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We should all be sure that we’re regularly visiting our optometrist or ophthalmologist for routine eye exams. This is especially important if you notice any problems or changes in your vision. Vision changes can be disconcerting, especially when you notice a change in one eye and not the other. Darkening vision in one eye warrants a visit to your eye doctor.
Here, we’ve outlined how the eye works, what darkening vision may mean, and what you should do if you experience this sensation.
How Does the Eye Work?
To understand how vision changes, you must first understand how the eye works. Light enters the eye through the cornea, passes through the pupil, and reflects off of the lens. This reflection is picked up by the retina and transferred to the optic nerve, which transmits vision signals to the brain.
Your two eyes work together, creating a cohesive singular picture as you view the world. When vision changes impact one eye, it can distort this picture, making it more difficult to see clearly.
Problems with any aspect of vision, from the cornea to the retina or the optic nerve, can lead to darkening vision. To find the cause, your doctor will provide an in-depth eye examination to find the cause of your vision changes.
Darkness in One Eye- Potential Causes
1. Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
What is AMD? AMD is a degenerative disease that causes vision loss in the center of the eye. Initially, it can appear as darkening and will progress to complete central vision loss. It can occur in one or both eyes.
How can AMD cause darker vision? While AMD primarily causes central vision loss, this can manifest as blurred vision. As the condition progresses, this can appear as a dark patch or a general dimming, making it seem like everything is darker in the affected eye. Other symptoms include straight lines appearing wavy, sensitivity to bright light or flickering lights, or even hallucinations. Visual hallucinations occur when the eyes cannot provide enough information and the brain tries to fill in the information gaps, leading to seeing things that are not really there. AMD is painless and does not affect the external appearance of our eyes.
2. Cataracts
What is a cataract? A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens, making it more difficult for the eye to see clearly.
How can cataracts cause darker vision? Cataracts cause cloudy, blurry or dim vision, making the world appear darker. Other symptoms include changes in color perception, such as colors looking faded or less vivid, sensitivity to bright lights, seeing glares or halos around lights, difficulty with night vision, and sometimes double vision. Cataracts tend to develop slowly, so vision changes may be gradual.
3. Glaucoma
What is glaucoma? Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that damage the optic nerve, often due to increased pressure inside the eye. This damage can lead to irreversible vision loss.
How can glaucoma cause darker vision? With the most common type of glaucoma, Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma, your vision loss happens slowly, usually starting with your side (peripheral) vision. What makes Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma tricky is that it usually doesn’t cause any pain or noticeable symptoms at first. This means you might not notice any changes until the disease is more advanced, because your central vision (what you see straight ahead) stays clear for a long time. By the time you realize you’re losing vision, huge damage may have already occurred. In rarer, acute forms of angle-closure glaucoma, symptoms can appear suddenly and include hazy or blurred vision, severe eye pain, and the appearance of rainbow-colored circles around bright lights, which might contribute to a sense of darker or obscured vision.
4. Retinal Detachment
What is retinal detachment? Retinal detachment is an eye emergency. It occurs when the retina begins to separate from its normal position in the back of the eye. This condition is treatable, but the longer the retina remains detached, the more likely you are to experience permanent vision loss.
How can retinal detachment cause darker vision? This condition can cause a sudden appearance of dark floating shapes and flashes of light. A common symptom is seeing a dark shadow, like a curtain falling, that moves across or blocks part of your eyesight. This makes things look darker in that spot or across your entire eye. Blurred vision and reduced peripheral (side) vision can also occur. To avoid permanent blindness, we advise you to seek immediate medical attention.
5. Eye Stroke (Retinal Artery Occlusion)
What is an eye stroke? An eye stroke, also known as a retinal artery occlusion, is a medical emergency. Just like other parts of your body, your eyes rely on a network of blood vessels. It happens when an artery that supplies blood to your retina becomes blocked, often by a blood clot or plaque. This blockage cuts off the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the retina. We advise you to seek immediate medical attention.
How can an eye stroke cause darker vision? An eye stroke causes your vision in the affected eye to look darker, or even disappear completely. What you’d likely see are floaters, flashes, blurry vision, or even blind spots and dark areas in what you’re looking at. The primary symptom of an eye stroke is a sudden, painless change or loss of vision in the affected eye.
If your vision appears darker in one eye, this doesn’t always mean that only one eye is having problems. You may be experiencing more significant effects in one eye than the other, making it hard to notice the vision changes that have occurred in the other eye.
What Should I Do If Everything Seems Darker in One Eye?
If you’re experiencing dark spots or vision changes, you need to meet with your eye doctor as soon as you can. They can help you find the causes of these changes and explore your treatment options. Will Vision and Laser Centers have many advanced treatments available for vision changes, nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, dry eye, and more.
Can LASIK Cause Darker Vision in One Eye?
LASIK surgery isn’t typically a cause of vision darkening. Modern LASIK technology using a powerful excimer laser and Wavefront technology is a proven and effective technique for improving vision.
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With more than 30 years of experience, Dr. Brian Will is one of the most sought-after LASIK surgeons in the Pacific Northwest. If you have any questions regarding vision loss, LASIK, or any similar concerns, don’t hesitate to contact Will Vision and Laser Centers today at (877) 542-3937.