For what reasons does blurred vision occur?

Symptoms: blurred vision, temporary loss of visual acuity, sand in the eyes, tension in the eyes, tired eyes, dizziness, headache, heaviness in the head, objects blur, I can’t focus on an object, everything floats in front of the eyes, feeling of sand in the eyes, intraocular pressure.

Our patients often experience one or another problem in the eye area or vision problems. At the same time, a person’s vision can be absolutely normal, but in certain situations associated with intellectual or psycho-emotional stress, it drops sharply: a person cannot focus his gaze on an object in the distance or near, a “veil appears before the eyes”, objects blur, there is no “sharpness” "vision, which can only be achieved with great effort.

What is accommodation?

An important link in the functioning of the visual mechanism is accommodation. This is the name given to the ability of the lens to tense or relax when seeing at different distances. Accommodation is the normal physiological state of the eye, when all muscles are relaxed when looking into the distance. When viewing nearby objects, the ciliary muscle tenses, and the lens increases its curvature, becoming more convex. Its optical power increases, and the near image becomes clear. Defocus of vision occurs precisely because the lens loses its ability to focus. Let's consider what factors can provoke the appearance of this visual pathology.

Why does the vision blur in dry eye syndrome?

The precorneal tear film is a liquid biological structure that is constantly renewed during blinking. It covers the outside of the eyeball and consists of several layers:

• Watery. Consists of electrolytes, water-soluble high- and low-molecular substances. The water layer is renewed continuously. It is he who is responsible for removing metabolic products, dead epithelial cells, as well as for saturating the cornea with oxygen and nutrients.
• Mucinous. Covers the cornea and conjunctiva, giving their epithelium the ability to absorb moisture (hydrophilic properties).
• Lipid. It consists of lipids and prevents the rapid rupture of the tear film, protecting its aqueous layer from evaporation.

During the daytime, due to the accessory glands, tears are produced continuously, which allows maintaining a sufficient volume of fluid in the conjunctival cavity and ensuring the stability of the tear film. This structure performs functions important for the functioning of the eyes:

• protects the mucous membrane from the negative effects of the external environment;
• moisturizes eye tissue;
• cleans the surface of the mucous membrane from bacteria, dust particles, and other foreign bodies;
• provides breathing and nutrition to the eye tissues.

But the most important function of the tear film is optical. The corneal surface is not permanent due to desquamation of the epithelium. But in order for it to perform the functions of an optical lens, it is necessary to achieve ideal sphericity, smoothness, and transparency. Only if the epithelium is sufficiently moistened can the cornea fully perform its optical function. The quality of central vision largely depends on its condition. Only if the cornea is sufficiently moist, spherical, smooth and transparent will its optical power be maximum.

The tear film is constantly renewed and evaporates. The mechanism of its renewal is based on periodic rupture with partial exposure of the epithelium, due to which blinking is stimulated. When the eyelids lower, the tear film is restored, its surface is leveled, and various inclusions (grains of sand, dead epithelial cells, etc.) are “washed away.”

During the day, tears are constantly produced due to the fact that accessory glands are activated. This allows you to maintain a sufficient volume of fluid to moisturize the cornea. But if their functions are disrupted for any reason, the eye tissues begin to experience a moisture deficiency. This can cause blurry spots to appear in the eyes. Even mild dry eyes can cause visual disturbances and blurred vision.

Causes of blurred vision

This disorder can occur in a person for a number of reasons:

• Age-related changes in eye structures.
• Eye strain associated with prolonged exposure to a monitor or gadget.
• Improper organization of the workplace: poor lighting, low table.
• Hereditary myopia.
• Lack of sleep, lack of fresh air, insufficient physical activity.

All of these factors can provoke a spasm of accommodation, and its symptoms are such that a person may not be aware of this visual anomaly for a long time until the disturbances become too obvious.

Often, blurred vision is mistaken for fatigue from lack of sleep or intense visual work.

This can last for quite a long period and, if appropriate measures are not taken, will lead to a serious deterioration in eye health. Let's consider the possible causes of blurred vision known in medical practice.

