Seeing ghost images (double vision) in both eyes
Posted , 40 users are following.
I have been seeing ghost images in both eyes since around the end of august 2017. The best way to describe it is seeing faint extra images coming from the top and bottom of whatever i am looking at, which is something lighter than its surroundings( like a street light at night or subtitles in movie). Imagine the letter “A” with a white font, on a screen on a black background, I would see faint copies of this letter above and below it. This happens with anything that is bright in darker background ( a black letter A in a white background would be fine).These ghost images can move further vertically away from the original, depending on how hard i squint. When i turn my head sideways, it occurs horizontally instead.
I have started using glasses since around october and I got them thinking it would make it go away, and it does while wearing them (not entirely sometimes), but i do not recall ever in my life having this problem before I got them. I am nearsighted and have been my whole life, but these double images are new and conisitent. Even with glasses, these ghost images are come out if i squint.
I have been to several optometrists and they were completely useless. These optometrists confirmed that it isnt cataracts and astigmatism. I read that it MIGHT be some type of diplopia, but not entirely sure. I just want to know if anyone who wears glasses or not, has been experiencing the same thing and what they do to treat or diagnose it. Please help, this is ruining my quality of life. Glasses help me see and I should have got them a while ago. But this problem seems unrelated, does everyone who wears glasses have the same issue?
4 likes, 64 replies
rosie53203 wesley67815
Posted
Today, the treatment of double vision is not complicated, such as wearing a special glasses, eye masks, or contact, but it depends on your type of double vision.
felipe96125 wesley67815
Posted
TL;DR I believe i have the same problem as the original poster and i have no clue as to what's going on, i'll just post my experience here in hope that it can help someone else or maybe someone knows whats going one and can help.
For a few years already i've spent at least a few hours a day reading, always with a white or another light font in a black/dark background/screen and since about 2 or 3 months ago i've started randomly getting double vision but only when i'm trying to read something light with a dark background. If i try reading in a black font in a white screen i have no problems.
This did not happen every time i've read. The first time it happened i stopped reading for about 30min and after that everything was normal so i ignored it. About a week later it happened again and i was already considering going to a doctor but then it happened the very next day so i went to see an ophthalmologist but he didn't find anything wrong with me (at that time i still hadn't realized that the problem only occurred with light fonts in dark backgrounds). After that i tried a neurologist made an MRI but still found nothing wrong. After that it started occurring somewhat more frequently and around the 6 or 7th time it happened i finally linked it with the light font on dark backgrounds so i stopped reading that way and switched to black letters on white screens only and i thought the problem was solved.
Today, after about a month with supposedly no problems i was reading some text on my computer and had to occasionally read one or two lines of text in a black screen which i thought would be fine but after suddenly switching to the dark background it was extremely blurry again. If i squinted i could still read the text but it was extremely annoying, closing any one eye did not help either, it was basically the same symptoms as described by the original poster.
As i've just discovered that i still have this problem i still didn't do anything about it except for searching the internet and finding this thread but i'll try another ophthalmologist as soon as possible and i plan to update this if i find out anything...
monica13805 felipe96125
Posted
I had some of the same issues and was finally diagnosed with keratoconus. I had to see a specialist, so I don't know if any opthamologist can diagnose it or not. If that's what you have, it sounds like a mild case, so you'd probably just need the contacts. Good luck in your search.
sarebear felipe96125
Posted
i have the same issue i know OP is probably not going to respond since the post was years ago, so i thought id reply to you since you also have similar issue as me and posted recently. got any answers to your eye problem??
for me it started two months ago. ive had a rough couple of months health wise and turned out i had very low vitamin D. my symptoms were light headed, muscle weakness and shaking, imbalance, anxiety and eye issues. after taking vitamin d3 for 7 weeks i feel better however my eye symptoms have not gone away unfortunately.
