We Help Patients With Optic Atrophy Regain Visual Acuity
Are colors difficult to make out clearly? Do they seem less bright then they used to? Maybe it’s hard to see things to your side, or what you see out of one eye is brighter than the other. If any of these things are happening, you may be experiencing symptoms of an eye condition called Optic Atrophy.
What Is Optic Atrophy?
Optic Atrophy is an eye disease that occurs when the optic nerve is damaged. The human brain is like a computer. First, your eyes capture an image and send a message to the optic nerve in the back of your eye, which connects to your brain. Your brain receives the message and processes it, letting you understand what you see.
When the optic nerve is damaged, it can’t pass the signals to your brain correctly, so you can’t understand the image you’re looking at. This results in symptoms like blurry vision, trouble seeing colors, difficulty with peripheral (side) vision, and gradual vision loss.
What Causes Optic Atrophy?
Optic Atrophy is caused by damage to the optic nerve. Just how does the optic nerve get damaged? It can happen from inflammation in the eye, a congenital birth defect, or as a result of high intraocular pressure (IOP), which is usually caused by glaucoma.
Optic Atrophy and Low Vision
Gradual loss of vision is a common experience in patients with Optic Atrophy. In more severe cases, it can even lead to blindness. That’s why an early diagnosis is so important.
At the Chism Low Vision Institute, we see many patients with this eye disease from all over the Abilene, Austin, Fort Worth, and Georgetown areas. Our office has the most advanced tools at our disposal to not only diagnose your condition but to maximize your vision and help you live your life the way you want to, even with vision loss.
How a Low Vision Doctor Can Help with Optic Atrophy
Dr. Larry M. Chism will work with you to understand your personal lifestyle, vision goals, and what’s most important to YOU. Using a combination of low vision glasses and aids, our low vision doctor can help enhance your remaining vision, even if you have vision loss from Optic Atrophy.
If Optic Atrophy has negatively affected your peripheral (side) vision, your low vision doctor may recommend prismatic reading glasses. These glasses can help expand your field of vision so that your peripheral vision is enhanced, so you’re more aware of your surroundings. Are things becoming more and more blurry? Wearable magnifiers can enlarge text so you see words in a book or magazine in more detail.
You can read more about the low vision aids and devices we offer here.
If you’ve experienced vision loss from Optic Atrophy, we can help you use whatever remaining vision you’ve got so you can do the things you want to do.
Book an appointment at the Chism Low Vision Institute today. Let us help you get back on the right track to better vision and a better life.