Retinal disinsertion

Retinal detachment is considered a serious disorder of eye function, which can cause not only a temporary deterioration in vision, but also its complete loss. Such a condition must be prevented whenever possible, and if this is not possible, eliminated literally at the initial stage.

The causes of retinal detachment may be age-related changes that affect the strength of the tissue; various diseases that make the connective layer thinner, which causes detachment; various injuries leading to retinal tears. Therefore, it is especially important, in the event of an injury, to consult a doctor, even when the blow was not severe, and the result of the impact was only a small bruise.

Presbyopia

After 40-45 years, noticeable age-related changes begin not only in the entire body, but also in the visual apparatus. In most people at this age, the lens gradually loses its elasticity - this phenomenon is called presbyopia, or age-related farsightedness.

Near vision begins to get worse. Here is how the symptoms of this pathology manifest themselves:

• difficulty reading small letters close up, for example, on food packaging;
• eye fatigue;
• frequent headaches.

By the age of 60-70 years, the lens loses its ability to accommodate in most people.

Defocusing vision in elderly patients, unfortunately, cannot be treated.

To correct presbyopia, progressive glasses or multifocal contact lenses are used. In the case of a severe degree of this visual impairment, a lensectomy is performed - replacing the natural lens with an artificial intraocular lens. Good quality of vision after such an operation lasts for life. In addition, replacing the lens is a good prevention of cataracts , another common disease in old age, because the artificial implant cannot become cloudy.

Pathologies that can cause dizziness

There are many reasons that cause the condition when everything begins to swim and spin in the eyes. To determine the exact cause of this phenomenon, it is necessary to note in conjunction with what additional symptoms such whirling occurs.

• Migraine. A severe headache can impair coordination and cause spots to appear before the eyes. This symptom occurs simultaneously with a feeling of weakness, speech impairment, sensitivity to light and sounds, and clouding of consciousness.
• Stroke. The feeling when everything is floating and double before your eyes during a stroke is accompanied by depression, drowsiness, severe cephalalgia, nausea, and loss of orientation in movement. Since at the moment there is a violation of blood circulation in the brain, the patient needs urgent medical help.
• Vascular atherosclerosis. Floating images in the eyes can be caused by blood vessels clogged with cholesterol plaques, which can cause a lack of oxygen. In addition, the patient may experience memory loss, sleep disturbances, decreased attention, and rapid fatigue. If everything floats before your eyes, that means it’s interesting to many.
• Traumatic brain injuries. With this pathology, not only can there be blurred vision, but also excessive lethargy, drowsiness, nausea and dizziness.

• Brain tumor. When dizziness is recurring and has a paroxysmal occurrence, the reason that everything is floating in gases may be a brain tumor. How strong this condition will be, and how long it will last, depends entirely on the size of the tumor.
• Otitis. Such an inflammatory process in the ear area can manifest itself not only in the appearance of standard symptoms, but also nausea and dizziness.
• Arterial hypertension. If the sensation of everything floating in front of your eyes was caused by an increase in pressure levels, then simple adjustments will not be enough. To avoid subsequent clouding of the eyes, it is necessary to undergo a diagnostic examination and a course of therapy. This phenomenon can also occur with low blood pressure, but this occurs somewhat less frequently.
• Pregnancy. Swimming in the eyes can be due to hormonal changes during pregnancy, as well as a consequence of a lack of vitamins.
• Vision problems. Very often, for people suffering from one or another eye disease, everything before their eyes blurs.
• These may be symptoms of VSD in adults. Treatment for this disease will be presented below.

This disease can provoke the above pathological phenomenon, since during an attack a person experiences a spasm of cerebral vessels, which also affects visual perception.

Accommodative visual asthenopia

Asthenopia is the name given to rapid eye fatigue that occurs during intense visual work. In medical practice, it is classified not as an independent pathology, but as a disorder that precedes pathological deterioration of vision and in other cases leads to eye diseases.

Symptoms of asthenopia are expressed as follows:

• pain in the eyes, increased lacrimation, fatigue during visual work;
• headache;
• ghosting;
• sensation of film in the field of view.

