Neorologic Causes of Eye Problems

Eye problems caused by neurological issues can often present serious concerns. This is especially true for individuals who have also recently experienced unconsciousness or problems thinking clearly. Situations like these demand immediate medical attention. While other visual problems may not present the same immediate concern, they should still receive prompt medical attention.

Myasthenia Gravis

• Myasthenia Gravis develops when the body develops antibodies that prevent the eyes' neurotransmitters from working properly. As a result, the eyelids begin to droop involuntarily, causing the patient to experience obscured vision and other visual problems. Symptoms are generally worse at the end of the day and improve somewhat with rest. Medication is sometimes effective in preventing the problematic antibodies from forming.

Sarcoidosis

• Sarcoidosis is an illness in which an abnormal amount of inflammatory cells form in organs throughout the body. In some cases of sarcoidosis, swelling or paralysis of the nerves causes patients to experience blurred or double vision, along with other visual impairment. It may also cause the eyes to become painfully inflamed or develop small growths that prohibit the eyes from rotating freely.

Lyme Disease

• Advanced cases of Lyme disease cause several neurological symptoms, including trouble controlling the muscles in the face. This disease may also cause the patient to experience double vision or swelling of the cornea.

Ischemic Optic Neuropathy

• Ischemic optic neuropathy interrupts blood flow to the optic nerve, preventing it from functioning normally. The result is an abrupt loss of vision that may be followed by more lasting damage to the eyes.

Loss of Blood Flow to the Brain

• Visual problems may also result from an injury to the brain, including trauma such as a heart attack, stroke, drowning or other incidents that prevents oxygen flow to the brain. The nature and extent of the injury determines the severity of the vision problems associated with it. Some patients with trauma to the brain develop Post Trauma Vision Syndrome (PTVS), a condition that produces symptoms such as double vision, difficulty shifting focus, sensitivity to light, eye fatigue, problems with depth perception, and balance problems.

Brain Tumors

• Certain brain tumors that develop near the optic nerve can cause blindness, tunnel vision or other visual impairments. Most commonly, problems arrive when the developing tumor puts pressure on the optic chiasm, the area where the optic nerves meet.

Multiple Sclerosis

• Vision impairment is one of the first symptoms of multiple sclerosis. This impairment, medically known as demyelinating optic neuritis, is caused when the protective layer surrounding the optic nerves begins to degenerate. While most patients recover from the initial vision loss, people in advanced stages of MS could lose their vision permanently.