Blurred Vision (Veil Before the Eyes): Causes and When to See a Doctor Urgently

You look at a screen or outside and realize: the picture seems to be covered by a cloudy film. Sometimes it passes within minutes, sometimes it lasts for days. Let's look at where the veil before the eyes comes from, how ocular and neurological causes differ, and at what point a doctor is needed without delay.

What is called a veil before the eyes

This is how people usually describe blurriness that makes it hard to read, watch TV, or distinguish faces. Doctors speak of visual disturbances: reduced clarity, blind spots, interference in the visual field. This can appear at any age, but is more common with age.

The doctor clarifies whether the problem is in one or both eyes, and whether it started suddenly or gradually.

Ocular causes of a veil before the eyes

Some causes are related to the eye itself. With cataract, vision becomes cloudy, halos appear around light sources, and colors seem less bright. With glaucoma, everything is normal at first, but over time poor night vision and loss of areas of the visual field develop; some forms of glaucoma arise suddenly and are considered an emergency. With diabetic retinopathy, vision deteriorates gradually against the background of diabetes. With age-related macular degeneration, the center of the picture is distorted, letters blur when reading, and straight lines look wavy.

Separately — retinal detachment: floating spots, flashes, a dark shadow, or a sensation of a curtain at the side appear in the visual field. There is also inflammation of the optic nerve, in which it hurts to move the eye or touch it through the eyelid.

Neurological and general causes

On the neurological side, a veil and flickering before the eyes also have explanations. Migraine often begins with flickering, light spots, halos, or zigzags before the eyes. Scintillating scotoma is felt as flickering along the contour, usually lasting 20–30 minutes, and is often accompanied by headache, nausea, and vomiting. Scotomas also occur in multiple sclerosis, with increased intracranial pressure, and with compression of the visual pathways by pituitary neoplasms.

The list also includes stroke and transient ischemic attack, brain tumor, hemorrhage in the eye, and temporal arteritis. Some medications also affect vision.

White veil: what to pay attention to

The doctor determines the cause of a white veil after examination: by itself, such a description does not indicate a specific disease. With cataract, there may be blurred or cloudy vision, halos around light, and colors appear less bright. If the veil appeared abruptly, with pain and redness of the eye, you need to see a doctor urgently.

How the cause is determined: examination and tests

The doctor checks vision, eye movements, pupils, retina, and intraocular pressure. They may order an examination with a dilated pupil, slit-lamp examination, a glasses check, and tonometry. If necessary, a general assessment of health status is also carried out. It is useful to recall in advance when it started, whether suddenly or gradually, one eye or both, constantly or in attacks.

• How quickly the veil appeared and how long it lasts
• Whether there is pain, redness, photophobia
• Whether flashes, shadows, blind spots appear
• Whether there is diabetes, hypertension, or migraines

When to see a doctor urgently

A routine visit to an ophthalmologist is needed for gradual deterioration of vision, difficulties with reading and night vision. Urgently — if shadows or a curtain appear in the visual field, eye pain, redness together with blurriness, flashes and blind spots.

The sensation of a veil by itself is not a reason to call an ambulance; 103 or 112 — if vision suddenly disappeared in one or both eyes, severe eye pain occurred, double vision appeared, or a shadow seems to be moving over the vision.

This material is for reference: it helps you orient yourself, but does not replace a doctor's consultation, who will examine you and name the cause.

This content is for reference and does not replace a doctor's consultation. Medical disclaimer