Eye symptoms explained

Eye symptoms

• What are the symptoms of conjunctivitis?

  

  Conjunctivitis commonly causes red or pink eyes, watering, irritation, a gritty feeling and sticky discharge that may crust the lashes. Seek advice if there is pain, light sensitivity, reduced vision or symptoms that do not improve.

• What are the symptoms of blepharitis?

  

  Blepharitis can cause sore, itchy or gritty eyes, red or swollen eyelids and flakes or crusts around the eyelashes. Symptoms often affect both eyes and may come and go.

• What are the symptoms of eye strain?

  

  Eye strain can cause tired or aching eyes, blurred vision, headaches, difficulty focusing and increased sensitivity to light. Resting your eyes may help, but persistent symptoms should be assessed by an optician.

• What are the symptoms of uveitis?

  

  Uveitis may cause eye pain, redness, blurred vision, floaters and sensitivity to light. It can threaten sight, so contact an optician, GP or NHS 111 promptly if these symptoms develop.

• What are the symptoms of an eye infection?

  

  An eye infection may cause redness, discomfort, watering, discharge, swelling or sensitivity to light. Because different conditions can look similar, seek professional advice—especially if you have pain or changes to vision.

• What are the warning signs of retinal detachment?

  

  Warning signs include a sudden increase in floaters, flashes of light, a dark curtain or shadow across your vision and sudden blurring. Retinal detachment is an emergency, so seek urgent eye care immediately.

• What are the symptoms of astigmatism?

  

  Astigmatism can cause blurred or distorted vision at any distance, headaches, eye strain and difficulty seeing clearly at night. An eye test can confirm it and determine the right prescription.

• What are the symptoms of optic neuritis?

  

  Optic neuritis often causes pain when moving the eye, blurred or reduced vision in one eye and colours appearing less vivid. These symptoms need prompt medical assessment.

• What are the symptoms of an ocular migraine?

  

  An ocular or retinal migraine may cause temporary visual effects such as flashing lights, zigzags, blind spots or shimmering shapes. New, one-sided or persistent vision changes should be assessed urgently to exclude other causes.

• What are the symptoms of an eye allergy?

  

  Eye allergies commonly cause itching, redness, watering and puffy eyelids, often affecting both eyes. Pain, light sensitivity or reduced vision is not typical and should be assessed.

• What are the symptoms of keratitis?

  

  Keratitis can cause a painful red eye, blurred vision, watering, discharge and sensitivity to light. It can be serious, particularly for contact-lens wearers, so seek urgent professional advice.

• What are the symptoms of presbyopia?

  

  Presbyopia causes increasing difficulty focusing on close objects, needing to hold reading material farther away, eye strain and headaches. It commonly develops from the early to mid-40s as the eye’s lens becomes less flexible.

• What are the warning signs of an eye stroke?

  

  An eye stroke can cause sudden, painless loss or blurring of vision, usually in one eye, sometimes with a dark area or shadow. Treat sudden vision loss as an emergency and call 999 or attend A&E.

• What are the symptoms of a corneal ulcer?

  

  A corneal ulcer can cause severe eye pain, redness, watering, discharge, blurred vision and sensitivity to light. It needs urgent treatment, so contact an eye-care professional or NHS 111 promptly.

• What are the warning signs of a retinal tear?

  

  A retinal tear may cause sudden flashes of light, a rapid increase in floaters or a shadow in your vision. Seek urgent eye care, as a tear can progress to retinal detachment.

• What are the symptoms of myopia?

  

  Myopia, or short-sightedness, makes distant objects look blurred while close objects remain clearer. It may also cause squinting, headaches and eye strain.