Diplopia: Diagnosis and management

Diplopia or double vision is the separation of images vertically, horizontally or obliquely and can be monocular or binocular in origin. Binocular diplopia is most commonly caused by ocular misalignment or strabismus that can be detected using simple clinical tests. All patients with diplopia of acute onset should be investigated urgently and those with a headache or pupillary involvement need to be referred for same-day urgent imaging. Diplopia secondary to microvascular causes on the other hand often spontaneously resolves within six months.