Even if the person in your care is diligent about scheduled eye appointments, you'll also want to make sure that he sees the doctor between visits if he has any unusual symptoms. These symptoms may or may not signify that something serious is going on.
- Seeing floaters (tiny particles that drift across the field of vision) or flashes of light may mean nothing at all or it may mean that he's experiencing a retinal detachment.
- Tearing may be a sign of allergies or something in the eye, or it may indicate that a serious infection or corneal abrasion.
- Vision loss might be due to a migraine, macular degeneration, or a number of other diseases or problems. Or he may simply need a stronger glasses prescription.
Err on the side of caution and have him contact the eye doctor if he notices any of these symptoms or anything else out of the ordinary, including:
- A change in the appearance of his eye, such as bulging, crossed eyes, a change in iris color, a bump on his eyelid, or redness or swelling in or around his eye.
- A change in his ability to see, including double vision, difficulty focusing, cloudy or blurry vision, seeing halos around lights, sensitivity to light or glare, poor night vision, seeing flashes of light, spots, or "cobwebs," sudden loss of vision (including central, peripheral, or side vision or a dark spot in the center of his field of vision), straight lines appearing wavy, inability to make out detail, need for more light than usual, trouble distinguishing colors.
- A change in how his eyes feel, such as any excess tearing, discharge, itching, or burning, eye pain, tiredness, or inability to close his eyelid.
