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EYE CONDITIONS
Neurological conditions
Various neurological conditions affect vision and lead to dry eye or double vision. Neurological disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease lead to ocular degeneration. Neurological conditions damage the nerves in and near the eye, which causes pain and vision trouble.
Optic neuropathies, eye movement disorders and temporary vision problems that are related to auras contribute to vision loss. Eye movement conditions affect the nerves that engulf the eyeball and interfere with the functions of the pupil. Tumours and bleeding due to a ruptured blood vessel in the brain cause problems in the optic chiasm.
Optic neuritis is a neurological disorder that arises from the inflammation of the optic nerve, a network of nerve fibres that sends visual data from the retina to the brain. Optic neuritis occurs as a result of a disease or infection and may cause pain when one moves his or her eye. Optic neuritis may lead to blindness.
Causes
It's believed that the immune system accidentally attacks the myelin sheath which protects the nerves in optic neuritis. Optic neuritis prevents the passage of electrical impulses from the retina to the brain. With a disruption like this, vision loss occurs.
Symptoms
Floaters (dark spots that cloud one’s vision)
Blurry vision
Loss of sight
A dilated eye exam helps diagnose intraocular neurological conditions. For this particular test, the ophthalmologist has to dilate the pupils to examine the retina and optic nerve. The ophthalmologists place drops in the patient’s eyes to dilate the pupils. Dr Miller checks for problematic blood vessels, fat deposits in the retina, and traces of blood in the vitreous, retinal detachment, optic nerve issues and ocular tumours. Other diagnostic tests include a general vision test and eye pressure test.
Dr Miller prescribes steroid medication to reduce swelling of the optic nerve. In the case of optic neuritis, a few brain lesions are evident on an imaging test like a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. This will assist in diagnosing patients with optic neuritis with an underlying cause, as in multiple sclerosis.
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