Which Neurological Conditions Affect Vision? Symptoms of Neurological Vision Problems

Which Neurological Conditions Affect Vision?

 A neurological disorder like a stroke, migraine, or infection can frequently be indicated by abnormalities in vision. Changes may be progressive or permanent in certain situations, but early identification and treatment can often be beneficial.

Even though you might not realize it, your nervous system is crucial to your vision. The optic nerve carries visual information from your eyes to your brain. Your visual cortex is the area of your brain that processes visual information from your optic nerve.

Visual alterations can result from any neurological disorder that affects your optic nerve, visual cortex, or the areas of your brain that communicate with these structures.

To find out more about some of the neurological disorders that might result in vision loss, continue reading.

Symptoms of neurological vision problems

Depending on the underlying cause, neurological vision disorders can present with a variety of symptoms. They may appear suddenly or develop gradually over weeks to years.

Possible signs and symptoms include:

• vision loss
• eye pain
• double vision
• blurriness
• light sensitivity
• other visual changes like seeing spots or zig-zag patterns

Migraine

A neurological disorder called migraine frequently results in excruciating headaches, particularly on one side. Before experiencing a migraine headache, some people have migraine aura, which is a sensory symptom. The following symptoms are present in almost all migraine aura sufferers:

• seeing flashing lights
• seeing spots or stars
• temporary vision loss

Ocular migraine, also known as retinal migraine, is a condition that certain people have. These incidents frequently result in:

• vision loss that lasts 10 to 20 minutes and up to an hour
• a blind spot
• headache
• blurred vision
• seeing flashing lights or zig-zag patterns
• nausea

One eye is affected by a retinal migraine. Both eyes are usually affected by migraine with aura.

Traumatic brain injury

The hallmark of traumatic brain injury is brain damage brought on by an outside force, such as that which is produced by:

• car accidents
• sports injury
• assault
• falls

You may experience symptoms like these if there is damage to the areas of your brain that regulate vision:

• light sensitivity
• double vision
• blurry vision
• blindness

Optic neuritis

Swelling in your optic nerve, known as optic neuritis, can result in:

• blurry vision
• dimness
• loss of color contrast
• pain in the back of your eye
• pain when moving your eye

Although the exact etiology of optic neuritis is unknown, an autoimmune reaction in which your body targets your optic nerve could be the culprit. People with certain conditions are more likely to experience it, including:

• multiple sclerosis
• neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders
• myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody disease
• mumps
• measles
• flu

According to a 2023 study, between 2006 and 2018, there were 8.1 cases of optic neuritis for every 100,000 people in the US. It appears to develop more in females than in males.

Stroke

A blocked or bleeding blood artery in the brain causes a stroke. According to experts, around 800,000 Americans have a stroke each year.

Common visual changes brought on by strokes include:

• loss of vision in both eyes on the left or right side of the visual field is known as homonymous hemianopia.
• a loss of 25% of your vision field in both eyes is known as quadrantanopia.
• one or both eyes may have scotomas or blind spots.
• lack of awareness of objects on the side of your stroke and spatial inattention
• difficulty moving eyes
• dry eyes
• difficulty blinking

Multiple sclerosis

The neurological disorder known as multiple sclerosis (MS) occurs when your immune system targets the myelin sheath that surrounds your nerves. Slowed nerve conduction might result from myelin damage. According to experts, 2.8 million people globally are impacted.

Along with other symptoms, MS can result in optic neuritis and visual loss in one eye. Up to 70% of MS patients experience an optic neuritis episode.

Parkinson’s disease

Your brain's dopamine-producing neurons are impacted by Parkinson's disease, a degenerative neurological disorder. It frequently results in symptoms like balance issues, sluggish movement, and tremors.

According to WHO estimates, around 8.5 million individuals worldwide suffer from Parkinson's disease.

Many Parkinson's disease patients have visual issues, including:

• double vision
• dry eyes
• blurry vision

Myasthenia gravis

An autoimmune disease called myasthenia gravis occurs when your immune system targets the neuromuscular junctions, which are where your nerves communicate with your muscles to cause them to contract.

Some people experience eye problems like:

• eyelid drooping
• double vision
• weakened eyelid movements

Within a few years, the majority of people experience issues with other muscles.

Brain infections

Encephalitis is an infection of the brain. Among the most frequent reasons are:

• herpes simplex viruses
• varicella-zoster virus that causes chickenpox and shingles
• viruses that cause rubella, mumps, or measles
• viruses spread by animals, like rabies or possibly Zika

Many neurological symptoms, including vision alterations, can be brought on by brain infections.

Diabetic retinopathy

In diabetics, persistently elevated blood sugar levels might harm nerves. When these blood sugar levels harm the retina at the rear of your eye, you get diabetic retinopathy. Symptoms may consist of:

• worsening vision
• sudden vision loss
• floaters
• blurry vision
• eye pain or redness
• reduced night vision

Brain tumors

Brain tumors may be benign (noncancerous) or malignant. If they are big and put pressure on vital brain tissue, even non-cancerous tumors can become problematic.

The following symptoms could appear if a tumor presses on your optic nerve, visual brain, or other crucial visual structures:

• blurred vision
• double vision
• abnormal eye movements
• light sensitivity
• loss of vision

Glaucoma

Although glaucoma is primarily thought of as an eye ailment, it is a neurological condition. Often a consequence of high eye pressure, glaucoma damages the eye by degenerating the optic nerve.

In its early stages, glaucoma typically shows no symptoms, although it can eventually cause blindness. A higher risk of glaucoma exists for certain individuals, such as those who:

• have high eye pressure
• are farsighted or nearsighted
• have had an eye injury
• use long-term steroids
• have thin corneas
• have thinning of their optic nerve
• have diabetes, migraine, or high blood pressure
• are over age 40
• have a family history
• are of Asian, African, or Hispanic heritage

Eye movement disorders

A collection of illnesses known as eye movement disorders affect the muscles and nerves that regulate your eyes. They may cause:

• eye paralysis
• atypical eye movements
• overly fast movements
• slow movements

Genetic illnesses or damage to the muscles or nerves in your eyes can cause eye movement abnormalities.

When to contact a doctor

If you observe any new abnormalities in your vision, it's crucial to see an eye doctor, particularly if the symptoms are severe or appear suddenly. The prognosis for many eye disorders is better when therapy is started as soon as possible.

Takeaway

Numerous neurological disorders result in visual impairments. While some might be progressive or permanent, others might be transient.

Anytime you observe changes in your vision or other possible signs of an unknown neurological issue, including difficulty moving, it's critical to see an eye doctor.

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