What is Neuro-Ophthalmology?
Neuro-ophthalmology is a medical specialty that focuses on the relationship between the nervous system (the brain and nerves) and the eyes. It deals with vision problems that arise due to issues in the brain, optic nerves, or muscles that control eye movement, rather than problems directly within the eyes themselves.
The field is important because some vision issues stem from neurological condition, but individuals may not realise the cause is coming from the brain. These symptoms are commonly not easy to describe or measured. As a result, it is challenging for others (including medical professionals) to understand the full impacts they may have on an individual’s life.
These are just a handful of the symptoms that can arise from neuro-ophthalmic conditions, and each of them can have many different causes. As you can imagine, these can have a multitude of different impacts on your daily function. However, this page is designed to offer you further explanations and insights into your symptoms, helping you better understand the potential impacts on your quality of life.
Here are some examples of neuro-ophthalmic conditions/symptoms:
Optic Neuritis: inflammation of the optic nerve.
Papilloedema: swelling of the optic nerve head
Diplopia: double vision/seeing two images of a single object
Pupillary Abnormalities: different pupil sizes or shapes
Visual Field Defects: blind spots in vision
Nystagmus: involuntary, repetitive eye movements (side-side, up and down)
