Your eyes allow you to see what is right in front of you as well as what is happening around you. Have you ever seen something out of the corner of your eye? What if you lost that capability?
Having no peripheral vision can drastically change the way you not only view the world but also how you interact with it.
What is Peripheral Vision?
Peripheral vision refers to part of sight outside of a person’s central field of vision and allows you to see objects to the side without having to move your eyes or head. If you have ever noticed something out of the corner of you eye, it is likely that you were using your peripheral vision to do so.
What is Tunnel Vision?
Tunnel vision is a term often used to describe peripheral vision loss. These peripheral vision problems can be both temporary or permanent and may also be gradual or sudden. Typically, older people have a higher risk of peripheral vision loss, but it could happen to anyone. The type of loss of peripheral vision depends on a variety of factors such as the cause, the time of diagnosis, and the treatment.
Because peripheral vision allows us to see the world more clearly and be alert of movement outside our central eyeline, someone could be in serious danger with poor peripheral vision.
Peripheral Vision Loss Symptoms
With sudden peripheral vision loss, it is often easy to tell that there is a problem; however, in some cases trouble with peripheral vision can develop slowly and peripheral vision problem symptoms may be overlooked initially. Unfortunately, the longer tunnel vision symptoms are ignored, the higher the risk of permanent damage. If you notice any problems with your peripheral vision, you should get help immediately.
Some of the most common peripheral vision loss symptoms include:
- Difficulty seeing at night
- Blurry vision
- Blindspot in your vision
- Sensitivity to light
- Bumping into objects or people
- Not seeing something until it is right in front of you
- Seeing halos or glares around lights
- Redness or swelling of the eyes
- Unusual pupil size change
All these signs of peripheral vision loss are cause for concern and should be checked by your eye doctor immediately.
Most Common Causes of Peripheral Vision Loss
There are several different causes of peripheral vision loss that can range from mild issues to serious diseases. Some may cause immediate and noticeable peripheral sight problems while others may cause more gradual changes that could eventually lead to permanent peripheral blindness if ignored.
Some potential causes of peripheral vision loss include:
- Migraines
- Cataracts
- Glaucoma
- Retinitis pigmentosa
- Choroideremia
- Detached retina
- Stroke
Migraines
Migraines are more intense headaches that often include other symptoms such as nausea or vision problems. In some cases, migraines may also cause poor peripheral vision. Fortunately, migraines only cause temporary peripheral vision loss and should go away with the migraine.
Cataracts
Another potential reason for tunnel vision is cataracts. Cataracts are the gradual clouding of the clear lens of the eye. In some cases, it may cause some peripheral vision loss, but it can be treated with surgery.
Glaucoma
One of the more common tunnel vision causes is glaucoma. The eye disease involves increased eye pressure that results in damage to the optic nerve and causes gradual vision loss. Poor peripheral vision loss is often one of the first signs of this disease, but it may go unnoticed until more noticeable vision problems occur. Unfortunately, damage to the peripheral field of vision from glaucoma is not reversible.
Retinitis Pigmentosa
Retinitis pigmentosa is another progressive eye disease that causes damage to the retina and results in various vision problems including loss of peripheral vision. A rare genetic disease, retinitis pigmentosa has no cure and damage is permanent.
Choroideremia
Another peripheral loss of vision cause, choroideremia is a genetic disorder that leads to progressive tunnel vision. It is more common in males than females and it has no cure.
Detached Retina
Another rare but potential cause of peripheral vision loss is a detached retina. A detached retina may be the result of trauma, diabetes, or another eye problem and is a serious medical condition. Surgery is required to repair the retina, but permanent vision loss may remain.
Stroke
Strokes are caused by an interruption of blood supply to the brain and can cause a wide variety of problems including peripheral vision loss. It is estimated that one third of stoke survivors will suffer from vision loss and most will never fully recover their sight.1
Because some of these causes are progressive, getting diagnosed as soon as possible can help improve your treatment outcome and reduce lasting damage.
Peripheral Vision Tests to Diagnose Problems
Because your risk of permanent peripheral blindness or other vision problems may increase with a later diagnosis, it is important to get your peripheral field and your eyes tested regularly. Fortunately, there are a variety of peripheral eye tests that can help you spot the first signs of a problem and lead to better treatment and management.
The best way to test peripheral vision initially is with a comprehensive eye exam. If your doctor suspects issues with your peripheral sight, they may perform more peripheral eye tests to diagnose the problem.
Some peripheral vision tests include:
- A confrontation visual field test– covering one eye and looking at the examiner’s eyes in front of you while detecting how many fingers they are holding up with their hand off to the side
- An automated perimetry test– looking at the center of a bowl-shaped contraption and detecting flashing lights in the sides
- A tangent screen test or Goldmann field exam– looking at a target on a screen a few feet away and determining when you can see an object being moved into your peripheral vision
While basic, all these peripheral vision loss tests can help identify if there is a problem as well as the next steps in determining the cause and treatment options.
Peripheral Vision Loss Treatment & Prevention
Temporary peripheral vision loss like from migraines will go away on its own, but other peripheral vision damage may need special care. In some cases, there are treatment options to restore your peripheral vision, but other times the damage cannot be reversed.
Depending on the cause of the peripheral vision loss, your doctor may prescribe a variety of treatment or management strategies such as eye drops, surgery, or lifestyle changes.
To prevent peripheral vision loss or slow the progression, there are a variety of things you may be able to do including:
- Getting regular comprehensive exams of your eyes
- Letting your doctor know of anything eye diseases that run in your family
- Maintain a healthy diet
- Exercising regularly
- Following your doctor’s recommendations if you are diagnosed with a problem.
While you may not be able to prevent all peripheral vision loss, you may be able to keep the problem from getting worse. If you haven’t gotten your eyes checked recently, call us today to make an appointment. At Ideal EyeCare, we offer everything from basic exams to eye disease care in Omaha and Council Bluffs. Do not wait to get started.
Sources:
- Stroke Foundation- Vision loss after stroke