|
|
|
Good vision is not just the result of healthy eyes-it also depends on an intact link between the eyes and the vision centers of the brain. The Eye Institute provides a Neuro-Ophthalmology service for diagnosing and treating diseases, such as problems affecting the optic nerve (including ocular tumors and multiple sclerosis) and disruptions to the visual pathways (the paths by which vision signals travel through the brain). There are also nerve diseases that can compromise vision by affecting the tissues that surround and support the eye. These include eye movement disorders and thyroid eye disease. Nerve disorders that affect vision can strike at any age, but they are most common among older people.
Symptoms of neuro-ophthalmic conditions can include blurred vision, double vision, asymmetrical pupils, eyelid or facial contractures, eye or head pain, and unexplained vision loss. If you experience a sudden onset of any of these symptoms, seek help immediately. Neuro-ophthalmic disorders can lead to blindness and may even indicate a life-threatening condition.
Neuro-ophthalmic diseases cover a wide range of conditions, and Eye Institute physicians treat them in a variety of ways. Some conditions respond to medication, while symptoms like double vision can be eased with prism eyeglasses that restore single vision. Surgery is an option for some disorders in this class. For serious cases of thyroid eye disease, for example, surgeons can enlarge the eye sockets to relieve the outward pressure on the eyes.
For some neuro-ophthalmic disorders, the best course of action is simply to monitor the progress of the disease. Eye Institute physicians have a whole range of diagnostic tools at their fingertips for tracking disease progress, including ultrasound, ocular photography, electrophysiology and optical coherence tomography.
Author: Dale K. Heuer, MD Date: Sept. 14, 2004 |
|
|