Symptom checker

ALL THE TIME

Vision that is blur­ry all the time needs check­ing out by your optometrist first – it may be that you need new glass­es or that there is an under­ly­ing prob­lem that needs man­ag­ing, such as cataracts.

SEE YOUR OPTOMETRIST.

INTERMITTENT 

Blur­ry vision that comes and goes dur­ing the day can be a result of tired eyes – this may be because you need new glass­es, so seek the advice of your optometrist first.

Smeary vision that comes and goes as you blink is like­ly to be caused by an unsta­ble tear film dis­turb­ing your vision.

YOU MAY HAVE DRY EYE.

ABOUT DRY EYE

BOTH EYES 

The most com­mon caus­es of two red eyes are ​‘Dry Eye’ or ​‘aller­gy’, but it can also mean infection.

YOU MAY HAVE DRY EYE, ALLERGY.

ABOUT DRY EYE

JUST ONE EYE 

You should seek the advice of your optometrist, phar­ma­cist or GP as this could indi­cate a spe­cif­ic prob­lem such as an infec­tion or inflam­ma­tion that needs treatment.

YOU MAY HAVE AN INFECTION.

SEE YOUR OPTOMETRIST.

PAINFUL  

‘Painful’ eyes (one or both) are unusu­al, so this war­rants fur­ther inves­ti­ga­tion by your optometrist, who will be able to exam­ine your eyes in full, using spe­cial­ist equipment.
Remem­ber that an eye test is not just about check­ing for new glass­es: optometrists are also trained to detect signs of eye dis­ease and can refer you for spe­cial­ist treatment.

SEE YOUR OPTOMETRIST.

UNCOMFORTABLE

If your eyes are uncom­fort­able rather than painful, it could be that the sur­face of your eye needs more lubri­ca­tion, dry eye drops can alle­vi­ate the discomfort.

YOU MAY HAVE DRY EYE.

ABOUT DRY EYE

BOTH EYES

If both eyes are grit­ty and sore, most of the time, and there is no dis­charge, you are like­ly to have ​‘Dry Eye’, ​‘aller­gy’ or blepharitis.

YOU MAY HAVE DRY EYE AND/OR BLEPHARITIS OR ALLERGY.

ABOUT DRY EYE

ABOUT BLEPHARITIS

JUST ONE EYE 

You should seek the advice of your optometrist, phar­ma­cist or GP as this could indi­cate a spe­cif­ic prob­lem such as infec­tion, or a scratch on the sur­face of the eye that needs treatment.

SEE YOUR OPTOMETRIST.

BOTH EYES 

If both of your eyes tend to water after being exposed to grass pollen or ani­mals, you may have an eye aller­gy or sea­son­al aller­gy – speak to your phar­ma­cist to find the best solu­tion to resolve it. If both eyes water eas­i­ly in the wind or cold con­di­tions, this is like­ly to be Dry Eye.

YOU MAY HAVE DRY EYE

ABOUT DRY EYE

JUST ONE EYE 

If it is just one of your eyes that seems to over­flow, then get this checked out by your optometrist, who can assess your tear ducts to see if there is a local ​‘eye plumb­ing’ prob­lem that needs treatment.

SPEAK TO YOUR OPTOMETRIST.