What does diplopia mean?

Diplopia means that when the two eyes look at an object, two images are seen. This is an abnormal symptom. There are many reasons for diplopia, such as damage to the brain nerves and some brain diseases. In addition, some bad living habits are also important causes of diplopia. For example, long-term alcoholism leading to alcohol poisoning may cause this phenomenon.

Causes and common diseases

1. Alcoholism

Diplopia is a common symptom of this disease, which may be accompanied by confusion, polyphagia, bad breath, a drunken gait, nausea, vomiting, and possible conjunctival infection.

2. Botulism

Typical symptoms of botulism include diplopia, dysarthria, dysphagia, ptosis, vomiting, and diarrhea, followed by progressive weakness, profound paralysis, hyporeflexia, and diplopia.

3. Brain tumors

Diplopia may be one of the early symptoms of a brain tumor, and may be accompanied by strabismus, emotional instability, decreased level of consciousness, headache, vomiting, generalized tonic-clonic seizures, hearing loss, visual field hemianopsia, abnormal pupillary light reflex, nystagmus, motor impairment, and paralysis.

4. Cavernous sinus thrombosis

It often causes double vision and restricted eye movements. Other symptoms include exophthalmos, orbital and eye edema, decreased or absent pupillary light reflex, impaired vision, optic disk edema, and fever. 5. Diabetes

Long-term illness may result in palsy of the 3rd cranial nerve, causing diplopia, which often develops rapidly and is accompanied by eye pain.

6. Encephalitis

It can cause diplopia and strabismus, but the disease usually begins with a high fever, accompanied by severe headache and vomiting, and the patient has signs of meningeal irritation. Decreased level of consciousness, ataxia, and paralysis.

7. Intracranial aneurysm

Diplopia and eye deviation may occur, possibly with ptosis and a dilated pupil on the affected side. Patients often complain of intermittent, severe, unilateral forehead pain that worsens when the aneurysm ruptures. Other symptoms include nystagmus, muscle weakness, paralysis, rigidity, hyperreflexia, dysphagia, dysarthria, impotence, mood changes, frequent urination, etc.

8. Myasthenia gravis

The disorder initially causes double vision and ptosis, which worsens during the day. Involvement of other muscles may result in a nasal voice, difficulty chewing, and difficulty swallowing, and may cause life-threatening respiratory muscle weakness.

9. Migraine

Most cases occur in young people. The diplopia caused by this disease often persists for several days after the headache subsides, accompanied by severe unilateral eye pain, ptosis, extraocular muscle paralysis, mood changes, and sometimes depression and mild changes in consciousness.

10. Orbital tumors

Progressive enlargement of the tumor may cause double vision, proptosis, and blurred vision.