Recognizing Signs and Symptoms for Serious Eye Problems

Almost everybody feels some sort of discomfort with their eyes at times. Perhaps you are allergic to something and your eyes are watery and itchy. You might have been looking at a computer screen too long and your eyes are fatigued and hurt. There are a lot of other reasons why your eyes might hurt. Most of these reasons do not require you to seek the medical assistance from an eye doctor. However, there are certain signs and symptoms that can be more serious and threatening. When these symptoms are encountered, it is extremely important to see an eye doctor as quickly as possible.

Serious Symptoms for Eyes

1. Sudden Loss of Vision. If you ever lose part or all of your vision in one or both eyes, you will need immediate medical attention. There are many reasons why you may have lost your vision. A detached retina, a hemorrhage, or even life threatening problems like a stroke or tumor. By getting medical attention quickly, your odds of getting the problem resolved successfully will increase.
2. Sharp Pain. Everyone gets things in their eyes occasionally. A piece of sand can hurt when it is in the eye. However, if you feel pain behind the eye, this is more cause for concern. A condition known as glaucoma is accompanied by severe eye pain and can cause blindness if not taken care of quickly. A corneal infection might also be the cause of the pain. An eye doctor will be able to prescribe the correct medications to get the problem resolved.
3. Flashing Lights and Floaters. Floaters are small spots that float throughout your field of vision. When floaters are accompanied by flashes of light, you will need to seek medical attention from an eye doctor. These symptoms often mean that there has been a retinal tear and that the retina could detach. This could eventually lead to blindness.

If you have any of the above symptoms, you will want to make sure that you seek medical attention immediately. By prolonging the time from when the symptoms occurred to when you finally make it to the doctor, irreparable damage could have been done. Knowing the difference between common eye problems and more serious ones is important but if you are ever in doubt, it is always better to be safe than sorry. See an eye doctor like Atlantic Eye Consultant PC - Delianides Aris P MD even if you are not sure that the problem is a serious one.