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                                    Talking glaucoma 21cord, muscles, thyroid or nerves. Tests might include blood tests, a computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan and taking a clear history about when it occurs. Your doctor or optometrist will want to know when the double vision started and whether you have had a head injury, fallen or passed out. You may be asked whether it is worse when you%u2019re tired and whether you tend to tilt your head to one side. You may be compensating for the extra images without realising it. As you might expect, diplopia can also be caused by issues in your eyes. The most common is strabismus. This is where your eyes aren%u2019t properly aligned so each eye is seeing a slightly different perspective. But astigmatism (where your cornea is an irregular shape), short- or long-sightedness, cataracts and dry eye disease can also be factors. More unusual conditions such as proptosis (where the eyes are bulging) or keratoconus (where the cornea bulges into a cone shape) can also cause diplopia. What treatments are available? Different treatments will be appropriate depending on what is causing the diplopia. In some cases, the diplopia will be temporary and will resolve without treatment. If your double vision persists, there are treatments, and these might include: %u2022 Prisms of increasing strength can be put into glasses, with or without prescription. Where prisms no longer correct the image, surgery may be offered.%u2022 For children where the strabismus is identified early enough, a patch may be worn to encourage the muscles to correct the problem.%u2022 Surgery may be offered if eye muscles have been affected through an injury. %u2022 Medications can be used, for example to control diabetes or avoid stroke.%u2022 Surgery or medicine can correct thyroid problems.Should I go to Accident & Emergency (A&E)?Although diplopia is not usually serious, there are times when it can indicate something life-threatening like stroke or brain injury. If you have had a major head injury or if you have double vision that is unexpected you should go to A&E. Other symptoms of stroke might be dizziness, slurring your speech, confusion, general muscle weakness. Coping with diplopiaAs someone who understands glaucoma, you probably already have an eye examination regularly. At those appointments, discuss any diplopia symptoms you have. If you wear glasses or contact lenses, it is important to have the right prescription. Don%u2019t wait for symptoms or eye problems to get worse before you have your eyes checked. Glaucoma UK%u2019s helpline is on hand if you need support or information, and can be contacted via 01233 648 170 or helpline@glaucoma.uk
                                
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