The signs and symptoms of retinitis pigmentosa usually arise in childhood, with sensitivity to bright light or poor low light vision. This inherited disease causes mutations in any of 50 genes responsible for creating proteins that enable the photoreceptor cells of the retina to work. A few common changes for older adults include: Losing the ability to see up close Having trouble distinguishing colors, such as blue from black Needing more time to adjust to changing levels of light These problems are often easily corrected. Retinitis pigmentosa (RP): Considered a rare disease, RP is thought to affect around one in 4,000 people in the U.S. As you age, it is normal to notice changes in your vision.Macular edema: A build-up of fluids in the retinal tissue that causes the macula to swell.Left untreated, diabetic retinopathy can lead to blindness. Diabetic retinopathy: A deterioration of the retinal tissue due to excessive glucose (sugar) levels in the blood.The vitreous naturally shrinks a bit with age, but sometimes the shrinking vitreous sticks to the retina and pulls it away from the back of the eye This can occur due to trauma (for example, a blow to the head) or due to a malfunction of the normal shrinking process of the fluid (the vitreous) that occupies the inside of the eye. This is caused by nerve damage that was contained to the one affected eye. Detached or torn retina: A condition that results from the retinal tissue pulling away from the back of the eyeball. Optic nerve problems When a problem develops in the optic nerve by trauma, disease or exposure to harmful elements the effect it has on vision may be presented in different ways: Vision loss on one side.Central serous retinopathy is a relatively common condition in which the central retina develops a cyst and central vision becomes distorted. What is AMD Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease that can blur your central vision.Retinoblastoma may be curable, depending on whether or not the cancer has spread beyond the eyeball. Retinoblastoma occurs in children and results from an inherited gene mutation that causes retinal cells to multiply too quickly. Cancers: Cancerous (malignant) tumors of the retina are rare but include diseases like retinoblastoma.

Wet AMD is rarer and occurs when new blood vessels grow abnormally in the retina, leak fluids, and cause scarring of the macula. There may be no symptoms of this disease, or one may see floaters, or develop a loss of vision if vitreous hemorrhage or retinal detachment occur. Dry AMD is the more common type and occurs when the tissue layer of the macula becomes thinner with age. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD): One of the most common types of retinal disease, AMD causes progressive central vision loss.The visual cortex turns the signals into images (for example, our vision). The optic nerve is then responsible for carrying the signals to the visual cortex of the brain. This is the light-sensitive nerve layer that lines the back of the eye. It helps to keep the eye round in shape.įinally, the light reaches the retina. This is the clear, jelly-like substance that fills the center of the eye. Next, light passes through the vitreous humor. This is the clear structure inside the eye that focuses light rays onto the retina. The iris, or the colored part of your eye, controls the amount of light passing through.įrom there, it then hits the lens. This is the clear, dome-shaped surface that covers the front of the eye.įrom the cornea, the light passes through the pupil. For children with normal vision, the following things happen in this order:

To understand how certain problems can affect your child's vision, it’s important to know how normal vision happens. Click Image to Enlarge What is normal vision?

Vision loss normal lens normal retina