Can dry eyes cause blurred vision

Can dry eyes cause blurred vision

Can dry eyes cause blurred vision?

 

 

 

Answer:

Yes

One of the common dry eye symptoms is blurred vision.

Mild to moderate dry eyes can cause temporary blurred vision while severe dry eyes can cause permanent blurred vision.

The corneal surface by itself is not smooth and tear film helps to moist the corneal surface and make it smoother.  For vision to be clear, lights that enter the eye through the cornea should be focused in one spot in the retina that is called fovea. In dry corneal surface, the lights won’t be focused in one spot but instead they will be scattered all over the retina and vision will be blurred.

 

 

Patient with dry eyes can experience more vision deterioration during night drive with glare and halos. Pupil at night is larger than that during day light and this can lead to more scattered lights that enter the eye.

In mild and moderate dry eyes, blinking can give temporary relieve of blurred vision. In severe dry eyes, there are scratches and abrasions in corneal surface which can predispose to multiple and recurrent corneal infections with corneal ulcer.

These corneal ulcers are difficult to treat and take a long time to heal. Multiple and recurrent corneal infections and ulcers can lead to corneal opacities and scars which lead to permanent blurry vision.

 

 

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