Signs Your Vision Is Getting Worse: 8 Changes to Look Out For
Table of Contents
How Can You Tell If Your Vision Is Getting Worse?
1. Things Are Starting to Look Blurry
2. You’re Squinting More Than You Used To
3. You’re Holding Your Phone or Books Further Away
4. You Need More Light to Read or Complete Close Work
5. Driving at Night Is Becoming Harder
6. You’re Experiencing More Eye Strain or Difficulty Focusing
7. Your Current Glasses or Contact Lenses Don’t Seem as Clear
8. You’re Noticing Changes in One Eye
Why Might Your Eyesight Change?
Does Eyesight Normally Get Worse With Age?
When Is a Change in Vision an Emergency?
What Happens If You Book an Eye Test for Changing Vision?
Think Your Vision Has Changed? Book an Eye Test
FAQs
What are the first signs your eyesight is getting worse?
Why is my eyesight getting worse so quickly?
Is it normal for eyesight to get worse after 40?
How do I know if my glasses prescription has changed?
Can tired eyes make your vision blurry?
Can dry eyes cause blurry vision?
When should I worry about changes in my vision?
It may start out as road signs looking less clear than they used to. Or holding your phone further away, turning up the brightness or reaching for the torch to read a restaurant menu. These can be early signs your eyesight is getting worse, even if the change feels too subtle for you to worry about.
It’s common to feel unsure about whether to book an eye test, especially if the change has been happening over time. However, noticing a difference doesn’t tell you what’s causing it. A comprehensive eye test is important to assess your vision, current prescription and eye health to help identify what is causing the change.
How Can You Tell If Your Vision Is Getting Worse?
Comparing what you can comfortably see now with what used to be clear can help you tell if your vision may be getting worse. Observe if the change affects near vision, distant vision or both, and if it’s only in one eye or both.
Gradual changes can often be easy to overlook as you naturally adjust your behaviour potentially without realising why it’s changing at all. So, also consider if you’ve changed any behaviours, such as sitting closer to the television, enlarging the text on your phone, changing how far you hold a book to read or if you avoid driving at night. While these won’t diagnose why your eyesight is getting worse, it can identify a problem to get looked at.
What Our Optometrists Look At
When someone comes to us at Vision Camberwell Optometrists reporting a change in vision, we look at more than how blurry their eye sight feels to them. We look at when that change began, if it affects one or both eyes, if it’s constant or only at certain times, and if it occurs at a particular distance or during certain tasks. This helps guide the examination.
1. Things Are Starting to Look Blurry
Starting to notice things look blurry, whether consistently, inconsistently, in certain lighting or when performing certain tasks, can be a sign eyesight is getting worse. It may affect reading, working on the computer, seeing faces, watching television or focusing on objects in the distance. Some people may notice it only in one eye, consistently or that it comes and goes.
One possible explanation is a refractive error, such as short-sightedness, long-sightedness or astigmatism. However, Healthdirect notes blurred vision can be caused by several eye-related and general health concerns. In these situations, the pattern matters, so take note of when you notice the blur occurs, how long it lasts and if it affects one or both eyes.
2. You’re Squinting More Than You Used To
If your vision is starting to worsen, you may catch yourself squinting at objects like road signs, the television, presentation screens or menu boards. Squinting briefly changes how light enters the eye, which is why it can help make an unclear image appear sharper.
Other people may notice you squinting before you do yourself. Squinting regularly can be a sign you’re having difficulty focusing clearly at a certain distance and should be assessed by a professional.
3. You’re Holding Your Phone or Books Further Away
You may notice you hold text further away or closer to read, have to increase the font size on your phone or are finding small print more difficult to read.
This can start to happen for many people around the age of 40 as the lens inside the eye becomes less flexible. Presbyopia is one of the many potential explanations for this, but an eye examination can confirm what is causing changes to your near vision.
4. You Need More Light to Read or Complete Close Work
Once, you used to be able to read menus in dimly lit restaurants without even thinking about it. Now, you’re reaching for your phone torch or moving closer to a lamp to make out the smaller words. Other tasks with more detail, like sewing or reading medicine labels, may also now feel easier under stronger lighting.
Needing stronger lighting alone does not confirm a vision problem. The more useful clue is often a noticeable change in how much light you need for tasks you used to complete comfortably.
5. Driving at Night Is Becoming Harder
Driving at night may be something that becomes more challenging if you’re experiencing changes to your contrast sensitivity and low-light vision. The glare from headlights may seem more intense, you may have to squint to try to see road signs or it may take longer for your eyesight to adjust after you pass through brightly-lit areas, like pulling out of a service station.
There can be several causes of the halos, glare and reduced clarity. So, if night driving no longer feels safe, avoid driving until you can have your vision professionally assessed.
6. You’re Experiencing More Eye Strain or Difficulty Focusing
As the day goes on, text may start to drift out of focus or your eyes start to take longer to adjust when you look up from your computer. Your eyes may also feel sore, heavy, your vision blurry or a burning sensation after reading or focusing on more detailed work.
Eye strain like this can be associated with prolonged screen use, poor lighting, dry eyes or an eyewear prescription that no longer suits your vision. Headaches sometimes occur also, although they have many possible causes and shouldn’t automatically be attributed to your eyesight.
7. Your Current Glasses or Contact Lenses Don’t Seem as Clear
If an eyewear prescription that once worked is no longer giving you sharp vision, it’s easy to assume your eyesight is getting worse. Even subtle signs like finding you’re cleaning your glasses repeatedly, needing to blink to clear your eyesight or moving objects around to find a clearer viewing distance could be a sign your prescription is not performing as it once did.
