What Are Vision Halos?

What are vision halos and what is its significance in terms of your health?  Should you be worried? Should you see an eye doctor immediately?

Light plays an essential role in human vision. We see objects around us when light bounces off from their surfaces and enters our eyes. On the other hand, in the dark, we can still see but not too clearly. Light definitely is crucial for us to function in our everyday lives. However, sometimes light can also be the cause of vision problems.

Halos are troublesome, bright circles of light that surround light sources such as lamp posts and oncoming car headlights. They typically occur when your surroundings are mostly dim or dark. Halos may be caused by an eye problem, but can also be a normal response to bright lights.

Not to worry you guys, here are some of the most common causes of halos unrelated to dim or dark light settings:

• Cataracts
• Fuchs’ Dystrophy
• Glaucoma
• Kerataconus
• Nearsightedness
• Farsightedness
• Presbyopia
• Astigmatism
• Dry Eyes
• LASIK
• Lens Implantation

Among all these possible causes, cataracts are the most common culprit. How do cataracts cause halos? In a normal unaffected eye, the lens at the front of your eye is clear, allowing light to pass easily without interruption or errors. However, cataracts cause the lens to grow cloudy, either because of a disease or because of natural aging.  This will make your vision blurry and affect the way you see light.

Dry eyes, although not previously associated with vision halos, have recently become a common causative factor too. Patients who are frequently affected are those who work 8-10 hours a day in front of the computer with no breaks. There have been cases where ophthalmologist just prescribed artificial tears to lubricate the dry eyes and most have been successful.

Other halos are only temporary, such as halos after undergoing LASIK surgery or intraocular lens implantation. If you are experiencing frequent halos, even not in a dim or dark setting, then you should definitely see an ophthalmologist for an assessment.