Is this double vision

Is it double vision if I hold my finger up and stare at it in front of sometime and I see 2 of them in the back ground. Like 2 clocks instead of one?? If so is it fixable?

[Peanut08]

I was wondering about the double vision cause it seems now I don't see in 3-D anymore everything seems flat like when I look at someone its like they are flat not normal blurred with the background.

[John C Hagan]

That's called normal or "physiological" double vision.  Almost everyone has this and the brain tunes it out.

To demonstrate physiological double vision get a pencil. Look at something far away out a window for instance. While looking far away hold the pencil up about a foot in front of your eyes. Do not focus on it, keep looking far away but use your brain to tune in on the pencil image, you will see two of them. Then focus on the pencil a foot in front of you the objects seen out the window will go double. You can also use two pencils held at different distances. This is normal or physiological diplopia.

JCH MD

[John C Hagan]

In that case you should have a comprehensive medical eye examination with a physician full service eye care provider (Ophthalmologist  Eye MD).  With things appearing flat you could have an eye alignment disorder (strabismus).

JCH MD

[Peanut08]

I went to the Ophthalmologist  Eye MD yesterday. They preformed the test where they touch your eyes to see if the pressure is ok. They also dialated my eyes and looked in side. Would those tests tell him if I had strabismus? I told him things looked flat and he said your eyes are healthy. Is there a specail test they do to see if you have strabismus?

[John C Hagan]

Depending on the problem that brings a patient in the tests in a comprehensive examination may vary. You may want to discuss your tests by phone with the physician's staff. These are some of the tests that might have been done for strabismus.

1. Ask about the extraocular muscle testing. Do you have a tendency for your eyes to cross (esophoria) are they crossed (esotrophia), do they have a tendency to turn out (exophoria) or are they turned out (exotrophia).
2. Are any of the 12 extraocular muscles weak or not doing their job?
3. Was you depth perception tested? The most common way of doing this is called the Titmus Depth Perception Test. You are given polarizing glasses (like at a 3-D) movie and you see a large fly that stands up off the page and a series of 9 figures with 4 dots one of which stands up off the page. As you go to the last ones its harder and harder to tell which one is elevated. This can quantitate your depth perception.

If you did not have the Titmus Depth Perception Testing I would ask if you could come by and have a technician test you. It's a simple and quick test to do. Each office would differ but in our office we would not make a charge to do this test if it was not done at the original examination if your complaint was poor depth perception.

JCH MD