{"id":1926,"date":"2026-10-20T08:53:43","date_gmt":"2026-10-20T08:53:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/laseristanbulclinic.com\/eye-health\/conditions\/double-vision-causes-and-urgent-signs\/"},"modified":"2026-10-20T12:58:38","modified_gmt":"2026-10-20T12:58:38","slug":"double-vision-causes-and-urgent-signs","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/laseristanbulclinic.com\/en\/eye-health\/conditions\/double-vision-causes-and-urgent-signs\/","title":{"rendered":"Diplopia (Double Vision): Causes and Urgent Signs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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  4. Diplopia (Double Vision): Causes and Urgent Signs<\/span><\/li><\/ol><\/div>\t\t\t

    Diplopia (Double Vision): Causes and Urgent Signs<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t
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    \"Illustration<\/figure>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

    Diplopia, or double vision, means seeing two images of one object. If it disappears when you cover one eye, the cause is usually in the eye itself, such as dry eye, astigmatism, a cataract or keratoconus. If it only disappears when either eye is covered, the eyes are not working together, which can mean a squint or a problem with the eye muscles, nerves or brain. Sudden double vision, eye pain, a severe headache or a head injury needs urgent medical care. Squint surgery by Prof. Dr. Ahmet Sat\u0131c\u0131 is an option for suitable, stable cases.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div><\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

    What is diplopia?<\/h2><\/div>

    Diplopia is the medical word for double vision: seeing two images of a single object.<\/strong> The American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) describes it as seeing two, often overlapping, images. The two pictures can sit side by side, one above the other, or at a slant. They can be there all the time, or come and go.<\/p>\n

    The NHS stresses that double vision is not usually serious but is important to get checked, even if it comes and goes. The reason is simple: double vision is a symptom, not a disease. Behind it can be anything from a dry surface on the eye to a nerve problem that needs treatment the same day. Finding out which, and how fast, is the whole point of this guide.<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

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    Is your double vision in one eye or both eyes?<\/h2>\n\t\t\t

    Cover one eye at a time.<\/strong> This is the first test the NHS suggests: try covering one eye at a time to see if the double vision goes away.<\/p>\n\t\t\t

    What happens<\/th>Name<\/th>What it usually means<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    The double image stays<\/strong> when the other eye is covered<\/th>Monocular diplopia (one eye)<\/td>A problem inside that eye: the tear film, cornea or lens<\/td><\/tr>
    The double image goes away<\/strong> when either eye is covered<\/th>Binocular diplopia (both eyes)<\/td>The two eyes are not pointing at the same place: a squint, or a problem with the eye muscles, the nerves that move them, or the brain<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>

    Always tell your optician or doctor which pattern you have. It is the most useful single piece of information you can give them, and it sorts the possible causes into two very different lists.<\/p><\/div>\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

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    What causes double vision in one eye (monocular diplopia)?<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

    Monocular diplopia is usually an eye-surface or lens problem, not a brain problem.<\/strong> The NHS lists four causes:<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

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    1. Dry eyes.<\/strong> Not enough tears leave an uneven surface that scatters light, so a point of light can split or ghost.<\/li>\n
    2. Astigmatism.<\/strong> The front of the eye has an imperfect shape, so light is not focused to a single point.<\/li>\n
    3. Cataracts.<\/strong> The lens clouds. The AAO lists “seeing double or a ghosted image out of the eye with a cataract” among cataract symptoms. Cataracts can be removed only by surgery, in which the cloudy lens is replaced by a clear artificial lens.<\/li>\n
    4. Keratoconus.<\/strong> The cornea thins and changes shape, distorting the image.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      The AAO also lists complications after LASIK among the conditions linked with double vision, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) notes that some patients develop glare, halos or double vision after LASIK that can affect night vision. If you have had laser eye surgery and notice a ghost image, tell your surgeon.<\/p>\n

