Neuro-ophthalmology Treatment

Neuro-ophthalmology is a field that merges neurology and ophthalmology. It mainly deals with diseases of the nervous system that affects vision, control the movement of eyes or abnormalities of pupil.
It is the brain that resolves the image that is captured by the human eye. Mainly the optic nerve is responsible for the transfer of visual stimuli and any damage or dysfunction of this optic nerve may lead to impairment of vision.
                             
Optic nerve disorders include the following:

  • Raised pressure in eye or glaucoma
  • Not enough blood supply or ischaemia
  • Eye injury
  • Raised pressure in the brain
  • Inflammation
  • Double vision
  • Photophobia (difficulty in seeing light)
  • Headaches
  • Disorders of eye movement that can affects certain parts of the brain that control the movement and obstruct the signal transmission between nerve and muscle.
  • Optic neuritis
  • Optic nerve atrophy

Causes

The causes of neuro-ophthalmological disorders include the following:

  • Tumors that cause compression
  • Blood supply reduction
  • Symptoms
  • Decreased vision
  • Unequal pupils
  • Double vision

Treatment

The treatment of certain neuro-ophthalmological disorders depends on the type.

EXAMINATIONS

  • Visual Acuity
  • Colour Vision (Testing By Pseudo Ishihara Chart)
  • Amsler Grid Test
  • Pupil Examination
  • Confrontation Visual Fields
  • Hess Charting
  • Fundus Examination
  • Visual Fields
  • OCT
  • Ocular Movements/ Position - Any phoria or tropia, lid position (retraction or ptosis), head posture, ocular movements – any obvious deviation, nystagmus, saccades, convergence
  • Nystagmus – Observe for any abnormal head posture for maintaining in the null position

FAQ

  • What are the neurological disorders that may affect vision?

    1. Brain tumor

    2. Brain infection

    3. Stroke

  • Who should urgently visit a neuro-ophthalmologist?

    Patients with sudden visual loss, either due to neural or a retinal problem. The neural problems include Optic Neuritis and Ischemic Optic Neuropathy, but accurate diagnosis can restore vision.

  • How to be relieved of double vision (diplopia)?

    The cure takes nearly 6-8 weeks to act, keeping in mind that diabetes and hypertension is in control. But in some cases, if double vision does not get corrected, then special lenses called prisms are provided.

  • What is optic neuritis?

    It is an inflammation of the optic nerve which can occur due to infections or immune related disorders.

  • What is optic nerve atrophy?

    A condition that sees the damage of the optic nerve, occurring due to reduced blood flow to the eye, trauma, etc.