Common Eye Symptoms

GENERAL
PATIENT ASSOCIATED CONDITIONS
COMPLAINT
Peripheral Vision Glaucoma
Loss or Tunnel - Occurs when extra fluid increases the
vision pressure in the eye causing optic nerve
damage
Major types of Glaucoma
1. Primary open-angle
- Most common type
- Occurs when the eye does not drain the
fluid well, increasing intraocular pressure
leading to nerve damage
- Painless and causes no vison changes at
first
- S/S:
 Early stage: no warning signs
 As the disease progresses, peripheral
blind spots develop
2. Angle-closure
- Also called closed-angle glaucoma or
narrow-angle glaucoma
- Occurs when there is complete blockage to
the drainage of the eye, causing rapid
increase in the intraocular pressure
- S/S:
o Early symptom:
 Blurry vision
 Halo in vision
 Mild headaches
 Eye pain
o During attacks:
 Severe eye pain
 Eye redness
  Decreased or blurred vision
 Seeing halos or rainbows in
vision
 Headache
 Nausea
 Vomiting
Blurring of Vision Glaucoma
Astigmatism
- A common vision condition that causes
blurred vision
- Occurs when the cornea (the clear front
cover of the eye) is irregularly shaped or
sometimes because of the curvature of the
lens inside the eye
- Astigmatism frequently occurs with other
vision conditions like myopia
(nearsightedness) and hyperopia
(farsightedness)
- S/S:
o Blurred or distorted vision
o Eyestrain or discomfort
o Headaches
o Difficulty with night vision
o Squinting

Cataract
- Clouding of an area in the lens of the eye
- Most common cause of cataract is aging
- S/S
o Clouded, blurred or dim vision
o Increasing difficulty with vision at
night
o Sensitivity to light and glare
o Need for brighter light for reading
 and other activities
o Seeing "halos" around lights
o Frequent changes in eyeglass or
contact lens prescription
o Fading or yellowing of colors
o Double vision in a single eye

Presbyopia
- The gradual loss of the eyes' ability to focus
on nearby objects
- Presbyopia develops gradually
- Patients may first notice these signs and
symptoms after age 40
- S/S:
o A tendency to hold reading material
farther away to make the letters
clearer
o Blurred vision at normal reading
distance
o Eyestrain or headaches after reading
or doing close-up work

Myopia
- A vision condition in which people can see
close objects clearly, but objects farther
away appear blurred
- Myopia occurs if the eyeball is too long or
the cornea (the clear front cover of the eye)
is too curved. As a result, the light entering
the eye isn't focused correctly, and distant
objects look blurred
- S/S:
o Blurry vision when looking at distant
objects
o The need to squint or partially close
 the eyelids to see clearly
o Headaches caused by eyestrain
o Difficulty seeing while driving a
vehicle, especially at night (night
myopia)
Strabismus
- Also known as crossed eyes
- A condition in which the eyes do not line up
with one another. In other words, one eye is
turned in a direction that is different from
the other eye
- Most strabismus results from an
abnormality of the neuromuscular control of
eye movement
- Strabismus is often inherited
Strabismus vision:
- S/S:
o Eyes that don't look in the same
direction at the same time
o Eyes that don't move together
o Squinting or closing one eye in bright
sunlight
o Tilting or turning the head to look at
an object
o Bumping into things (Strabismus
limits depth perception)
o Diplopia

Pruritus Dry eyes

- A common condition that occurs when the
tears aren't able to provide adequate
lubrication for the eyes
- Dry eyes may be experienced in certain
situations, such as on an airplane, in an air-
conditioned room, while riding a bike or
after looking at a computer screen for a few
 hours
- S/S:
o A stinging, burning or scratchy
sensation in your eyes
o Stringy mucus in or around your eyes
o Sensitivity to light
o Eye redness
o A sensation of having something in
your eyes
o Difficulty wearing contact lenses
o Difficulty with nighttime driving
o Watery eyes, which is the body's
response to the irritation of dry eyes
o Blurred vision or eye fatigue

Eye allergies
- Also called as ocular allergies or allergic
conjunctivitis
- Triggers:
o Outdoor allergens, such as pollens
from grass, trees and weeds
o Indoor allergens, such as pet dander,
dust mites and mold
o Irritants, such as cigarette smoke,
perfume and diesel exhaust
- S/S:
o Itching
o Redness
o Burning
o Clear, watery discharge

