Your vision is fine, but you're over 60 and you have a family history of glaucoma.
What it could be: Glaucoma.
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can damage the optic nerve. It often starts without any symptoms. You may not realize that you have it until you're losing vision.
What to do about it: See your eye doctor for an eye exam that includes an eye pressure test before you develop any eye problems. If you have glaucoma, drops and surgery can keep it from stealing your sight.
There's a film over everything you see.
What it could be: Cataracts.
This clouding of the eye's lens becomes more common as you get older, as protein inside your lens starts to clump together. Cataracts can also create a halo effect around lights at night and make your eyes more sensitive to glare, even during daytime.
What to do about it: Until the cataract causes severe vision problems, you can increase lighting and change your eyeglass prescription to help you see more clearly. Once the haze gets bad, talk to your doctor about surgery to remove the clouded lens and replace it with an artificial one.
You've got a raging headache that started with distorted vision and flashes of light.
What it could be: Migraine headaches.
Migraines don't just make your head hurt. They also can affect your vision, creating a light show of auras and flashes. You can even briefly lose sight from certain types of migraines. Every migraine doesn't do that, but it's possible.
What to do about it: If this is a new problem for you, call your doctor. If you're diagnosed with migraines, learning what triggers your headaches and then avoiding those triggers can make your headaches happen less. Medicine can prevent a migraine or stop one in its tracks. If you temporarily lose signt with your migraines, call your eye doctor right away -- it could be a sign of a more serious vision problem.
Spots and objects float through your vision.
What it could be: Floaters.
Floaters are tiny specs that hover inside your eyes. They appear when the fluid inside your eye starts to break down with age.
What to do about it: If you are seeing new floaters all of a sudden, especially if they occur with flashes of light, see your eye doctor. Most of the time, floaters are an annoying, harmless issue. Sometimes, though, they can be a sign of a retinal tear, which can turn into a retinal detachment if you don't get it treated. Although they're a pain to live with, floaters are a normal part of getting older, and they won't harm your vision. But if the floaters suddenly start multiplying and you're also seeing flashing lights, get to your eye doctor’s office.
