Neuro-ophthalmology
La neurophthalmology is a branch of ophthalmology that specializes in the study of diseases of the nervous system that affect vision.
It is also dedicated to studying the activity of the nerves that have the function of eye movements, as well as that of the pupil.
Neuro-ophthalmology
La neurophthalmology is a branch of ophthalmology that specializes in the study of diseases of the nervous system that affect vision.
It is also dedicated to studying the activity of the nerves that have the function of eye movements, as well as that of the pupil.
What is neurophthalmology?
As we explained at the beginning, the specialist doctor in this area treats and monitors the pathologies related to the optic nerve, With the visual way, With the cerebral cortex, with the central nervous system, With the eye muscles, pupillary alterations and diseases that cause eyelid alterations.
Most common neuroophthalmic diseases
Among the most common neuro-ophthalmic diseases, the following stand out:
Diseases that affect the eye muscles
These types of pathologies are usually manifested by double vision or diplopia.
Blepharospasm
In very specific cases, Blepharospasm or palpebral spasms, caused by spasmodic, involuntary and repetitive contractions of the eyelid muscles, can lead to visual disturbances, blurred vision or sensitivity to light. That is why they should be treated as quickly as possible.
Optic neuropathies
All the optic neuropathies are those ailments that affect the optic nerve and usually manifest with sudden loss of vision in one eye or both.
Within the optic neuropathies, the optic neuritis, an inflammation of the optic nerve that may be associated with other diseases or appear without a specific and known cause. It manifests with a slight decrease in visual acuity, usually unilateral. In most cases, vision recovers within a few weeks.
Headaches and migraines
The term headache refers to localized pain and discomfort in any part of the head, in the different tissues of the cranial cavity and in the muscles that surround the scalp, face and neck.
Its effects are very diverse, and range from the classic scintillating scotomas to an alteration in the perception of objects, and even episodes of complete blindness have been described.
Among the most common are:
- The sight and the headache: It is usually caused by refractive problems such as myopia, farsightedness I astigmatism or due to other indirect problems such as clenching your teeth, staring at a screen for a long time...
- Eye migraine: these are non-painful visual disturbances, more or less strong and temporary. In many cases, ocular migraine is related to genetic factors.
- ophthalmic migraine: it is a very intense discomfort caused by a strong headache. Migraine may be accompanied by nausea or visual disturbances.
- Asthenopia or eye fatigue, this condition usually occurs when we strain our eyes too much, especially when it comes to seeing close objects.
- Ocular neuralgia which represents the typical pain we can have in the eyes when we move it.
Alterations of the pupil
They usually manifest when the size of the pupils decreases symmetrically in their exposure to light (afferent pupillary defects) or when pupil or anisocoria asymmetry occurs (efferent pupillary defects).
Diagnostic tools
When we are faced with a possible case of neuro-ophthalmic condition, the patient must undergo a series of tests to determine if he or she finally suffers any alteration and find out the extent of the injury. These are some of the tools and tests that are carried out to extract an accurate diagnosis:
- Test of visual acuity.
- Color vision.
- Contrast sensitivity.
- Pupil study.
- Fundus, retinography.
- Campor sight, campcomputerized immetry.
- eye motility.
- Electronistagmography.
- Image studies: CT and cranial RNM.
En Área Oftalmológica Avanzada We have the experts you need
In this campor, in addition to the electrophysiology and imaging diagnostic systems, problems recovery guidelines are established that until now had very few improvement options.
Through a team of neuropsychologists, we can propose the recovery of problems secondary to neurological processes that affect vision, such as those that appear after an embolism or thrombosis vascular process. We have specialized in the diagnosis and functional treatment of vision problems related to senile dementia and Alzheimer's disease, improving visual memory, attention and visuospatial schemes.
If you think you have any symptoms of neuro-ophthalmic disorder, do not hesitate to contact our experts in Área Oftalmológica Avanzada. The sooner we can identify vision problems, the faster the recovery. We will wait for you!
