Peripheral Vision Problems

Glaucoma, retinitis pigmentosa, and eye floaters are some of the many eye disorders that can gradually lead to the loss of peripheral vision. This post presents a brief description on peripheral vision problems.

The ability to see objects and movement around the direct line of vision is known as peripheral vision. It is provided by the function of rod cells present in our eyes. These are the nerve cells present outside the center of the retina, called the macula.

Some defects in the eye caused by genetic predisposition, eye or brain injury, or eye disorders affect peripheral vision. Under such a condition, a person is not able to see properly around the edges and it is mostly not accompanied with any abnormality in central vision.

There are some people who do not have peripheral vision at all. A sudden loss of this vision may be the symptom of a stroke. The common symptoms of peripheral vision loss are difficulty seeing in dim light, difficulty in navigation while walking, and a sensation of seeing through a narrow tube.

The foremost cause of peripheral vision problems is glaucoma. It is an eye disorder that is marked by an increase in the amount of vitreous humor in the eye, and hence increase in the intraocular pressure. Loss of peripheral vision is one of the earliest symptoms of glaucoma.

Older people, more than 50 years of age, are at a higher risk of this. Secondly, detached retina is also one of the possible reasons behind such problems. The retina gets separated from its underlying supportive tissue and cannot perform its usual functions.

Thirdly, papilledema can also cause loss of peripheral vision. It is the swelling and compression of the optic nerve-head due to injury or abnormally high cerebrospinal fluid pressure.

Furthermore, retinitis pigmentosa may result in this problem. It is a genetic disease that involves deterioration of rod cells. Loss of peripheral vision due to retinitis pigmentosa is accompanied by problems in night vision as well.

Eye floaters may also lead to this problem. These are specks or flecks that keep on drifting aimlessly around your field of vision. Other probable causes of peripheral vision loss are neurologic damage, like optic neuritis, head injuries, eye strokes, and brain damage from stroke, injury, or disease.

If the reason behind this problem is glaucoma, then treatment will restore your vision. One needs to be very careful with the instructions and directions given by the ophthalmologist for curing glaucoma, because if it is not treated on time, it may even lead to complete loss of peripheral vision. The condition of detached retina can be cured by replacing it with certain surgical techniques.

In case of damage or impairment of the part of the brain controlling vision, the doctor may consider vision therapy as one of the possible treatments. It is a non-surgical and customized plan that is designed to treat certain vision problems. It is carried out under the supervision of a specialized ophthalmologists. It is a physical therapy for the entire visual system and the part of brain controlling it.

Little can be done to treat any genetic defect, and hence for peripheral vision loss arising from it. However, research is still going on in this field. In case of eye floaters, most of the time no treatment is required, as it usually settles down on the bottom of the eye after some time.

However, in severe cases, vitrectomy can be performed. It is a surgical procedure that involves the removal of the vitreous gel containing the floaters and replacing it with a saline solution.

A special type of lens called the prism is added to eyeglasses to expand the field of view. This is because prism has a precise geometric configuration that enables light rays to be bent in certain ways, which allows peripheral vision to some extent.

Scientific studies are still going on about the different aspects of peripheral vision. Hopefully, some remedy for it will be available soon that will help thousands of unfortunate people suffering from this problem.