You have to take special care of your eyes, but sometimes, you just cannot avoid facing certain issues. A common issue is to notice that one eye sees darker than other, and it happens for so many reasons. For some people, the left eye is the cause of concern, and when they look out of this eye in the dark, they notice their vision is very dark with everything having a grey/greenish tinge. The right eye does just fine though. It may also feel as if there is something behind the left eye, and it all feels worse when lying on a bed. If you're in a similar situation and notice everything get perfect during the day, you may have to consider a few things here.
One Eye Sees Darker Than Other: Is it Normal?
The first thing is to go have an eye test to see if your doctor finds something. If your test doesn't reveal any abnormality, it may only be a simple difference between your two eyes. Many people notice a difference between the two eyes in terms of its function at night, and feel that one eye see darker than other. It may happen because one of your pupils isn't dilating properly in the dark. It is a good idea to wait for another week or so for the symptoms to resolve before you go back to your doctor for advice.
One Eye Sees Darker Than Other: What Can Be Done?
How your eye sees throughout the day may vary greatly depending on several external conditions. If you close your one eye and press it lightly with your palm while keeping the other eye open, you will notice a change in sighting when you open your other eye after some time. Everything will look more saturated through the eye you help closed. It's mainly because the pupil of this eye has dilated itself while it was shut. You may find it confusing and even annoying to notice your eyes are seeing colors differently, but it is not always a dangerous situation.
When to Seek Medical Help for Vision Problems
It is common to notice your vision darker in one eye, but sometimes, you cannot afford to leave things untreated. There are situations when you should seek medical assistance for vision problems. For instance:
- You notice specific symptoms of retinal detachment, such as flashes of light or floaters in your vision.
- You feel as if a curtain has lowered into part of your vision. Go see your doctor immediately as this could be due to some serious problems such as stroke.
- You experience severe bright light sensitivity, which could be due to inflammation in your eye.
- You may have a foreign object in your eye. It may cause scarring if it doesn't flush out with water.
- Your contact lenses aren't comfortable or you experience pain after removing your lenses. This could be due to a corneal ulcer, corneal inflammation, or an abrasion.
- You have injured your eye that has caused internal bleeding. This could also lead to a fracture of your eye bone.
In short, you should visit your doctor if you notice irritation, redness, discharge, or pain in your eyes. If you notice your vision darker in one eyewith other symptoms, you should seek immediate medical attention.
Interesting Eye Facts You May Not Know
- Your Eyes Can Get Sunburned
Many people think only their skin can get affected during extended outings in the sun. The reality is that UVB and UVA rays can damage your eyes as well. Interestingly, sunburn to your eyes is quite different to sunburn to your skin. Your skin will show signs of damage almost immediately with redness, pain, and peeling. It takes time for symptoms to appear in your eyes though. The prolong sun exposure may thicken tissue in your eye, which sometimes requires surgery.
- Your Eyesight Can Get Better with Age
Many people notice one eye darker than other or experience other visual problems from time to time. The truth is that sometimes your eyesight won't get affected with age; in fact, it may improve with age. However, this usually means something isn't just right. For instance, if you started with a +3 prescription (+ refers to farsightedness and – refers to nearsightedness), and it changes to 0, you may have to consult your doctor because a big vision change could indicate an underlying health problem.
- The Visual Center Is at the Lower Back Part of Your Head
Many people don't know this, but the visual center in your brain is not at its front, but it is at the lower back part of your skull. The optic nerve begins right behind your eye and relays visual images in the back of your brain. This is exactly the reason why some people experience temporary blindness when they fall on the back of their head.
- The Length of Your Eye May Be Different from Others
The length of your eyeball will have an impact on how good your eyesight is. It also depends on the corneal function as well as the eyes' lens, but the length plays an important role in determining if you're farsighted or nearsighted. You may have a longer eyeball if you're nearsighted, and your eyeball may be shorter-than-normal if you're farsighted. It is usually a millimeter change that affects the vision.
- You Don't Have Special Pigmentation by Birth
Just like your skin, your eyes won't have any pigmentation when you're born. It usually means that the pigmentation takes time to develop and is at its lowest development at birth. It usually occurs during the first year of your life. It also means your eyes were lighter when you were born.