Blurry and Cloudy Vision – Causes and Treatment

Blurry Cloudy Vision

Vision loss comes in a couple of ways, including blurring and cloudy vision, which, medically speaking, are not necessarily the same thing.

Why You Have Blurry or Cloudy Vision and How to Treat It?

Blurry vision occurs when vision loses its sharpness, making us squint to try to make out shapes and words. Cloudy vision makes objects look opaque and are often caused by cataracts, a condition that affects the lenses.

Changes in Eyeball and Especially the Lens Cause Vision Problems

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is probably the most common type of vision problems. It occurs when the eyeball becomes elongated, which affects the proper functioning of the cornea and lens. The cornea, which normally bends light to properly pass through pupils and to lenses, may no longer fit properly on the eyeball. If it becomes misshapen, the condition is called astigmatism, which can also cause blurred vision.

Myopia is often inherited and usually shows up in childhood and young adulthood. It can worsen with age, or improve. Researchers still don’t fully understand why.

The National Eye Institute says that more than 40% of Americans have myopia. Children in urban areas are diagnosed with myopia twice as often than those in rural environments. Some populations, such as East Asians, are more susceptible to myopia.

It’s important to treat myopia, otherwise, you’ll struggle with blurred vision and headache as your eyes try to focus.

A cataract is another common eye problem, but it is seen in older people. A cataract occurs when the lens, which sits behind the iris (colored part of the eye) begins to thicken and becomes less flexible. Once this happens, it can no longer focus light that passes through it, and vision becomes cloudy and over time, even yellow.

There are steps you can take to prevent cataracts, such as making dietary changes and wearing sunglasses to protect your eyes from UV rays.

Both of these conditions happen gradually. Any sudden change in vision can indicate a serious health condition and should be immediately seen by a physician.

Myopia and Cataracts Can Be Treated and Even Reversed

Myopia is most commonly treated with eyeglasses or contact lenses that receive and send light to the right part of the retina. The prescription is actually an adjustment to the way light passes through to the lens. This article explains signs that you might need eye glasses.

Myopia can also be corrected through eye surgery, like LASIK or iLASIK, which removes tiny amounts of tissue to flatten and reshape the cornea. Both procedures can also correct farsightedness — when the eyeball shrinks and objects that are close appear blurry — and astigmatism. Implantable contact lenses, or ICL surgery, is another option for some patients with myopia.

These procedures are permanent as long as the eye doesn’t change shape again and the lens doesn’t change. They won’t prevent changes in the lenses that result in cataracts.

Cataract surgery is one of the most common eye surgeries and a very safe procedure. It removes the cloudy lens and replaces it with an artificial one, often restoring vision to 20/20! Patients who have cataract surgery report dramatic improvements in their lives as they can safely resume activities they stopped such as racquet sports and driving. Even patients who avoided stairs for fear of falling are able to resume this very normal activity!

Visit our website and contact us if you’re interested in LASIK or cataract surgery. Our free consultation will include explaining the different procedures to repair myopia and the types of implantable lenses we use for ICL and cataract surgery. Schedule your appointment online or call us at 888-678-4341.

Find our main Eye Surgery Center in Manhattan, New York.

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If you have more questions about LASIK procedures, get in touch with us.

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