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Blindness is the inability to see anything, even light. Ifyoure partially blind, you have limited vision. For example, you may haveblurry vision or the inability to distinguish the shapes of objects. Completeblindness means that you cant see at all and are in total darkness. Legalblindness refers to vision thats highly compromised. What a person withhealthy eyes can see from 200 feet away a legally blind person can see onlyfrom 20 feet away.

Seek medical attention right away if you suddenly lose theability to see. Have someone bring you to the emergency room for treatment. Dontwait for your vision to return. Depending on the cause of your blindness,immediate treatment may increase your chances of restoring your vision.Treatment may involve surgery or medication.

If youre completely blind, you can see nothing. If yourepartially blind, you might experience the following symptoms:

Your childs visual system begins to develop in the womb,but it wont be fully formed until about 2 years of age. By 6 to 8 weeks ofage, your baby should be able to fix their gaze on an object and follow itsmovement. By 4 months of age, their eyes should be properly aligned and notturned inward or outward.

The symptoms of visual impairment in young children can include:

The following eye diseases and conditions can causeblindness:

Blindness is a potential complication if you have diabetesor have a stroke. Birth defects, eye injuries, and complications from eyesurgery are other common causes of blindness.

The following conditions can impair vision or cause blindnessin infants:

The following categories of people are at risk of blindness:

A thorough eye exam by an optometrist will help to determinethe cause of your blindness or partial loss of vision. Your eye doctor willadminister a series of tests that measure the clarity of your vision, thefunction of your eye muscles, and how your pupils react to light. Theyllexamine the general health of your eyes using a slit lamp, which is a low-powermicroscope paired with a high-intensity light.

A pediatrician will screen your baby for eye problemsshortly after birth. At 6 months of age, you should have an eye doctor orpediatrician check your child again for visual acuity, focus, and eyealignment. The doctor will look at your babys eye structures and see whetherthey can follow a light or colorful object with their eyes.

Your child should be able to pay attention to visual stimuliby 6 to 8 weeks of age. If your child doesnt react to light shining in theireyes or focus on colorful objects by 2 to 3 months of age, have their eyesexamined right away. You should have their eyes examined if you notice crossedeyes or any other symptoms of impaired vision.

In some cases of vision impairment, one or more of thefollowing may help to restore your vision:

If you experience partial blindness that cant be corrected,your doctor will provide guidance on how to function with limited vision. Forexample, you can use a magnifying glass to read, increase the text size on yourcomputer, and use audio clocks and audiobooks.

Complete blindness requires approaching life in a new wayand learning new skills. For example, you may need to learn how to:

You may also need to have handrails installed in yourbathroom.

The long-term outlook for restoring vision and slowingvision loss is better when treatment is preventive and sought immediately.Cataracts can be treated effectively with surgery and dont necessarily resultin blindness. Early diagnosis and treatment are also important in cases ofglaucoma and macular degeneration to help slow down or stop your vision loss.

To detect eye diseases and help prevent vision loss, getregular eye examinations. If youre diagnosed with certain eye conditions, suchas glaucoma, treatment with medication can help prevent blindness.

Have your childs eyes examined at 6 months of age, 3 yearsof age, and every two years between the ages of 6 and 18 years old to helpprevent vision loss. If you notice symptoms of vision loss between routinevisits, make an appointment with their eye doctor immediately.

Written by: Chitra Badii and Marijane LeonardMedically reviewed on: Mar 09, 2016: Mark R. Laflamme, MD

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This entry was posted on August 28, 2018 at 12:42 am and is filed under Blindness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |