What is going on with your eyes?
A guide by symptom, in the words you would actually use rather than the words of a diagnosis. What it might be, what to do, and what cannot wait.
This does not wait. Seek same-day emergency care if you have sudden loss of vision, a curtain or shadow covering part of your vision, a shower of new floaters with flashes of light, severe eye pain with a red eye and nausea, sudden double vision, or a hard blow or chemical splash to the eye.
Find what you are feeling below. Each entry says what it might be and what to do about it. It is not for diagnosing yourself: eye symptoms look alike across diseases that are treated very differently. It is for getting your bearings and for telling apart what can wait from what cannot.
Distance vision looks blurry
What it might be. It may be nothing more than short-sightedness or astigmatism that is not corrected, or a prescription that has drifted. Past the age of 55, an early cataract also starts like this.
What to do. An eye exam with optometry settles whether it is a matter of glasses or something else.
I have to hold my phone further away to read
What it might be. Past 40, this is almost always presbyopia: the lens inside the eye loses its ability to focus up close. It happens to everyone and it is not a disease.
What to do. Glasses correct it. It is still worth ruling out other causes of blurry near vision along the way.
I see dark specks or threads drifting across my vision
What it might be. Floaters are very common and almost always harmless: they are condensations in the gel that fills the eye. What changes the picture is a sudden shower of them, especially alongside flashes of light.
What to do. If they have always been there and are stable, mention them at your next visit. If they appeared suddenly, do not wait.
A curtain or shadow is covering part of my vision
What it might be. This is not a symptom to read about calmly. It can mean a retinal detachment.
What to do. Seek same-day emergency care. Timing changes the outcome.
My eye is red
What it might be. There are many causes and they are not equivalent: conjunctivitis, dry eye, an allergy, a foreign body, or more serious internal inflammation. A red eye with severe pain, blurred vision or nausea is a different matter and has to be seen the same day.
What to do. If it also hurts badly or your vision is poor, treat it as an emergency.
My eyes burn, feel gritty, or water constantly
What it might be. It sounds contradictory, but watering is one of the classic signs of dry eye: the surface gets irritated and the eye responds with poor quality tears. Screens and air conditioning make it worse.
What to do. It is treatable, and it is worth measuring which type of dry eye it is.
I spend the day on a screen and my eyes are exhausted by the evening
What it might be. Digital eye strain is real: looking at a screen makes you blink less and holds your focus fixed for hours. It does no permanent damage, but it is genuinely uncomfortable and it can expose a refractive error you did not know you had.
What to do. There are concrete measures that help, and dry eye is worth ruling out.
I see halos around lights and headlights dazzle me at night
What it might be. This is common with cataract, which scatters light as it passes through a lens that is no longer clear. It also appears in corneal problems. With severe pain and a red eye it can be acute glaucoma, which is an emergency.
What to do. If night driving has become difficult, that alone is reason enough to come in.
I bump into things I did not see, but straight ahead I see fine
What it might be. Side vision goes before central vision in glaucoma, and the brain fills in the gap, so it is noticed late. The fact that you are noticing it is already a reason to be checked soon.
What to do. Glaucoma damage does not come back, but it can be stopped. That is why the date matters.
I am diabetic and I do not know how often to be checked
What it might be. Diabetic retinopathy causes no symptoms until it is advanced. By the time a patient notices blurred vision there is often already macular oedema or bleeding.
What to do. With a diagnosis of diabetes, a dilated retinal exam is annual even if you see perfectly.
I see double
What it might be. Double vision can come from the eye or from outside the eye, and that distinction matters. If it appears suddenly, or together with a severe headache, weakness or difficulty speaking, it is an emergency.
What to do. If it started recently, do not let it slide.
My eyelid is drooping, or a lump appeared on it
What it might be. A drooping eyelid can be down to age or to causes worth investigating. Lumps are usually styes or chalazia, almost always harmless.
What to do. If the eyelid is blocking your vision, or the change was quick, come in soon.
My child sits too close, squints, or one eye turns
What it might be. In children the sign is almost never a complaint: it is what they do. Sitting close to the television, squinting, tilting the head, or one eye drifting. An eye that turns after four months of age is never normal.
What to do. Lazy eye has a treatment window: the earlier, the better.
I was told I have keratoconus, or my prescription keeps changing
What it might be. Astigmatism that climbs quickly, especially in teenagers and young adults, raises the suspicion of keratoconus. Rubbing the eyes hard makes it worse.
What to do. Catching it early means it can be halted, not just corrected.
I want to stop wearing glasses
What it might be. Laser vision correction is not for everyone, and the pre-operative study is what settles it: the thickness and shape of the cornea are measured and the retina is checked.
What to do. Start with the study. It is what decides whether you are a candidate and with which technique.
Frequently asked questions
When is an eye symptom an emergency?
When there is sudden loss of vision, a curtain or shadow covering part of the field, a shower of new floaters with flashes of light, severe eye pain with a red eye and nausea, sudden double vision, or an injury from a high-speed object or a chemical. In any of those cases, seek care the same day.
My vision is fine. Should I still be checked?
Yes, and that is exactly the trap. Glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy cause no symptoms until the damage is considerable, and that damage does not come back. From the age of 40 a check-up is worthwhile, and earlier if there is diabetes, high myopia or a family history of glaucoma.
How often should I have my eyes checked?
With no risk factors and no symptoms, every one or two years as an adult. With diabetes, annually without exception. With glaucoma or a family history, whatever your specialist advises. In children, before starting school.
Can I work out online what I have?
No, and this page is not for that either. Eye symptoms repeat across very different diseases: a red eye can be a trivial conjunctivitis or serious internal inflammation, and from the outside they look alike. This guide is for orientation and for knowing what cannot wait, not for diagnosing yourself.
Which specialist does each symptom point to?
In most cases the way in is the general eye exam, and from there you are referred to whichever subspecialty applies. You do not need to guess the subspecialty yourself: that is what the assessment is for.
Do you see patients in English?
Yes. Our specialists and front desk handle appointments in English at all three locations, in Armenia, Pereira and Manizales. Tell us when you book so we can schedule accordingly.
If you would rather start at the beginning, the page on your first visit explains what to bring and how long the appointment takes. And if you want the vocabulary you are about to hear, there is the eye care glossary.
Need an appointment?
We will point you to the right line for your location and tell you whether it is open right now. One step.