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.
Es esta segunda área de visión, la visión periférica, la que se ve afectada por la pérdida de visión periférica. Puede comenzar con una visión periférica borrosa, o simplemente puede parecer más oscura hacia los bordes, reduciendo su campo de visión para que pueda ver menos de lo que normalmente podría.
As you lose side vision, so the width of your overall vision decreases and you can see little beyond that central vision area, this is known as the tunnel vision effect. This is because it mimics the effect of standing in a dark tunnel looking out of the opening at bright sunlight. You see that central part clearly, but everything else is dark, indistinct and lacking in clarity.
Éste es el efecto de la pérdida de visión periférica, y es realmente importante buscar asistencia médica si nota cualquier aparición del problema, aunque parezca leve. Puede someterse a una prueba de visión periférica con su oftalmólogo si tiene alguna duda, pero la buena noticia es que muchos tipos de problemas de visión periférica son tratables, y varias causas de problemas de visión periférica pueden evitarse por completo con elecciones sensatas de estilo de vida.
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:
Prueba visual de confrontación
A simple test most people will be familiar with, it involves covering one eye and having the doctor or eye care technician hold up fingers for you to count within your peripheral vision. This is then repeated with the other eye. Simple and easy to administer, it gives a broad idea of the level of side vision someone has, however as it used no instruments for measurement, it may not always catch small side vision defects.
Automated Static Perimetry test
Esta prueba utiliza un dispositivo diseñado específicamente para comprobar la visión periférica, conocido como Perímetro. Se tapa un ojo y se pide al paciente que pulse un botón cada vez que vea aparecer unas luces. Las luces están situadas por toda la zona, tanto en visión central como en visión lateral, y aparecen en un orden aleatorio. Una vez completada la prueba con un ojo, se repite con el otro. Si no se observa cuándo aparecen determinadas luces, se puede poner de manifiesto una pérdida de visión periférica en ciertas zonas, lo que permite al oftalmólogo investigar más a fondo. Esta prueba es especialmente útil para identificar problemas causados por el glaucoma.
Prueba visual cinética
The last type of peripheral vision test, which also uses the same dedicated perimeter machine as the previous test. Here though, light moves in and out of your side vision, rather than appearing in one place and disappearing after. This approach allows a more accurate understanding of where the issues with peripheral vision begin in terms of the field of view, and are particularly useful for diagnosing retinal diseases and neuro ophthalmological issues.
La salud visual también está relacionada con la salud general, por lo que comer de forma sensata, hacer mucho ejercicio y llevar un estilo de vida saludable en general pueden tener un gran impacto. Proteger los ojos también forma parte de ello, pero con muchos problemas que causan pérdida temporal de la visión periférica asociados a la falta general de salud, hacer el esfuerzo de mantener un estilo de vida más sano puede ser realmente el mejor enfoque también para la salud ocular.
However, while taking care of yourself is great advice, with regular eye exams to identify issues early, you may still find problems that need treating. Tunnel vision is one of the more common eye diseases we suffer from, and as a result there is extensive medical understanding of the disease and its treatment.
In general, tunnel vision is treated by dealing with the underlying issue that is causing it. Whether that is glaucoma, retinal diseases and so on, by solving this issue in a large number of cases, the loss of peripheral vision is also resolved too. In a similar way, issues caused by strokes, hypertension, concussion and migraines tend to be temporary too, and as the underlying issue is dealt with, so the vision health issue will be too.
Sin embargo, hay algunos casos en los que la pérdida de visión periférica es permanente, y aquí el objetivo es ayudar a los pacientes a controlar su afección para que tenga el menor impacto posible. Las ayudas visuales de la serie Acesight E-glasses, como Acesight y Acesight VR, son capaces de proporcionar ayuda a las personas con pérdida de visión periférica. Este tipo de ayuda visual está equipada con la función de modo estrecho, que permite al usuario desplazar la pantalla a un lugar adecuado, con el fin de adaptarse a la situación de visión de túnel. Encontrará más información sobre las gafas electrónicas Acesight y Acesight VR en su sitio web oficial: https://www.acesight.com/. Con una amplia gama de tecnologías de ayuda, los problemas de visión periférica pueden tratarse eficazmente y permitir a las personas con visión 20/200 mantener su estilo de vida y su independencia.
Referencias
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/24435-tunnel-vision-peripheral-vision-loss
https://dmei.org/blog/peripheral-vision-loss-what-is-it-and-how-to-treat-it/
https://www.aao.org/eye-health/symptoms/vision-loss-peripheral-side
