Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSymptomsDoes Treatment Correct Diplopia?CausesDiagnosisTreatmentComplications
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Symptoms
Does Treatment Correct Diplopia?
Causes
Diagnosis
Treatment
Complications
Indiplopia(double vision), you see more than one image at the same time. This may occur in just one or both eyes. It may come on suddenly and be temporary, or it can be something you’ve experienced for a while. It all depends on the underlying cause.
In this article, you’ll learn the symptoms of double vision and how these may vary depending on the type, whether treatment can help restore your vision, what may be causing the condition, potential complications, and more.
Symptoms of Diplopia Subtypes
The symptoms you experience will depend upon the type of diplopia you are dealing with. That begins with determining whether the double vision affects one or both eyes.
If you experience double vision only when both eyes are open, there’s a likelihood of a neurological cause.If you have double vision in both eyes (binocular), this may go away when you shut one of your eyes since only one image will then reach the brain.
Binocular diplopia may occur because one eye is looking at one image and the other at a slightly different one. It may also occur only when you move your eyes in a certain direction, such as side to side or up and down.
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Sometimes, diplopia resolves on its own, but you shouldn’t count on this. Fortunately, there are a variety of approaches to correcting double vision.
Your eye doctor may recommend getting Botox (botulinum toxin) injections in the muscles of the stronger eye so these muscles aren’t as dominant. This gives the muscles of the other eye a chance to catch up. Depending on the issue, this may be a temporary approach or ongoing.
If the eyes are misaligned due to muscle issues, muscle surgery may be recommended in some instances.
Causes of Diplopia
Double vision can come from different parts of the eye, the muscles, the nerves, and even the brain. Here are the leading possibilities for what may be at the root of your double vision:
The most common cause of diplopia usually depends on age. When a person over 65 complains of monocular diplopia, the usual diagnosis is cataracts or dry eyes. When that same person complains of binocular diplopia, the cause may be cranial nerve palsy due to diabetes or hypertension.
The cause of diplopia can vary in younger people—commonly, it is dry eyes or ophthalmic migraine. More information about the length of time a problem occurs or whether it fluctuates makes a major difference in the diagnosis.
Sudden Symptoms
While double vision may be a chronic issue for you, in other cases, it may appear suddenly. This can be scary and should be checked out, but remember that you may be having a stress reaction or just be extremely tired.
Still, you should have this checked out to ensure that there is not something more serious going on.The fact that the double vision has come on suddenly should raise a red flag. It may indicate an issue with the brain that needs to be looked at more closely. Other red flags may beheadaches with vision problemsor vision loss unrelated to issues with the eye itself.
Also, note any other symptoms. Something like a stroke, for example, can come on suddenly. In addition to visual changes like sudden double or blurred vision, some may experience severe headaches, balance difficulties, and numbness on one side. Anyone experiencing symptoms such as these should immediately call 911.
Eye Exam to Diagnose Diplopia
When you visit an eye doctor to assess your double vision, they will first determine whether it is due to an issue with one eye or both. If the double vision appears to be coming from just one eye, then they will look at the structures of the eye under magnification at theslit lampto get a better look at what may be causing the diplopia in the eye.
The eye doctor will look for any signs of a muscular disorder, such as eyelid drooping, which can occur with a condition such as myasthenia gravis or muscular dystrophy.
They may also order a blood test to see if an underlying condition (such as Graves' disease) is causing your double vision.
You may also need to undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine whether a tumor or nerve inflammation is the cause of the problem.
Treatment to Correct Temporary Double Vision
A prism is a pie-shaped piece of glass or plastic that can bend light to bring two images together. They may recommend attaching a press-on prism to one or both of your glasses' lenses to resolve the issue temporarily.
Complications and Ongoing Symptoms
In addition to contending with double vision, without treatment, you may also find yourself dealing with ongoing symptoms such as the following:
If you experience ongoing double vision, you should seek answers. In many cases, these symptoms can be treated and alleviated.
Summary
12 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Yale Medicine.Diplopia (double vison).NYU Langone Health.Diagnosing double vision.NYU Langone Health.Nonsurgical treatment for double vision.Stanford Medicine.Double vision.Stanford Medicine.Causes of double vision.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Basic approach to diplopia.Cooper Vision.Double vision; should I be concerned?Ogun O.Red flags in neuro-ophthalmology.Community Eye Health. 2016;29(96):64-65.Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.FAST signs of stroke… what are the other signs?NYU Langone Health.Diagnosing double vision.Yale Medicine.Diplopia (double vision).Stanford Medicine.Symptoms of double vision.
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Yale Medicine.Diplopia (double vison).NYU Langone Health.Diagnosing double vision.NYU Langone Health.Nonsurgical treatment for double vision.Stanford Medicine.Double vision.Stanford Medicine.Causes of double vision.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Basic approach to diplopia.Cooper Vision.Double vision; should I be concerned?Ogun O.Red flags in neuro-ophthalmology.Community Eye Health. 2016;29(96):64-65.Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.FAST signs of stroke… what are the other signs?NYU Langone Health.Diagnosing double vision.Yale Medicine.Diplopia (double vision).Stanford Medicine.Symptoms of double vision.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Yale Medicine.Diplopia (double vison).NYU Langone Health.Diagnosing double vision.NYU Langone Health.Nonsurgical treatment for double vision.Stanford Medicine.Double vision.Stanford Medicine.Causes of double vision.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Basic approach to diplopia.Cooper Vision.Double vision; should I be concerned?Ogun O.Red flags in neuro-ophthalmology.Community Eye Health. 2016;29(96):64-65.Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.FAST signs of stroke… what are the other signs?NYU Langone Health.Diagnosing double vision.Yale Medicine.Diplopia (double vision).Stanford Medicine.Symptoms of double vision.
Yale Medicine.Diplopia (double vison).
NYU Langone Health.Diagnosing double vision.
NYU Langone Health.Nonsurgical treatment for double vision.
Stanford Medicine.Double vision.
Stanford Medicine.Causes of double vision.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.Basic approach to diplopia.
Cooper Vision.Double vision; should I be concerned?
Ogun O.Red flags in neuro-ophthalmology.Community Eye Health. 2016;29(96):64-65.
Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.FAST signs of stroke… what are the other signs?
Yale Medicine.Diplopia (double vision).
Stanford Medicine.Symptoms of double vision.
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