Do you notice that objects in the Distance appear blurred but close objects are seen clearly!!! People ask why are you squinting your eyes. How many of you, in making a right hand turn at a stop light or intersection, hit the curve? Have you noticed the tires on the right side has curb markings. Hmmmmmm!!! Or for school age children they may perform poorly if alot of work is to be copied off the board. Hmmmmm!!! Or when your spouse is driving you hold on tight for dear life. More common than you think.

Then you may be Nearsightedness or Myopic:
If you are nearsighted, the cornea of your eye is overly curved or your eyeball is too long. This combination brings images of distant objects (street signs) to a focus point in front of the retina. When the light reaches the retina, a blurred image is seen since the light rays spread apart after the focus point.

Please remember to consult your own eye care professional.

Do you have difficulty in concentrating and maintaining a clear focus on near objects, eye strain, fatigue and/or headaches after close work, aching or burning eyes, irritability or nervousness after sustained concentration. This is the most common of the problems. Questions I ask during most exam is how long can you read for? Do they hate or do not enjoy reading. Do you skip words? Do you still reverse letters? Do you hold things real close while reading?

It is highly likely you are Farsightedness or Hyperopic.
If you are farsighted, the cornea of your eye is not curved enough or your eyeball is too short. This combination of factors causes the focus point of the eye to be located behind the retina. When light reaches the retina, a blurred image is seen since the light rays have not been brought to focus prior to reaching the retina

Please remember to consult your own eye care professional.

People with this refractive error will usually have blurred or distorted vision far and near, while those with mild astigmatism may experience headaches, eye strain, fatigue or blurred vision at certain distances.

Then you may have Astigmatism
If you have astigmatism, the cornea of your eye has a non-spherical shape (like a football) and does not bring light to focus at a single point. Instead, it focuses images over a range of points producing a blurred image. Both nearsighted and farsighted eyes can also have astigmatism.

Please remember to consult your own eye care professional.

This one has alway been a concern with me. Does the child have ADD/ADDH or is it a visual problem?

Many parents will complain that their child will reverse letters, holds things real close to read, doesn't enjoy reading, skips words or sentences, headaches or eyestrain while reading, or near to distance blur. Does this sound familar as an individual with ADD/ADDH. Hmmmm! OBVIOUS SIGN is that the child will Hold reading material real close to face. Of course they do not see that to be the problem.

This patient has near visual stress or similar to hyperopia. If your child presents these signs please have an eye exam by a optometrist for further evaluation. Does this seem similar to Attention Deficient Disorder (ADD). Please rule out a vision problem before labeling a child with ADD/ADDH?

Always consult with your own eye care professional

This is another one that is a major concern. Many people have never had a complete eye exams before. There first eye exam may be in the early 40's because they could not see up close anymore but this may be too late. The eye care professional checks to make sure your eyes work together, internal eye health is ok, you can see great and the most important is to see if your pressures in the eyes are within normal limits.

The most common visual symptom for most eye disease, however, is no symptoms at all. Your eye care professional can detect even subtle changes to your vision before real damage occurs. An annual eye examination to evaluate the health of your eyes will diagnose problems early and prevent loss of sight.

A few years ago I saw a 38 year old patient just for a routine exam with a mild complaint...His peripheral vision seemed to be off a little when before he could see behind his head. This was his first exam. Unfortunately this was not going to be his last. He was diagnosed with Glaucoma and possibly losing his sight forever if he did not get proper treatment. Please remember he had NO COMPLAINTS WHATSOVEVER!

Always consult you own eye care professional

Have you ever gone somewhere and saw people holding their reading material at arm's length or trying to get the proper light to see their menu's. You may even be guilty of this. Some signs of this refractive error include the tendency to hold reading materials at arm's length, blurred vision at normal reading distance and eye fatigue along with headaches when doing close work.  It may seem to occur suddenly, but the actual loss of flexibility takes place over a number of years. It usually becomes noticeable in the early to mid-forties. This condition is a natural part of the aging process of the eye. It is not a disease and it cannot be prevented

Yes we are getting older. You are Presbyopic or Over the 40 Syndrome.
Presbyopia is a vision condition in which the crystalline lens of your eye loses its
flexibility, which makes it difficult for you to focus on close objects

I had a patient that unfortunately had a heart attack at age 40, still young, and blamed that for getting bifocals. We both chuckled and told him that it was not the heart attack but that we are both over 40 years of age and that is why are arms are getting shorter.

Wow! I see spots before my eyes. They appear to move the same direction as I look. More Noticed in brighter illumination than dark. Looks like as specks of various shapes and sizes, threadlike strands or cobwebs.

You have Floaters/Spots. They are small, semi-transparent or cloudy specks or particles within the vitreous, the clear, jelly-like fluid that fills the inside of your eyes Spots are often caused by small flecks of protein or other matter trapped during the formation of your eyes before birth. They can also result from deterioration of the vitreous fluid,due to aging; or from certain eye diseases or injuries.

Many people complain of floaters and normally is harmless. However, if you notice a flash of light in one eye and see many floaters after that consult your eye care professional ASAP. See below module

Alway consult your eye care professional

Have you experienced Flashes of lights and floating spots in one eye. These are the classic warning signs. May see horseshoe appearance of a shadow or even complain that someone just turned off the lights and then back on again. Hmmmm! Very serious problem. Rare to have it happen in both eyes at the same time.

This may be a Retinal Detachment
Get this checked out right away, because prompt surgery can prevent serious vision loss.

Always consult your own eye care professional