Sight loss

[Sunnyday1203]

My partner has suddenly developed sight loss ( blurry and double vision), this happened over night. We went to the local hospital and the DR has given prescription for new glasses and said it is quite normal for this to happen. Can't afford the 350 Euro so for now glasses he has bought glasses 3x as a temp solution But just wanted to know if anyone else has experienced sigh loss so quickly like this, I always thought his happened over a period of time due to age but seems I am wrong?

Sounds unusual to me , I would definitely get it properly checked by an ophthalmologist

You have used Euros so not sure if this is applicable but Asda glasses are much cheaper than other opticians, they do fixed price with lenses. Glasses Direct website is good too.

If he has been to the hospital they would have checked for structural problems like a detached retina, glaucoma, macular degeneration, did they make any comment on any possible concerns?

Ah sorry we are not in the UK. THe person he saw was a specialist so guess she is correct. Just seemed very sudden and had a headache before. But as Cyber said this was most likely checked out and no comments made. Just seems odd but maybe overthinking.

If it hasn’t happened yet he needs his eyes dilating and then back of the eye (retina and optic nerves) checked for detachments and swelling. A normal eye test won’t have done this. It’s unusual to have a sudden change in vision like that unless it’s something structural.

Thanks Pigeon I will check whether this was done, he was no in that long so suspect no.

Your husbands age may play a factor, if he's 40ish, it could simply be reading glasses that are required and the headache potentially is eye strain.

If he's older and has health conditions like high blood pressure and cholesterol then potentially something that may require more investigation.

The person doing the tests should have asked about the headaches (location, severity etc). And also maybe a visual fields test (pressing buttons when lights are seen).

If this was not done I would get a second opinion.

No, it’s not normal for eyesight to deteriorate that quickly. Did he definitely see an ophthalmologist?

things such as swelling at the macula can make you more long sighted suddenly.

This is not normal and he needs to be checked by an ophthalmologist (not an optician) in order to rule out a number of conditions, including retinal detachment and bleeding or fluid in the macula (both of which require urgent treatment). Double vision and headache can also be signs of a neurological problem that requires MRI investigation. Hopefully it’s nothing serious, but you should definitely get it properly checked asap.

Make sure he has had an OCT scan of the retina. A fluorescein angiogram might also be recommended if a bleed is suspected. Don’t forget to ask about brain imaging too, especially if the diplopia (double vision) came in abruptly, in order to rule out tumour or haemorrhage.

@Sunnyday1203 Hi Op you can download a grid fro the internet called the Amsler Grid, which is a quick test for macular issues, it might help rule things out or in