my eyes are usually dry every morning, at times runny, swollen lids, photosensitive. and ghost lettering images on white font behind black background. the ghost image was the most concerning thing i saw the eye doc twice and she could not find dry eye issues or any optic nerve issues. She did say my eyes are "slightly imbalanced when looking down, but nothing too bad". this got me concerned, maybe the muscle weakness impacted my eye muscles or my imbalance was due to my vision? After doing some research of my own i realized that this is not true double vision as most things i see only one of but white text behind a dark background i get the vertical hazy replica. for me i have moderate astigmatism in both eyes around 2.50 so its most likely uncorrected astigmatism. its not binocular double vision because like you its there when i close one eye or the other or keep them both open. its there the most when i squint like OP. Or it may be eye strain due to anxiety and not wearing my eye glasses. i am waiting for an opthamologist referral but i am hoping its fixable.
Please let me know if you discovered your cause!
monica13805 sarebear
Posted
Yes, my issue is keratoconus, but I didn't have the other symptoms you mention. You should know more once you see the specialist.
jose11332 sarebear
Posted
i have symptoms similar to yours; ghosting vision, imbalance, anxiety, and low vitamin D. And I also have fasciculations, but no weakness. I did brain MRI and was normal. Nothing in my ear either. My eye doctor didnt pay attention to the ghosting vision, but as you everything started at the same time. BTW I've been having these symptoms for 4 years.
bosco72129 sarebear
Posted
I have seen 3 specialists and they all said there was nothing wrong.
Diagnoses I got from these specialists:
I did have ghost vertical images for white font on black background. More precisely, it's basically anything that is high contrast against its background. For example, I can see a very faint outline of my thumb floating above itself if the background is dark. Another thing is that it changes from time to time and depends on how wide I open my eyes.
I also have horizontal double vision for things far away. Example, when I look at a light pole 100 m away I can see two of them side by side. I guess this part is due to my nearsightedness because it disappears if I wear glasses (even though my nearsightedness is only 0.75)
I was also photosensitive, but only at night and only for car headlights. They just look too bright nowadays for me. During the first 12 months, I used to feel everything was too bright in the morning too.
Retrospectively, I think that was because my ANXIETY made me feel "dizzy"/"imbalance" and it in turns caused eyestrain as I tried to focus on things constantly. I was afraid to open my eyes when getting up in the morning because the moment I opened them, I saw things "quickly move into place" instead of "just there".
It's been almost 20 months since it all started. In the past 6 months, my anxiety was gone and only the first 2 issues remain.
How I cope with it nowadays:
More importantly,
visualsnow bosco72129
Posted
I have strong ghost images. how are you now? is it anxiety?
bosco72129 visualsnow
Posted
Mine has been steady. It seems related to how much screen time I have. My nearsightedness has increased a bit (0.5->0.75) in the past year.
The "dizziness"/"weakness"/"cannot focus" has more to do with anxiety.
Was ghost image due to anxiety? I don't think so. It is probably age related (I am 45) and the amount of computer/phone/TV usage. I recall this all started after I had used the computer hours every night in the dark for a few months and that things get worse (both vision and anxiety) if I try looking at the fake ghost image.
Does your ghost image change from time to time? Mine does. Better in the morning or when sunny. Worse at night or cloudy days or after extensive computer usage.
Good luck.
visualsnow bosco72129
Posted
I have ghosting vision all the time. It increased. It is less noticiable in daylight. but I see it everywhere. I have visual snow syndrome. I think it is a symptom of this syndrome. I am 27. Ghosting vision makes me angry and hopless. thank you
monica31679 felipe96125
Posted
updates please?
bru007 monica13805
Posted
In your case did you use contacts? And did these help to restore your vision?
avinash72735 monica31679
Posted
monica have you done CXL? and now KC has stopped?
loukyle bosco72129
Posted
Hi just want to ask what's your specific strong eye drops?
virginia74158 visualsnow
Posted
hi! i really hope you can answer me.
im an italian girl and i cant live anymore due this thing. i think i have the same problem u have, i see a sort of double imagine of everything is in the background but not on what i am focusing on. i dont know if it is clear. it gest stronger when its dark or if i spent time in the dark. its strongest when there is a strong light contrast between what I am staring at and the background behind it.
how you got diagnosed?
i send you an hug