Causes of Double Vision in Elderly Adults

Diplopia is the medical term for double vision, which happens when a single object appears as two separate images.

While double vision is often temporary and may resolve on its own, it can sometimes signal a more serious underlying health issue. But what can cause sudden double vision? The cause of double vision in the elderly can come from a variety of factors, ranging from age-related changes in the eyes to neurological or vascular conditions. In this post, we’ll look at the causes of double vision in the elderly.

Download Our FREE Path to Care Guide

What Is the Most Common Cause of Double Vision?

The most common reason for double vision is sagging eye syndrome, a mild age-related weakening of the connective tissues that help keep the eyes aligned, which causes binocular double vision in older adults. In a large study of adults with new-onset binocular double vision, sagging eye syndrome was identified as the most frequent cause, accounting for about 31% of all cases, and its prevalence rose with age, especially in people over 60. Let’s look more into the causes of sudden double vision.

What Causes Double Vision in Elderly?

The causes for double vision in elderly can come from a variety of factors. Double vision causes in elderly include:

• Brain problems. Several parts of the brain are responsible for processing visual information. When these areas are affected by illness or injury, double vision can occur. Possible causes include stroke, brain aneurysm, brain tumors, migraines, or pressure inside the brain from bleeding, infection, or trauma.
• Cornea problems. The cornea is the clear front layer of the eye that helps focus light. When its surface is distorted, light doesn’t enter the eye evenly, which can cause double vision. Common corneal issues include astigmatism, dry eyes, infections such as shingles or herpes zoster, and scarring from disease, injury, or infection.
• Eye muscle problems. Six muscles control eye movement and help both eyes stay aligned. If one or more of these muscles becomes weak or paralyzed, the eyes may not move together, resulting in double vision.
• Giant cell arteritis. Also known as temporal arteritis, this inflammatory condition affects arteries near the temples and can reduce blood flow to the eyes. Decreased circulation may lead to vision problems such as double vision, blurred vision, vision loss, dizziness, persistent headaches, and fatigue.
• Lens problems. The eye’s lens works with the cornea to focus light onto the retina and changes shape to adjust focus. In older adults, the most common lens-related cause of double vision is cataracts, which occur when the normally clear lens becomes cloudy with age.
• Nerve problems. Cranial nerves carry signals from the brain to the eye muscles, allowing coordinated movement. Conditions that damage these nerves can interfere with eye alignment and lead to double vision. Examples include diabetes-related nerve damage, Guillain-Barré syndrome, myasthenia gravis, and multiple sclerosis.

Now that we know more about double vision causes in adults, let’s take a look at the symptoms.

Causes of Double Vision in Elderly: Symptoms

While understanding sudden double vision causes is important, it’s also equally important to understand the symptoms. They include:

• Dizziness
• Droopy eyelids (ptosis)
• Eye weakness
• Eye movement pain
• Headache
• Misaligned or wandering eyes
• Nausea
• Pain around the eyes

We now know about the causes of double vision in seniors as well as symptoms but is there treatment? We’ll take a look at that in the next section.

Causes of Double Vision in the Elderly: Treatment

Now that we know more about the causes of double vision in adults and the symptoms, let’s take a look at some treatment methods. They include:

• Eye patch or occlusive lens to block or blur vision in one eye and reduce double vision
• Fresnel prism attached to glasses to bend light and help align images
• Botox (botulinum toxin) injections into the stronger eye muscle to relax it and support the weaker muscle
• Surgery for certain muscular problems (less common)
• Treating underlying medical conditions in coordination with specialists
• Occlusion therapy with soft patches or opaque tape on glasses, typically monitored over weeks to months
• Vision therapy with occupational and vision therapists to improve visual coordination and daily function

To learn about our home care services, contact our caregiving team today at 1-800-GRISWOLD or find a Caregiver near you.