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Sudden Decline in Vision: What are the Main Causes in 2021?

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You may have heard about the sudden decline in vision and in certain cases about the sudden loss of vision which is even more of a concern.

The common reasons for the sudden decline in vision may be trauma, choking the flow of blood to and from the retina, or pulling of the retina that is away from its actual position.

Many eye specialists and ophthalmologists have suggested different reasons. The following is a list of reasons common for the sudden decline of vision in 2021.

Dry Eye Disease

It looks may look harmless from the beginning, but dry eyes can quickly become dangerous, leading to a rapid decline in your vision.

In this condition of dry eye disease, you won’t be producing enough tears or liquid to keep lubricating the eyes. Vision loss from such a condition is more common than people can think. If it’s not treated in time, it can lead to permanent loss of vision, resulting in blindness.

Its most notable symptoms are scratchy and irritating eyes. These symptoms can improve with rest. In acute conditions, doctors will suggest reducing tear loss or therapies that will improve gland functions in the eyelid margins to make it soft and fluent.

Cortical Cataracts

This condition starts slowly and involves yellowing or whitening of the eye-lens. It starts at the outside of the eye-lens and spreads across the entire eye. Cortical cataracts can also start at the center of the lens. This can cause a sudden decline in vision in few days.

Its symptoms include a tough time for reading in low lights, and a rapid decline in near and distant vision which cannot be corrected with glasses.

Cataracts were a major problem in the first half of the last century, but now doctors can remove cataracts with surgery.

Wet Macular Degeneration

This eye condition is about the retina, which receives and relays the light into electrical signals that travel to your brain, giving you vision or sight. The photoreceptors of the macula that process vision, get thin and die as deposits called drusen, which grow under the retina and block nutrient flow to the weaker receptors. This is a macular degeneration process, that damages your vision.

In few other cases, the disease will lead to “wet” macular degeneration, in which fluid from blood vessels attempting to recover nutrients leaks onto the retina.

Its symptoms generally appear as wavy lines in your vision. Doctors generally start the treatment with an eye injection every 4 to 6 weeks to dry up the fluid and protect against further scarring.

Central Retinal Artery Blocking

This dangerous eye condition blocks the central retinal artery. The optic nerve and retina blood supply comes from the central retinal artery. A platelet aggregate, or something floating in the blood can cut off retinal artery blocking, leading to multiple issues.

Conclusion

You should focus on the severity of your condition. Doctors often try to treat the sudden decline of vision by reducing either pressure on your eyes through massaging the eyes or applying laser to the plaque, if required.

To keep your eye health in check, and prevent aggravation of decline in the vision you should consider getting a regular eye exam with an ophthalmologist.

Written by Total Focus

At Total Focus Optometry, we’ve spent the last 70 years building meaningful relationships with our patients and their families. From routine eye exams to contact lens fittings we offer our patients a variety of services to meet their eye care needs.

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