindness (Nyctalopia)
Night blindness (nyctalopia) is a symptom of various eye conditions that make it difficult to see at night or in low light environments.
Nystagmus
Nystagmus, or ‘dancing eyes’, is the involuntary movement of the eyes. It usually looks like the eyes are constantly moving, either side to side, up and down, in a circle or a combination of all three.
Ocular herpes (eye herpes)
Ocular herpes, also known as eye herpes, is an eye condition caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV) or the varicella zoster virus (VZV).
Ocular hypertension
Raised eye pressure caused by issues draining the fluid inside the eye. Although symptomless, people with ocular hypertension are more at risk of developing glaucoma, a more serious eye condition.
Ocular migraines
Causes temporary distortion or vision loss in one eye, and is sometimes accompanied by a headache. Also known as a retinal or eye migraine.
Optic neuritis
Caused by an inflammation of the optic nerve, optic neuritis, can disturb the messages going from your eye to your brain and therefore disrupt your vision.
Photophobia
Also known as light sensitivity, photophobia is a symptom of light intolerance that causes uncomfortable and sometimes painful eyes when exposed to bright light.
Pinguecula
A common age-related condition where yellow bumps develop on the white of your eye. It’s usually harmless and typically follows from long-term exposure to UV light from the sun.
Posterior vitreous detachment
An age-related condition that causes an increase of floaters in your vision. It’s usually nothing to worry about, but can be linked to retinal detachment.
Presbyopia
A natural loss of elasticity of the lens from around the age of 40 that affects your ability to focus on things close-up, like reading.
Pterygium
A pterygium is a noncancerous growth that develops on the white bit of your eye.
Ptosis
Ptosis, also known as droopy eyelid, is a condition where the eyelid starts to fall down below the normal level.
Puffy eyes
As the name suggests, puffy eyes look like your eyes are puffed up or swollen. This can be caused by a number of things, including lifestyle factors, but it’s usually nothing to worry about.
Red eye
It may look alarming, but it’s usually a sign of a minor condition like conjunctivitis. But it may be a more serious issue if you feel any pain.
Retinal detachment
Occurs when the retina, which lines the back of the eye, pulls away from the blood vessels that keep it healthy.
Retinitis pigmentosa
Retinitis Pigmentosa, also known as RP, is a genetic condition that affects peripheral and night vision.
Scratched eye
Also known as a corneal abrasion, a scratched eye is a pretty common complaint but it can range in severity.
Snow blindness
Also known as photokeratitis, this is a temporary but painful eye condition where the cornea becomes sunburned due to overexposure of UV light.
Squint (strabismus)
A squint, or strabismus, is prevelant in young children but can occur at any age. It is noticeable in the way the eyes do not align correctly.
Stye (hordeolum)
Also known as a hordeolum, a stye is a small, often painful lump developing on the inside or outside the eyelid.
Subconjunctival haemorrhage
Although this condition sounds and looks a bit worrying, it’s a painless and usually harmless condition where one of the blood vessels on the surface of the eye bursts.
Sunstroke and sunburned eyes
Just as the sun can harm your skin, it can also affect your eyes and potentially impact your vision. Make sure to protect your eyes from UV damage on sunnier days.
Swollen eyelid
Learn about some of the possible causes as well as what you can do to relieve any eyelid swelling you may experience.
Tunnel vision
This happens when your peripheral vision (or side vision) worsens or is lost. As the name suggests, it can seem like you’re looking through a tunnel.
Uveitis
A rare condition, uveitis causes the middle layer of the eye to become inflamed, which can therefore cause pain, redness, and swelling.
Watering eyes
Occurs if too many tears are produced or if they can’t drain properly causing sore, uncomfortable eyes with blurred vision.