How to Identify Symptoms of Vision Problems

There are many types of eye problems that can affect a person's vision in different ways. As people age their vision often dims and eyesight is not as sharp as it once was before. Even children may suffer from vision problems. Some children who do poorly in school often suffer from undiagnosed vision problems. People may be born with vision problems or they may occur later in life as the result of injury or disease. Follow the steps below to identify vision problems.

Instructions

• 1

  Observe the physical appearance of the eyes. Do they move back and forth involuntarily? Are the eyes crossed? Do they seem to have difficulty focusing? Does one eye turn inward or outward? These are all indications of a vision problem that needs proper treatment for correction.

• 2

  Notice whether there is excessive squinting or blinking of the eyes. Do you squint when reading or watching television? Do you squint your eyes when looking at an object in the distance or close up? You could be nearsighted or farsighted.

• 3

  Observe whether you suffer from blurred vision and/or eye pain. How often do these symptoms occur? If you frequently suffer from blurred vision or eye pain you need to get your eyes checked to see if there is an underlying cause.

• 4

  Observe how your eyes react to different intensities of light. Do bright lights bother your eyes? Do you prefer lamplight to overhead lighting? Do you get headaches after being exposed to florescent lights? Your eyes may be sensitive to light. Light sensitivity may indicate an eye problem.

• 5

  Pay attention to how often you get headaches. Do you experience dizziness frequently also? Frequent headaches and/or dizziness are often the result of vision problems.

• 6

  Notice whether you experience difficulty when reading. Do words tend to run together? Are similar words difficult to distinguish from one another? Do you experience eye pain when reading? You may have a vision problem.

• 7

  Observe whether you can see better when you tilt your head at a certain angle. Do you find yourself doing this when looking at objects close to you or further away? It could be a problem with your peripheral vision.

• 8

  Notice your night vision. Do you feel like you can't see a thing after dark? Do you grope your way through the house when the lights are out? Do you leave lights on because you can't see where you're walking? You may have poor night vision.