Double vision
Double vision can occur in one or both eyes, and can be caused byseveral different conditions.
Double vision in one eye is known as monocular double vision. Double vision continues when the unaffected eye is covered, but you should be able to see normally when the affected eye is covered.
It can be caused by:
The cornea is located at the front of the eye and acts like a camera lens, helping to focus the light coming into the eye.
The retina is a light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye thatconverts light entering the eye into electrical signals.
Monocular double vision is rare. Astigmatism and cataracts are the most common causes.
Double visioncaused byboth eyesfailing to work together properly isknown as binocular double vision. If you have binocular double vision, your vision will usually be normal if either eye is covered.
If you have binocular double vision, your eyes will point at slightly different angles, causing them to send different images to your brain. The images from each eye are too different for your brain to create a clear, single image. This results in you seeing double images.
A squint (strabismus) means your eyes are pointing at different angles. If you have a squint, your eyes don't look in the same direction because some of the muscles controlling your eyes are either:
Squints are particularly common in young children. Not all squints cause double vision.
A squint can recur in someone who had a squint as a child. In some cases, treating the squint and realigning your eyes can result in double vision, as previously your brain may have been ignoring the signals from one of your eyes. When your brain ignores the signals from one eye, this is called suppression.
A childhood squint recurring is a common cause of double vision in adults.
In adults, if double vision develops suddenly and isn'tcaused bya childhood squint, it may be a sign of another condition affecting the free movement of the eye, or the muscles, nerves, or brain.Conditions may include:
Double vision (medically known as diplopia) is where you see two images of a single object either some or all of the time.
Double vision is where you see two images of a single object. It is sometimes confused with blurred vision.
Double vision can occur in one or both eyes, and can be caused by several different conditions, such as a squint or astigmatism.
If you have double vision, your GP will probably refer you to an ophthalmologist (eye specialist) at the eye department of your local hospital.
If you have double vision, your treatment will depend on whether you have double vision in one eye (monocular) or both eyes (binocular), and the underlying cause.