What is Double Vision- Causes, Symptoms and Treatment?

Diplopia, popularly known as double vision, is a medical condition that is usually temporary but can be a serious underlying issue, too. Well, we often see everything doubled up when we have had a little too much to drink. Walking straight and seeing everything becomes a task, but it’s considered fun after drinking. But some people can have this condition as a vision problem.

It is not because of alcohol, but it has several other factors. You might have this eye condition for the long term or permanently. It can hinder your daily life as you cannot see clearly. In this condition, one needs assistance and some treatment too. If you or someone around you is complaining about seeing everything doubled up, then you need to check this blog.

Do You Have Double Vision?

You can have double vision in one eye or both eyes. It is more severe if you have an issue in both eyes. To check for double vision, you can start by asking yourself these simple questions.

• When did you start seeing double?

• Was it after an injury or passing out?

• Is your double vision occasional or continuous?

• Do you have to tilt your head to see clearly? You might do it subconsciously. Ask your family members or check your old photos if you tilt your head.

• Close one eye and try to see. Do you see double vision with only one eye or both eyes?

If you have double vision, then you should consult your doctor, especially if the symptoms persist.

What are the Symptoms and Causes of Diplopia?

It is an eye condition when you see everything in a double. When you hit your head or you are inebriated, you see double vision. Here are some symptoms you might experience when you have diplopia:

• Headache

• Nausea

• Dizziness

• Eye pain

Many causes can lead to this eye condition.

1. Corneal damage - The cornea is responsible for focusing light. When the cornea is damaged because of injury or any disease, your eyes cannot focus properly, and you have distorted vision or double vision. You might have keratoconus, in which the shape of the cornea is deformed into a cone shape. There can be damage to the cornea because of infections like herpes, shingles, or scars.

2. Damage to the lens - Because of a cataract or any other disease that affects the lenses of your eyes, you might have an issue of diplopia.

3. Weakened muscles around eyes - Frequent alcohol consumption can weaken the muscles around your eyes, making it harder for them to focus properly. This often leads to double vision when you're intoxicated. Muscle weakness can also occur naturally with age or as a result of autoimmune conditions such as Myasthenia Gravis or Graves’ disease.

4. Damage to optic nerves - When the nerves get damaged, the image formed gets distorted, and double vision is visualised by the brain. Multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, and diabetes can cause damage to the optic nerves.

5. Issues with the brain - You might get vision issues when there is a problem in your brain. Strokes, aneurysms, tumours or migraines can lead to diplopia.

6. Dryness of the eyes- Staring at computer screens for hours can make your eyes dry, which can lead to double vision. While blue light blocking glasses can help with digital eye strain, you can use eye drops to soothe your dry eyes.

Treatment of Double Vision

Diplopia is not a severe issue and often goes away after some time. But it can cause inconveniences in your daily life. Also, diplopia is an eye condition that can be a symptom of some underlying disease. It can be a fatal disease, like a brain tumour or an autoimmune disease. If you have recurring double vision problems, then you should definitely consult your eye doctor.

After knowing what is causing your double vision, you can get rid of diplopia. For cataracts, you can go for cataract surgery. You might need to wear an eye patch or prism glasses to correct your vision if you have permanent diplopia.

Exercises to Improve Your Eye Condition

A few simple exercises can improve your eye condition. These eye exercises are similar to shifting focus exercises to improve your eyesight. If you are familiar with these exercises, you can easily do them to improve your double vision eye condition.

1. Shifting focus from the thumb

• Raise your thumb and focus on the tip.

• Try to see it as a single image.

• Slowly straighten your arm while focusing on the thumb tip.

• If you start seeing double vision, get back to the previous position and start again.

• Close your eyes for some time and repeat the steps a few more times.

2. Refocusing exercise

• Raise your thumb and focus on the tip while seeing it as a single image for at least 10 seconds.

• Shift your focus to any object kept 10 or more feet away for 10 seconds.

• Take a break by closing your eyes and repeating the steps.

3. Dot card exercise

Get a dot card from your optician for this exercise. A dot card is a card with dots lined in regular intervals.

• Hold the card near your face with one end touching the tip of your nose.

• Focus on the farthest dot and try to see it as a single image.

• Shift your focus to the second dot while maintaining a single image.

• Continue moving to the next dots while keeping a single image.

• If your focus is broken, move back to the previous dot and continue again.

• Take breaks by closing your eyes.

• Repeat the steps a few more times.

Concluding Thought

These exercises will help in focusing on seeing things clearly and as a single image. They work for double vision, but only help in alleviating the symptoms. Diplopia can be caused by many reasons. You can consult an ophthalmologist if you are experiencing double vision. The doctor will diagnose the reason and suggest the right treatment accordingly.