Did you know we use almost half our brain for vision related activities? Neuro- Ophthalmology is a specialty that concentrates on the visual problems related to the nervous system. A subspecialty of neurology and ophthalmology, it is confined to the optic nerve or related to the nervous system. The optic nerve is the connection between the eyes and the brain. Neuro-Ophthalmologists treat disorders that affect the eye, the nerves and muscles around the eye.
Unexplained visual loss, double vision, abnormal eye movements and eyelid abnormalities are some of the common problems evaluated by neuro – ophthalmologists. The goal of Neuro-Ophthalmology is to understand the disorders of the brain and abnormalities that affect the visual system.
- Eye movement disorders
- Nerve Palsies
- Disease of the orbit
- Affecting the transmission of signals between nerve and muscle
- Insufficient blood supply
- Injury/trauma
- Raised pressure in the eye & brain
- Insufficient bloody supply due to diabetes, hypertension and smoking
- Inflammation or swelling which also affects other parts of the body eg. multiple sclerosis
- Tumor can cause a compression
- Painless and gradual vision loss
- Unstable vision, giddiness, headaches and weakness
- Reduced bloody supply
- Vision loss and problems with color vision
- Damage to the optic nerve causes pain behind the eyes
- Neurological disturbances – loss of balance
Your neuro-ophthalmologist will perform a test to obtain a detailed understanding of your past medical conditions. Upon examination, a range of tests will be conducted.
- Eye movements
- Colour vision
- Retina and optic nerve evaluation
- Visual field testing
- Neuroimaging- CT scan, MRI etc
