retinal disease
Incredible images of a normal retina on the left and a damaged retina (tissue lining the back of the eye) courtesy of Robert N. Fariss, Ph.D., chief of the NEI Biological Imaging Core, and Ann H. Milam, Ph.D., former professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Washington.
Retinitis Pigmentosis is an eye disease that is primarily genetic and causes a slow, progressive loss of vision starting in the periphery and moving in, resulting in tunnel vision. Often eyesight will remain 20/20 until very late in the disease but with the extreme loss of side vision it can be very debilitating. Vitamin A has been used to slow the progression but doses of Vitamin A as low as twice the suggested normal dosage may increase the risk of hip fracture.
Ushers Syndrome, a combination of retinitis pigmentosa and hearing loss is common in Louisiana in the Acadian and Cajun population, French settlers that fled Canada and settled along the bayous of Louisiana. It is very uncommon to see this eye disease in Fort Collins since only a small percentage of cases result from spontaneous mutations.
If you are aware of any loss of peripheral or side vision it is important to schedule an appointment with your optometrist since other eye conditions like pituitary tumors and glaucoma can also create slowly progressive loss of side vision.
Comments 1
I have vision loss due to an accident. Before the accident I could see great with glasses for distance. Since my accident…. no vision at all in left eye and the right is is a challenge to explain. I can see from my nose going straight ahead. Unless I actually turn my head right, I see only some colors but no detail at all. In a way, I explain it like imagining a circle with a vertical line through it and from the line and going towards my nose is fine… seeing only some color and contrast on the right side of that circle
Do you have any simple ways of explaining that to someone who asks me what’s wrong. I’m a pencil artist and the sight problem is overwhelming for my career. But being able to explain it would help me to deal with better