How Do People Lose Their Peripheral Vision?

One of the major misconceptions about visual impairments is that it means someone cannot see at all. In fact, while many people with vision problems will be said to have 20/200 vision, the actual range of sight issues they have can vary quite considerably. For some people it may mean complete loss of sight, but for others, it can mean a wide range of issues that severely restrict their vision in different ways. One of the more common of those is peripheral vision loss, which is often referred to as tunnel vision. But what is peripheral vision, what causes the loss, and how can we prevent it?

Common Causes Of Peripheral Vision Problems

Eye diseases are a significant issue for anyone because even minor problems can result in long term vision challenges, and they are the main causes of peripheral vision problems. These include:

• Glaucoma – A disease of the optic nerve that can cause a number of vision issues.
• Retinal eye diseases – Including macular degeneration, retinitis pigmentosa, retinal vein occlusion, optic neuritis and diabetes-related retinopathy
• Stroke –Loss of peripheral vision can be a lasting effect after a stroke.
• Migraine Headaches
• Concussion
• Hypertension
• Some types of artery disease

Glaucoma and various retinal eye diseases tend to cause permanent peripheral vision loss, however in the case of many of these illnesses and diseases, the tunnel vision effect may be temporary. In all cases it is crucial that professional medical help is sought immediately to ensure that everything that can be done to mitigate the issue is put into practice.

Symptoms Of Peripheral Vision Problems

In most cases, peripheral vision loss doesn’t happen immediately, and is a gradual process that gets progressively worse over time. Peripheral vision problems are not always easy to recognize though, as they affect your field of vision (FOV), but in a very specific way. There are two types of vision that make up how we see the world around us with healthy vision, the first is central vision. This refers to the objects that are directly in front of you, that are in the center of your vision when your eyes are pointed at something. This is where the eyes focus, which is why objects in this central vision are sharper and clearer than anywhere else in your vision range, even if you have completely healthy eyesight.

The second type of vision is peripheral vision. This is the areas surrounding that central vision area, where your eyes are not as tightly focused, that tends to be a little less sharp. Sometimes called side vision, it is what we see from the corner of our eyes, and can be incredibly useful when driving, riding a bike or any number of other activities. ..

Peripheral Vision Tests

The best way to maintain your eye health and prevent eye diseases of all kinds, including the loss of peripheral vision, is by having regular eye exams. These allow your ophthalmologist to spot problems early, and with a treatable problem like tunnel vision that can make all the difference. This is especially true for anyone suffering from diabetes, where annual eye exams should be a minimum, and can often be the different in treating your vision problems.

There are three types of eye test that can be useful in dealing with peripheral vision issues, these are:

• Confrontation Visual Test
• Automated Static Perimetry test
• Kinetic Visual Test

Vision health is also related to your overall health too, so eating sensibly, getting plenty of exercise and living a healthy lifestyle in general can have a huge impact. Protecting your eyes is also part of that, but with many issues that cause temporary peripheral vision loss associated with general lack of health, making the effort to maintain a healthier lifestyle really can be the best approach for eye health too...

Learn more about peripheral vision: How Do People Lose Their Peripheral Vision?