The causes of accommodative asthenopia can be prolonged exposure to a computer monitor - currently this is the most common factor causing it. Eye strain often occurs when driving a car, reading for a long time or working with small parts, or watching TV for many hours. The development of this visual anomaly can also be caused by incorrect selection of contact optics for myopia or astigmatism. Blepharitis and conjunctivitis often develop from constant eye strain.

Prevention of accommodative asthenopia requires adherence to the regime, and a properly equipped and lit workplace is also important.

Every hour you should take breaks from work for 10-15 minutes.

The main enemy is the screen

Our eyes are especially strained by working with a computer. And the point here is not at all in the text. The human eye is in many ways similar to a camera. And to get a clear “snapshot” of a screen image consisting of flickering dots, it must constantly change focus. Such adjustment requires enormous amounts of energy and requires excessive consumption of the visual pigment rhodopsin. At the same time, myopic people spend significantly more of this pigment than people with normal vision. Of course, such a situation is extremely unfavorable for the eyes. It is not surprising that in this case myopia may develop or its degree may increase.

It is especially dangerous that a computer monitor creates a sense of depth in the image. Why do artists almost never have myopia? Because their eyes are constantly training, because they have to look from a sheet or canvas to a distant object. For this reason, when working on a computer, do not forget about the rules of working with text.

Specialists from the Research Institute of Eye Diseases named after. Helmholtz in Moscow recommends “computer glasses,” which are equipped with special filters that bring the color characteristics of computer screens closer to the spectral sensitivity of the human eye. Such glasses can be with or without diopters. Eyes get much less tired in such glasses.

The following technique is also very useful for training your eyesight. Taking a sheet of printed text, you need to slowly bring it closer to your eyes until the letter outlines lose clarity. This causes tension in the internal eye muscles. And when the text is slowly moved away without ceasing to look at it, they relax. Repeating this exercise for 2-3 minutes will give your eyes the necessary workout and relieve tension.

It is especially important to pay special attention to the eyes when long winter weeks of “light starvation” have depleted reserves of visual strength, and due to spring vitamin deficiency, new strength has not yet been developed. At this time, the retina especially needs additional nutrition, because it has to expend significantly more visual pigment. In this case, blueberry preparations will come to the rescue, which, in the form of jam, was given to pilots of the Royal Air Force of Great Britain during the Second World War to improve vision for night flights.

Paralysis of accommodation

This pathology is less common. It can be triggered by several factors:

• Incorrect use of cycloplegic drops, in particular Atropine. In some cases, the pupil may dilate permanently.
• Eye injuries that affect the ciliary muscle.
• Infectious diseases, for example, botulism, influenza, diphtheria.
• Tumors or cysts in the brain, meningitis.
• Carelessly performed surgery that damages the eye muscles.

When paralysis of accommodation occurs, it is important to identify the exact cause as a result of which it occurred, and then begin treatment.

The child has poor vision in one eye

If a child’s vision in one eye has become blurred, it is worth paying special attention to this case. The most common cause of decreased visual acuity in children is overwork, as a result of prolonged viewing of TV, playing on the computer or phone, as well as injury received during the game.

To prevent traumatic injuries during games, it is worth explaining to children that they should not allow sand to get into their eyes, they should not poke sticks in their faces, and they should not shoot a pistol with bullets at other people, and this may cause blurred vision in the future. It is advisable for adults to supervise children's games.

Parents need to limit the time their children spend at the computer. If the right eye sees blurry, then the reason may be watching TV. It is necessary to enrich the child’s diet with vitamin A, which is directly involved in the formation of the rhodopsin pigment, necessary for proper vision. With rhodopsin deficiency, a person gradually goes blind.

It is advisable to carry out gymnastic exercises for the eyes daily, which give visible results. There are many techniques. Before starting training, it is better to consult an ophthalmologist. Gymnastics not only improves blood circulation, but also helps restore lost visual acuity.

Specialist of our center - Neuroophthalmologist Polina Andreevna Kudryavtseva

Common symptoms for all types of blurred vision

The reasons for blurred vision may be different, but it is characterized by general signs that can suggest the presence of this visual anomaly:

• blurriness of the image when looking from near to distant objects;
• frequent headaches;
• redness of the eyes, increased dryness in the evening;
• rapid fatigue during visual work;
• feeling of chronic fatigue.

