Understanding Visual Field Defect: Causes, Symptoms, and Management

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Visual Field Defect

by Alike Medical Team ∙ Updated on June 13, 2023

Additional names

This group contains additional names: - Hemianopsia

General

A visual field defect is a loss of part of the usual field of vision, so it does not include severe visual impairment of either one eye or both. There are many causes of visual field defects, the more common disorders are: glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, retinal detachment, optic neuropathy, penetrations in the macula, retinal artery occlusion, and chorioretinitis.

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Signs & symptoms

Depending on the cause, your symptoms may vary in the location of the defect, its type, its development, and the possibility for it to disappear. You may also suffer from other symptoms that involve other parts of your body: you may suffer from headaches, weakness of one or two sides of your body, dizziness, shortness of air, or confusion.

Diagnosis

Usually an ophthalmologist conducts an investigation where the patient is asked to describe the location and the character of his or her visual field defect. Then, based on the patient complaints and the most common causes, the doctor would choose which test to use.

Treatment

Treatment and chances of recovery depend on what caused your visual field defect. While in some cases, like glaucoma, treatment can bring to a full recovery, others may cause a prominent visual field defect.

Note

☝ We provide information on prescription and over-the-counter medicines, diagnosis, procedures and lab tests. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

National Institutes of Health ∙ World Health Organization ∙ MedlinePluse ∙ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

☝ All information has been reviewed by certified physicians from Alike

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