Double Vision

A short episode of double vision can be frightening and persistent double vision can be debilitating. Double vision comes in two forms. Your brain may be receiving a different image from each eye (binocular diplopia), or a problem in the structure of the eye can cause a double image to be produced by the eye itself (monocular diplopia).

Binocular diplopia can be caused by head injuries, lazy eye, strabismus, or convergence insufficiency, among many other things. Monocular diplopia is caused by problems such as cataracts, refractive error, or corneal scarring.

To figure out whether your double vision is monocular or binocular diplopia, cover one eye. If the double vision persists when seeing with just one eye it is monocular diplopia. Of course, you'll need to try it with each eye.

For more about eye disorders and correction, visit Dr. Glenn Kawesch's LASIK resource website at www.sandiegolasikdoc.com.