What is Diplopia?
By: Paul FryattTotal Views: 79, Word Count: 667,
If you want to know what is diplopia and have no clue how it affects humans, then you have come to the right place. Diplopia is one disorder which is a result of improper functioning of extracular muscles. It is also one of the causes of nerves disorders stimulating the muscles. Diplopia, also known as double vision, is a problem in which an individual sees the simultaneous perception of two images of one object. A person can see the objects may be diagonally, horizontally, or vertically.
What is Diplopia?
Diplopia is a disorder where particular image is viewed as double. These double images are also termed as oblique separation. Diplopia is of three types:
1. Monocular Double Vision
The problem occurs when one eye of the patient is affected and the other eye is covered. This problem comes from one eye. It can disappear when the patient hides the affected eye for a while.
2. Physiological Double Vision
This disorder is rare as the brain compensates for such problem due to which the person does not notice the change in the image. In this disorder the objects where a person is not focusing much appears to be doubled. This can be common with background objects as people don’t focus much on such objects.
3. Binocular Double Vision
In this disorder, the eyes of the person fail to work together in a proper way. Due to this, double images get created. It can disappear only if the patient covers one eye.
Symptoms of Diplopia
There are not much noticeable signs a person can notice. However, common signs are:
- Double vision
- Eyes appear misaligned
The above mentioned signs necessarily do not mean that you have diplopia. In case if you face trouble because of such signs, then contacting your eye doctor is advised.
Causes of Diplopia
The fact that you might not know is your eyes creates different image, as they are located in different positions. Still you see a single image as your brain controls your eye muscles. Due to this, the eyes point at the object you are looking at in a proper way. In case if your eye muscles get damaged or you undergo some surgery, chances of muscles for not controlling eyes are more. This causes double vision. Problems of eye muscles can also occur due to weak health condition or lack of nutrition. Some doctors call this problem a squint. Other causes are:
- Head injuries
- Cancer
- Multiple sclerosis
- Brain tumor
- Abscess
- Alcohol intoxication, head injuries (like a concussion)
- Trauma
- Botulism
- Sinusitis
- Drunkenness
Treating Diplopia
Basically the treatment for such disorder completely depends on its causes. To start treating this problem, your doctor will first identify and try to cure the cause. Options like prism lenses, eye exercises, use of botulinum toxin, or using an eye patch can relieve the condition. Other treatment options are:
· Orthoptics
· Eye muscle surgery
· Vision therapy
Preventive Steps for Diplopia
Causes of diplopia that can lead to death like cancer cannot be prevented. However, some causes are preventable. To protect yourself from this problem, you are advised to wear a seat belt when you drive. Headgear is a must during sporting activities. Always wear goggles that can protect your eyes whenever you go out. If you are a diabetes patient, then chances of double vision are more. Hence, you should control the level of blood sugar. If diplopia is due to age, then there is no prevention that you can do against it, except for maintaining a healthy diet. If you are still not sure about what is dilpopia, then you can contact your doctor for knowing more about it in detail.
About the Author
Paul Fryatt, M.D. has been in this profession from last 24 years. He made great achievements in his profession. He made an initiative to open a Family Allergy Clinic in 1985 to help his patients who were not reacting to traditional allergy treatment programs. Moreover he has explored the treatment to overcome allergy symptoms to reclaim quality of life through his convenient, no-shots therapy
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