Neuro-Ophthalmology deals with disorders of the optic nerve as well as the nerves that innervate the ocular muscles. These disorders result in impaired vision and impaired ocular motility.
The object of Neuroophthalmology is to distinguish disorders that occur due to damage of the optic nerve, ophthalmokinetic nerves, brain dysfunctions and systemic diseases and to determine the level of damage, which can be located at any point in the visual pathway from the retina in the eye, to the center of vision located in the brain.
Some of the most common conditions of Neuro-Οphthalmology are:
• Diseases of the optic nerve
• Myasthenia gravis
• Thyroid Eye disease
• Transient or permanent vision loss
• Stroke
• Diplopia and blurred vision
• Visual perception disorders
• Headache and migraine
• Trauma
• Complications of neurosurgery
• Demyelination
What are the symptoms of Neuro-Οphthalmological diseases?
The most common symptoms in neuro-ophthalmological disorders are:
• Loss of vision
• Vision disorders
• Diplopia
• Blepharospasm
• Nystagmus
The sudden loss of vision may be due to blockage of vessels of the optic nerve or retina due to ischemia. However, it may be due to a tumor or an aneurysm and requires immediate treatment.
Diagnostic tests in neuro-ophthalmology
Usually diagnostic testing in such cases can include:
• Visual acuity testing
• Orthoptic examination
• Tonometry
• Fundoscopy
• Visual fields
• Optical coherence tomography – OCT
• MRI – Magnetic tomography
• CT – CT scan
Neuro-ophthalmological examination is very detailed examination and can last long.
Treatment of neuro-ophthalmology diseases
Treatment depends on the diagnosis and nature of the problem and often requires the involvement of many specialties that are coordinated by the neuro-ophthalmologist. Several times it is particularly important to diagnose early and quickly treat some of the above conditions.