Why is my vision blurred?

What is blurred vision?

Fleeting blurred vision is a common experience and can happen when we first wake up. However, if your vision doesn’t come into focus and rubbing your eyes doesn’t help, your blurred vision might be caused by an underlying condition.

Blurred vision occurs when your eyes can’t properly process light signals, preventing you from detecting the finer details of any object you’re looking at, regardless of the distance. 

Blurred vision can be experienced in one or both eyes.

What causes blurred vision?

A number of different conditions can cause blurred vision. Some can be treated with contact lenses, glasses and/or surgery. Common causes include:

• Astigmatism — caused by the front surface of your eye (cornea) being misshapen 
• Eye strain — caused by looking at something, such as a digital screen, for prolonged periods 
• Hyperopia (long-sightedness) — where close objects look blurry 
• Myopia (short-sightedness) — where objects far away look blurry 
• Presbyopia — loss of your near sight due to the lenses inside your eyes hardening 
• Wearing your contact lenses for too long 

Blurred vision also can be a symptom of other eye diseases, such as dry eye syndrome, floaters or glaucoma, or other conditions, such as hypoglycaemia or migraines. 

How can you protect your vision?

In some cases, you can’t prevent blurred vision from developing. However, there are steps you can take to maintain good eye health and reduce your risk of blurred vision, including: 

• Eating foods that are rich in nutrients that are good for your eyes 
• Keeping up to date with your eye examinations 
• Making sure your hands and brushes are clean when applying eye makeup
• Throwing out old makeup 
• Washing your hands before putting in or taking out your contact lenses 
• Wearing UV protection sunglasses when out in the sun
• Wearing protective goggles when operating heavy machinery or performing DIY

Treatment options for blurred vision

To treat blurred vision, you’ll need to visit an optician, who can help diagnose the cause. They will carry out an eye test and in some cases, a digital eye scan. They may also need to refer you to an ophthalmologist (a doctor specialising in treating the eyes) for further investigations and/or blood tests.

Refractive errors (problems with the way your eyes focus light) can be treated with contact lenses, glasses or surgery such as LASEK or LASIK. 

If you have glaucoma, you will be offered special eye drops as your main glaucoma treatment. If the eye drops aren’t effective, you may be offered surgery.

When to seek immediate help for blurred vision

It’s important to monitor your blurred vision and if you experience any of the following symptoms, seek immediate medical attention as you may be having a stroke:

• Facial drooping 
• Loss of muscle control 
• Loss of speech 
• Pain in the eye/s 
• Severe headache
• Vision loss

Mild blurred vision that comes and goes can be a sign of tiredness, but if your blurred vision is continuous, gets worse or suddenly comes on this may be a sign of something more serious. Make an appointment with your optician to get it checked out as soon as possible.

Cloudy vision

Blurred vision is often confused with ‘cloudy vision’. Cloudy vision can be caused by cataracts that affect the lens of the eye, making it seem as though you’re looking through a foggy or cloudy window. 

Cataracts are treated with surgery, where your natural lens is replaced with a clear plastic one. In some cases, the capsule that holds the lens can thicken over time after cataract surgery — this prevents light from passing through and also causes cloudy vision. It can be quickly and painlessly corrected using a specialised laser treatment called a YAG capsulotomy.