Working Order

• Seeing a single clear image is something most of us take for granted. We open our eyes in the morning expecting everything to be in working order. However, seeing a single clear image is the result of several complex parts of your body working together perfectly. This process begins with the cornea. The cornea is the outermost disc covering the eye. Its job is to allow light to enter. The lens, located behind the pupil, then focuses that light onto the retina. In the meantime, the muscles of the eye are allowing the eye to move and nerves are carrying visual information to the brain. Once the brain receives this information, several different areas are used to process the information. Temporary double vision is known as diplopia and can be the result of any one of these processes going awry.
  
  

Stroke, Head Injury, Brain Tumor, Brain Swelling, Or Brain aneurysm

• The most serious conditions that can be cause double vision include: stroke, head injury, brain tumor, brain swelling, or a brain aneurysm. These problems are serious because they originate in the brain. According to Dr. Richard Windsor, each eye has six muscles that move together in an effort to focus on a single image. Damage to the control centers for the III, IV, and VI cranial nerves, as a result of one of the above conditions, can effect the control of one or more of the six muscles, resulting in double vision.
  
  

Alcohol Use

• According to Dr. Bruce Martin, a physiology professor at Indiana University, alcohol ingestion can cause double vision. Martin explains that alcohol slows down the brain and the nerves that control your eye movements. As a result, it takes longer for your two eyes to fuse together images so that you get a single picture.
  
  

Corneal Irregularities

• Sometimes, ghost images can be confused with double vision. Ghost images are generally the result of corneal irregularities, such as deterioration of the cornea. This problem can usually be solved with special contact lenses or eye drops. However; in some cases, people with cornea irregularities will need surgery.