Introduction
Vision loss simply means losing your ability to see well without some sort of vision correction. Vision loss is different from blindness that was present at birth (Congenital blindness). Vision loss causes a substantial social and economic toll for millions of people including significant suffering, disability, loss of productivity, and diminished quality of life.
Vision disability is one of the top ten disabilities among adults 18 years and above and also one of the most prevalent disabling conditions among children. Vision correction tools include eyeglasses, contact lenses, permanent artificial lenses, etc.
Vision loss can be sudden or gradual, you may experience a partial or complete vision loss.
Signs and Symptoms Of Visual Disorders
You may have visual problems if your vision starts interfering with you carrying out your normal day-to-day activities such as reading, watching television, walking up or down the stairs, recognizing people’s faces, etc.
- Double vision
- Blurry vision
- Flashes of light
- Floaters
- Haloes or rainbows around lights
- Sudden decrease in vision
- Sudden eye pain
- Red eyes
- Changes in eye colour eye.
CAUSES
The causes of loss of vision are extremely varied and range from conditions affecting the eye to conditions affecting the visual processing centers of the brain.
Vision loss can be caused by different factors which include:
- Aging e.g Age-related macular degeneration.
- Uncorrected refractive errors
- Diabetes
- Glaucoma
- Bacterial infection e.g Trachoma.
- Corneal scars
- Migraine
- Hypoperfusion( reduced amount of blood flow).
- Medications
- Trauma
- Viral infections of the eye .
- Vitamin A deficiency
- Onchocerciasis (River blindness).
- Toxins/ Poisoning etc.
Can vision loss be prevented or avoided?
Vision loss may be prevented depending on what is causing it. For example, You can prevent vision loss due to diabetes by preventing diabetes or by managing your blood sugar level judiciously if you are already diabetic. You can as well prevent vision loss due to uncorrected refractive errors by visiting your optometrist today to get a comprehensive eye examination and getting the doctor’s prescribed lenses or drugs.
How is vision loss diagnosed?
You may not realize that your vision is getting worse this is particularly true especially if the loss is happening gradually. It may someone close to you that will be the first to notice that you are not seeing well.
Visit your doctor today once your vision starts interfering with the way you carry out your normal day-to-day activities. The doctor will carry out a comprehensive dilated eye examination and case history to properly diagnose or identify the cause of your vision loss. The doctor world recommended the right treatment for you and counsels you adequately.
Treatment/Management of vision loss.
For the management of patients with vision loss some important considerations are made:
- The degree of vision loss.
- The cause of vision loss.
- Age of the patient
- The general health of the patient.
- Patients’ other impairments and adjustment to the Vision loss and patient’s expectations from the treatment.