      Who treats these at Laser Istanbul Clinic.<\/strong> Cataract and lens surgery is performed by Prof. Dr. Ahmet Sat\u0131c\u0131, Do\u00e7. Dr. Muhammet Derda \u00d6zer (Do\u00e7. means Associate Professor) or Op. Dr. Aysan Bayram. Keratoconus, including cross-linking, is the field of Do\u00e7. Dr. Muhammet Derda \u00d6zer.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

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      What causes double vision in both eyes (binocular diplopia)?<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t

      Binocular diplopia is a problem of eye alignment.<\/strong> Each eye is moved by small muscles that are controlled by nerves running from the brain. If a muscle, a nerve or the brain’s control of them is affected, the eyes stop lining up. The NHS says binocular double vision usually means a squint, and that in adults a squint or binocular double vision can be a sign of a more serious condition.<\/p>\n

      Children usually do not complain of double vision when an eye turns, because the brain learns to ignore the image from the misaligned eye. The AAO explains that adults who develop strabismus later cannot do this, because their brains are used to using both eyes, so they see two images.<\/p>\n

      The main groups of causes are:<\/p>

      Group<\/th>Examples<\/th>What to know<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
      Nerve palsy (the nerve to an eye muscle is not working)<\/th>Microvascular cranial nerve palsy; nerve damage after injury<\/td>Microvascular palsy is linked with older age, diabetes, high blood pressure and smoking; the AAO says it almost always gets better on its own in about 6 to 12 weeks<\/td><\/tr>
      Muscle or nerve-to-muscle disease<\/th>Myasthenia gravis; thyroid eye disease<\/td>The AAO says myasthenia often starts in the eyes, with a droopy eyelid or double vision<\/td><\/tr>
      Pressure or disease inside the head<\/th>Idiopathic intracranial hypertension (raised pressure around the brain); brain tumour; aneurysm<\/td>Needs urgent imaging and specialist care<\/td><\/tr>
      Blood-vessel and inflammatory disease<\/th>Stroke; giant cell arteritis<\/td>Emergencies: see “Urgent signs” below<\/td><\/tr>
      Injury<\/th>Head injury; injury around the eye<\/td>Seek emergency care after a head injury<\/td><\/tr>
      An existing squint<\/th>Strabismus in adults<\/td>Can be treated: see “Treatment” below<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div><\/div>\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n\n
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      What is the most common cause of double vision?<\/h2>\n\t\t\t

      There is no single answer, because it depends on age, on whether it is monocular or binocular, and on where the patient was seen.<\/strong> In a hospital series of 303 adults with binocular diplopia at a tertiary eye centre in south China, published in Frontiers in Neurology<\/em> in 2021, the causes were:<\/p>\n\t\t\t

      Cause<\/th>Share of 303 patients<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
      Trauma<\/th>23.1% (70 patients)<\/td><\/tr>
      Thyroid eye disease (thyroid-associated ophthalmopathy)<\/th>19.1% (58)<\/td><\/tr>
      No cause found (idiopathic)<\/th>16.5% (50)<\/td><\/tr>
      Microangiopathy (damage to the tiny blood vessels that supply the nerves)<\/th>16.2% (49)<\/td><\/tr>
      Lesions inside the brain<\/th>9.2% (28)<\/td><\/tr>
      Myasthenia gravis<\/th>4.6% (14)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>

      When only one eye muscle was affected, microangiopathy (26.6%) and trauma (25.9%) were the most frequent causes. These figures come from one centre’s patients seen between 2012 and 2014, so they show the range of causes more than a rule for every country. For double vision in one eye, the NHS gives a list, not a ranking: dry eye, astigmatism, cataract and keratoconus.<\/p><\/div>\t<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n\n

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      What causes sudden or temporary double vision?<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

      Sudden double vision should be treated as urgent until proven otherwise, even if it goes away.<\/strong> The NHS advises calling 111 or getting an urgent GP appointment for sudden double vision or double vision with eye pain, and going to A&E or calling 999 for double vision with a severe headache or a dilated pupil, or after a head injury.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t

      Reasons for double vision that comes and goes include:<\/p>\n