Conjunctivitis
Discharges from Conjunctivitis Conjunctivitis:
the eye - Is the inflammation or swelling of the
conjunctiva
 - Can be caused by infection or allergies
- Most common eye disease, especially in
children
- May affect one or both eyes
- Some forms of conjunctivitis are highly
contagious and can easily spread in schools
and at home
- There are three main types of conjunctivitis:
allergic, infectious and chemical. The
cause of conjunctivitis varies depending on
the type
- S/S:
o A gritty feeling in one or both eyes
o Itching or burning sensation in one or
both eyes
o Excessive tearing
o Discharge from one or both eyes
o Swollen eyelids
o Pink discoloration to the whites of
one or both eyes
o Increased sensitivity to light

Dry eyes
Enlarged or Migraine
dilated pupil - A migraine is usually a moderate or severe
headache felt as a throbbing pain on 1 side
of the head
- The exact cause of migraines is unknown,
although they're thought to be the result of
temporary changes in the chemicals,
nerves and blood vessels in the brain
- Possible triggers:
o Pre-menstrual period
o stress
o Tiredness
 o Certain foods or drinks
- S/S:
o Pain usually on one side of your
head, but often on both sides
o Pain that throbs or pulses
o Sensitivity to light, sound, and
sometimes smell and touch Cranial Nerve III Palsy:
o Nausea and vomiting

Cranial Nerve III Palsy

- A complete third nerve palsy causes a
completely closed eyelid and deviation of
the eye outward and downward
- The eye cannot move inward or up, and the
pupil is typically enlarged and does not
react normally to light
- A partial third nerve palsy affects, to
varying degrees, any of the functions
controlled by the third cranial nerve.
- A third nerve palsy may be present at birth
(congenital), and the exact cause may not
be clear
- Acquired third nerve palsy can be
associated with head injury, infection,
vaccination, migraine, brain tumor,
aneurysm, diabetes, or high blood pressure
- S/S:
o Ptosis (dropping of the eyelid over
the eye)
o Ocular deviation: “down and out”
position of the eye
o The pupil becomes fixed and dilated
o Loss of pupillary accommodation
o Diplopia (double vision)
Floaters in vision Diabetic Retinopathy
or Dark spots in - Diabetic retinopathy is an eye condition
Vision that can cause vision loss and blindness in
people who have diabetes
- The damage to the eyes starts when sugar
blocks the tiny blood vessels that go to the
retina, causing them to leak fluid or bleed
- S/S:
o Early stage
 Usually asymptomatic
 May have trouble reading or
seeing things from afar
o Late stage
 Dark, floating spots or streaks

Retinal detachment
- An emergency situation in which a thin
layer of tissue (the retina) at the back of the
eye pulls away from its normal position
- Retinal detachment separates the retinal
cells from the layer of blood vessels that
provides oxygen and nourishment
- The longer retinal detachment goes
untreated, the greater the risk of
permanent vision loss in the affected eye
- Retinal detachment itself is painless
- S/S:
o The sudden appearance of many
floaters — tiny specks that seem to
drift through the field of vision
o Flashes of light in one or both eyes
(photopsia)
o Blurred vision
o Gradually reduced side (peripheral)
vision
 o A curtain-like shadow over the visual
field

Age-related Macular degeneration

- An eye disease that can blur the sharp,
central vision you need for activities like
reading and driving
- A common condition — it’s a leading cause
of vision loss for people age 50 and older
- S/S:
o Blurred or “fuzzy” vision
o Straight lines, such as sentences on a
page, appearing wavy or distorted
o Blurry areas on a printed page
o Difficulty reading or seeing details in
low light levels
o Extra sensitivity to glare
Lump on Stye/sty
eyelid(s) - Also called a hordeolum
- A small, red, painful lump that grows from
the base of the eyelash or under the eyelid
- Most styes are caused by a bacterial
infection
- S/S:
o Painful red bump along the edge of
the upper or lower eyelid near the
base of the eyelashes
o Swelling of the eyelid (sometimes the
entire eyelid)
o Crusting along the eyelid
o Sensitivity to bright light
o Sore, scratchy eye
o Tearing of the eye
o A feeling that there is something in
the eye
 Chalazion
- A bump that usually occurs farther back on
the eyelid
- Not caused by a bacterial infection
- Occurs when the opening of the oil-
producing glands in the eyelid becomes
clogged
- S/S:
o a bump on the eyelid, sometimes
becoming red and swollen.
Occasionally it can be tender
o rarely, an entirely swollen eyelid
o blurry vision, if the chalazion is large
enough to press on the eyeball

Eye spasm - An eyelid twitch (or tic) is when there is a

/twitching spasm or slight movement of the upper or
lower eyelid
- Most common eyelid twitches are harmless,
and do not affect vision
- some neurological problems that can make
eyelid muscles contract, such as
blepharospasm and hemifacial spasm
- Causes:
o Eye strain
o Stress
o Caffeine intake
o Dry eyes