Rapid change in visual acuity?

[rayr]

In my right eye when I was 18 I had VA 20/30 (all VA are uncorrected).  At 20 it was 20/40.  When I was 20 I had an accident where I had a blunt object hit the eyeball with considerable force.  VA was 20/50.  I suffered monocular diplopia.  When I was 21 VA was 20/200.  Vision was pretty stable for the next 46 years when I suddenly developed the same monocular diplopia.  Over the next 4 years vision slowly deteriorated.  Is it common for vision to go from 20/50 to 20/200 in 8 months?  The lefy eye was pretty stable over the same time period.  How likely is a 46 year old accident to cause deterioration of vision?  I have stable Fuchs' Corneal Dystrophy.

Ray

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

FIrst of all uncorrected vision is not at all helpful.  A healthy eye that has myopia may have 20/200 vision at distance uncorrected. With proper glasses it may be 20/20.

You must be about 64 years old. It's not likely that the change in vision is due to your injury at age 18. More likely you have cataracts, the Fuchs has gotten worse, you may have macular degeneration, glaucoma or you could simply need better glasses. Discuss this with your ophthalmologist.

JCH MD

[Ralph112]

Deterioration of vision comes naturally as we age, maybe that accident of yours contributed to your eye problems today.