Blurry, unclear, unfocused vision is the most common problem, and usually it isn’t anything major to worry about it. Blurriness could just be a sign that your glasses or contacts prescription needs updating. Every once in a while though, fuzzy vision signals something more serious.
Always investigate what’s causing your blurry vision. Knowing the reason behind it can be the difference between experiencing the world in all its dimensions or not. “Sight is such a valued sense, but there are still a lot of problems that fall through the cracks,” says Rajiv Shah, MD, assistant professor of ophthalmology at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
Nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism are refractive errors and are the most common causes of blurry vision. They happen when the curve of the eye gets in the way of light focusing directly on the retina. The retina processes light rays into signals the brain can read.
In addition to being widespread, refractive errors may also be the easiest to fix. In most cases, all you need is a prescription from an optometrist or ophthalmologist for glasses or contact lenses. LASIK laser surgery can permanently change the shape of the cornea to correct the problem in some people.
