Why is my vision blurry?
Blurred vision most often comes from an uncorrected or changed refractive error, a dry eye surface, or a problem with the lens, retina or optic nerve. Which one it is cannot be established from the symptom alone.
- Subject
- Vision problems
- Topic
- Blur, night vision & strain
- Kind of question
- Why…
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
In more detail
Two features are genuinely useful when you describe it to a clinician: whether it came on suddenly or gradually, and whether it is present in one eye or both. Those two answers change the urgency and the likely list considerably.
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Where this answer sits
It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under Vision problems & prescriptions in Blur, night vision & strain . The subject page carries the answers either side of it, and the hub is searchable.
This information is for educational purposes and does not replace an examination by a qualified eye-care professional.
General answers cannot tell you what is happening in your own eyes. Only an examination by a qualified ophthalmologist can do that.
Sources & further reading
We prefer primary sources. Where a claim comes from a manufacturer, a single study or a regulator, it is labelled as such below.
- Eye Health Information
Condition-by-condition eye health information from a US government research institute, written for patients rather than for clinicians.
Used for Plain-language explanations of eye conditions and their symptoms; Healthy vision and screening guidance.
Link checked 23 September 2026
- EyeSmart: eye health information for the public
Patient-facing material from the largest ophthalmology professional body, covering conditions, tests and treatments outside refractive surgery.
Used for Cross-checking patient-facing explanations of non-refractive eye conditions; Describing what tests such as dilation and OCT involve.
Link checked 23 September 2026