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Eye symptoms may involve changes in vision, changes in the appearance of the eye, or an abnormal sensation in the eye. Eye symptoms typically develop as a result of a problem in the eye but occasionally indicate a problem elsewhere in the body. For example, changes in vision may indicate a problem in the brain. Sometimes eye symptoms develop as part of an illness that affects several organ systems.
A person who experiences eye symptoms should be checked by a doctor. However, some eye diseases cause few or no symptoms in their early stages, so the eyes should be checked regularly (every 1 to 2 years or more frequently if there is an eye condition) by an ophthalmologist (a physician and surgeon who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases) or by an optometrist (a non-physician who specializes in refraction problems).
A person with eye or vision problems describes the location and duration of the symptoms, and then the doctor examines the eye, the area around it, and possibly other parts of the body, depending on the suspected cause. An eye examination usually includes refraction, a visual field testing, ophthalmoscopy, a slit lamp examination, and tonometry.
Last full review/revision December 2006 by Kathryn Colby, MD, PhD
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