If such conditions recur systematically, then it is necessary to visit an ophthalmologist who will diagnose the eyes. He will check visual acuity using tables, and also examine visual structures using computer methods and precision instruments. The doctor’s task in this case is to determine the reason why blurred vision occurs.

Additionally, an examination by other specialists may be prescribed if there is an assumption of other reasons that caused the deterioration of vision.

Associated symptoms

Absolutely healthy people rarely experience blurred vision, if only temporarily under the influence of external factors. Patients for whom blurred vision is a common condition most often suffer from some kind of disease.

There are additional symptoms:

• Black dots, stars, dark or floating circles before the eyes;
• Headache;
• Feeling of pressure on the eyes;
• Symptoms of vegetative-vascular dystonia;
• Nausea;
• Noise and ringing in the ears;
• Painful reaction to bright light;
• Redness and irritation.

In this case, the blurred vision is absolutely due to an illness or pathological condition. Let's look at the main causes of cloudy and blurry vision.

Treatment

The choice of treatment depends on the cause of blurred vision. In the case of presbyopia, this is the selection of correction means or surgery to replace the lens. For accommodative asthenopia, methods are prescribed to help the lens return to normal function. The doctor may prescribe drops that dilate the pupil and recommend special exercises for training the eye muscles. It will also be useful to take a course of vitamins containing elements important for the organs of vision. In case of paralysis of accommodation, the cause that caused it should be eliminated as far as possible.

For any manifestations of vision deterioration, you should definitely visit an ophthalmologist.

It is unacceptable to solve a problem by reading advice on the Internet - this way you can cause even greater harm to eye health.

Delfanto® capsules for the treatment and prevention of dry eye syndrome

If, due to xerophthalmia, the letters become blurry and the image loses clarity, you need to take treatment seriously. Tear substitutes may only provide temporary relief, so Delphanto® capsules can be used as an alternative. They are formulated with a standardized MaquiBright® extract that contains at least 35% polyphenolic anthocyanins (essential amino acids for the eyes). The components that are present in Delfanto® solve several problems at once:

• restore lacrimal gland cells damaged by free radicals;
• normalize tear production;
• provide hydration of the eyes with their own tears.

Delfanto® capsules can be used for the treatment and prevention of dry eye syndrome. They are compatible with eye drops, so at the initial stage of therapy they can be used together with them. The course of treatment for dry eye syndrome is about 4 weeks; if necessary, it can be repeated after 2 months.

Arterial pressure

Darkening and dots before the eyes occur during a sharp surge in pressure. This happens in healthy people if:

• Make sudden movements;
• Stay upside down for a long time;
• Quickly change body position.

The blurry vision is explained by a sharp increase in pressure, arterial and ocular. You should measure your blood pressure and lie quietly for a couple of minutes. During this time, the pressure will normalize and vision will be restored.

If rest does not help, the cause of blurred vision may be cardiovascular pathologies:

• Arterial hypertension;
• Hypotension;
• Vasospasm;
• Dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system;
• Anemia.

Advice! If the cause of blurred vision is diseases of the cardiovascular system, you need to contact a cardiologist.

Glucose level

Diabetes mellitus is one of the causes of decreased vision. The risk of developing eye diseases occurs during periods of high blood sugar. The patient's vision becomes cloudy due to swelling of the lens.

To restore visual function, it is necessary to normalize glucose levels.

People with diabetes should visit an eye doctor regularly. Sometimes such patients have blurred vision due to concomitant diseases:

• Retinopathy (progressive damage to the retina);
• Intraocular pressure;
• Cataract.

These pathologies are dangerous due to decreased or loss of vision.

To prevent the development of complications, people with diabetes are required to monitor the following indicators:

• Blood sugar;
• Cholesterol;
• Arterial pressure.

Low glucose levels

The problem occurs in people who engage in sports and heavy physical labor. A decrease in blood sugar after exercise is accompanied by dizziness and the appearance of black spots before the eyes.

Visual function is completely restored, additional symptoms disappear after rest and a carbohydrate snack.