This does not automatically mean your myopia, also known as nearsightedness or short-sightedness, is progressing. Prescription changes, dry eyes, lens changes and other eye-health factors can all be a contributing factor to the clarity of your vision. Bring your current glasses or contact lenses to your optometrist appointment so they can be assessed for how well they are correcting your vision.
“Your prescription is only one possible reason your current glasses may no longer feel as clear.”
8. You’re Noticing Changes in One Eye
A weak eyesight symptom can appear when a stronger eye is compensating for the weaker one, making it hard to tell the difference between problems in one eye. When it may become more noticeable is when one eye is covered naturally, such as when you’re applying make-up or resting your face on a pillow.
Any new differences in your vision between your eyes should be professionally assessed. While an at-home comparison may give you signs something is happening, it cannot identify the cause or replace an eye examination.
Why Might Your Eyesight Change?
If you’re wondering, “Why is my vision getting worse?”, a change in prescription is only one of the many possibilities. Other common reasons may include:
- Refractive changes affecting how the eyes focus light
- Presbyopia (a normal, age-related eye condition), affecting near vision as the lens becomes less flexible
- Dry eye disease causing blurry or fluctuating vision
- Changes in short-sightedness, long-sightedness or astigmatism
- Changes affecting the lens, retina or other structures of the eye
- General health conditions, such as diabetes
- Some medicines
Does Eyesight Normally Get Worse With Age?
Some changes in vision are common with age, although do not affect all people. The condition is known as Presbyopia, and usually starts to become noticeable around the age of 40 by noticing it becoming harder to focus on objects close to you.
Optometry Australia notes that vision problems can occur at any age. While several eye conditions are associated with ageing, any new signs of blurred vision, distortion, reduced peripheral vision or difficulty seeing at night should not automatically be dismissed as part of getting older.
Seek Urgent Care for Sudden Vision Changes
Healthdirect recommends seeking immediate medical help for any sudden changes in vision or if vision loss is experienced. If your usual optometrist or doctor is unavailable, go to your nearest hospital emergency department.
Go to an emergency department if your eyesight suddenly develops:
• Many new floaters
• Flashes of light
• Or darkness
Call triple zero (000) if sudden blurred vision occurs with signs of stroke, which may include facial drooping, weakness or numbness on one side of the body, loss of balance or slurred speech.
What Happens If You Book an Eye Test for Changing Vision?
If you visit an optometrist with changes to your vision, you will be asked what specifically has changed, when you first noticed it and if it affects particular activities. You may also be asked about your medical history, any medicines you’re currently taking or recently stopped taking and your family eye history.
Your examination may include:
- Visual acuity testing
- A refraction test to check your prescription
- Assessment of each eye separately and together
- Eye pressure measurement
- Examination of the structures at the front and back of the eye
- Additional imaging or testing where clinically appropriate
Reading more about what happens during an eye test before your appointment can help you feel more prepared. The aim is to replace any uncertainty with a clearer explanation of what has changed and what, if anything, needs to happen next to support you.
Think Your Vision Has Changed? Book an Eye Test
It’s important to know a change in your vision does not always indicate something serious, however it is crucial to understand what’s causing it. If you’ve noticed changes in your eyesight or everyday tasks to compensate for them, book a comprehensive eye exam with Vision Camberwell Optometrists.
FAQs
What are the first signs your eyesight is getting worse?
Some of the first weak eyesight symptoms include:
- Blurred vision
- Frequent squinting
- Difficulty reading small print
- Needing more light
- Reduced clarity while wearing your current eyewear prescription
These symptoms can have different causes, so it’s important to get an eye test to assess.
Why is my eyesight getting worse so quickly?
There can be many reasons why eyesight rapidly declines, such as a change in your prescription, eye surface or another eye or general health issue. It may also feel sudden when a gradual change only becomes noticeable to you when you’re performing a specific task, such as driving at night or reading small print. However, a genuinely sudden or significant change in vision requires urgent medical assessment, particularly if you’re experiencing vision loss, flashes, new floaters, severe eye pain or neurological symptoms. Healthdirect advises seeking immediate medical help for sudden changes in vision or vision loss.
Is it normal for eyesight to get worse after 40?
Changes in near-vision are common after the age of 40 because of presbyopia, a normal, age-related loss of your eyes’ ability to focus on near objects. However, changes should not automatically be attributed to age and should be assessed by an optometrist.
How do I know if my glasses prescription has changed?
Experiencing persistent blurred vision, frequent squinting or difficulty focusing through your current glasses can be a sign your prescription needs reviewing. A refraction test can help determine if the prescription has changed.
Can tired eyes make your vision blurry?
Yes, tired or strained eyes can cause temporary or intermittent blurry vision, especially after prolonged close work or screen use. However, recurring blurred vision should still be assessed.
Can dry eyes cause blurry vision?
Yes. The tear film across the front of the eye creates a smooth optical surface, so having insufficient tears or tears that evaporate too quickly can cause fluctuating or blurry vision. Dry eyes may also cause burning, grittiness, redness, light sensitivity or difficulty wearing contact lenses. Healthdirect explains problems affecting any layer of the tear film can contribute to dry eye disease.
When should I worry about changes in my vision?
Seek urgent care if:
- Your vision changes suddenly
- You experience sudden vision loss, severe eye pain, new flashes, many new floaters or darkness across part of your sight
If squinting has become an automatic habit, consider which distances or situations tend to be a trigger for it.
Visit us in Camberwell
T. (03) 9882 5666
E. vision@visioncamberwell.com.au
Find Us at:
784 Burke Rd, Camberwell
Victoria 3124, Australia
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Wednesday. 9am – 5pm
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