Diplopia (Double Vision)

Diplopia or double vision can be the most frustrating of all eye conditions. The most common form of diplopia (binocular diplopia) arises when the eyes are misaligned and the symptoms may be constant or intermittent.

The affects of binocular diplopia will cause images to appear vertically, horizontally or diagonally double due to misalignment or imbalance in the actions of each of the eye muscles that control movement of each eyeball.

Examination is required to exclude pathology as a possible reason for loss of binocular vision.

In many cases the onset of diplopia can be due to age as the loss of accuracy and flexibility in the muscles may be one of the reasons for double vision.

Other reasons for diplopia include head injuries or secondary to other illnesses, so examination is very important if double vision is noticed either binocularly or even if just in one eye, ie monocular diplopia.