Visual Disturbances or Loss of Vision

Eyes | Ophthalmology | Visual Disturbances or Loss of Vision (Symptom)


Description

Visual disturbances are abnormalities of sight. Visual disturbances associated with neurological disorders often include double vision (diplopia), moving or blurred vision due to nystagmus (involuntary rapid movements of the eyes), reduced visual acuity, reduced visual field, and partial or total loss of vision as in papilledema, a swelling of the optic disc, or in blindness.

Visual disturbances are often symptoms of other disorders, in particular neurological disorders, but can also occur due to muscular disorders, vascular diseases, cancer, or trauma. Additionally diseases such as diabetes and hyperthyroidism can contribute to the visual abnormalities. Some visual disturbances arise from congenital conditions that are often hereditary.

Causes

Some common causes of vision loss include eye trauma, clouding of the lens (cataract), increased eye pressure (glaucoma), retinal damage due to diabetes (diabetic retinopathy), breakdown of the central portion of the retina (age-related macular degeneration), retinal detachment, inflammation of the optic nerve (optic neuritis), and stroke. Some medications can also affect vision.

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