Eyesight problems

jean3

Registered User
Oct 18, 2007
15
0
South Lakes
Mum's eyesight is deteriorating. We've noticed she squints at the television and soon gives up watching. When moving about she feels her way along furniture etc.
We've tried unsuccessfully to get her eyes tested at home but she can't and won't follow instructions or answer questions.
Any suggestions of what I can do next please?
 

dora

Registered User
Aug 1, 2007
152
0
England
Testing eyesight

Hello Jean
It sounds as though your mum's sight is pretty bad if she's having to feel her way around - more like a disease than just needing glasses.
It sounds as though you had a home visit from an optician. I would have thought that they should be able to see something wrong just by looking into the eye, as long as your mum can tolerate that.

Some suggestions:-
If you feel that the optician wasn't very experienced with people with dementia, you could find one that is. You could try phoning local dementia homes and asking who they use, or local home-visiting optician firms and asking them if they have relevant experience.

If your mum turns out to have cataracts, you need to think whether she would be able to tolerate lying still for the operation. If not, she would need a general anaesthetic and this is not always a good idea with dementia.

If it turns out that you cannot get a diagnosis, or that nothing can be done to improve her sight, then you should get a referral, or refer her yourself, to the local blind/partially sighted association. They can help with aids and general advice.

Hope this helps.

Dora
 

Jo1958

Registered User
Mar 31, 2010
3,724
0
Yorkshire
Jean, hi
My hubby's eyesight now seems very bad too but it's the messages from the eyes not being reacted to by his brain rather than something wrong with his eyes. When the dementia cloud lifts for a short time he can see very well.

Dora's idea of looking for and using aids is a good one, I hope you can find things that will help you both.
With kind regards from Jo
 

jan.s

Registered User
Sep 20, 2011
7,353
0
72
Hi My husband also has poor eyesight. I took him to the optician, who was unable to do an eye test, because he couldn't follow the instructions.

She referred him to the hospital for further tests, which due for circumstances he is still awaiting his appointment (not the NHS fault this time!!). The new appointment is now being arranged.

I do tend to agree with Jo though, that it may well not be his eyes, but is more likely to be the processing in the brain.

Jan
 

Nebiroth

Registered User
Aug 20, 2006
3,510
0
I would try again with a visiting optician. Some of them specialise in patients who are incapable of co-operation (such as following instructions).

There are tests such as direct examination of the eyes which can look for degenerative conditions. The only co-operation required is to keep the eyes open and let the optician look in them.

Unfortunately the more definitive tests require that the patient is at least capable of putting their head in a specific position, looking straight ahead, keeping still etc.

The test that checks for high pressure in the eyes is a simple device that uses a puff of air. High pressure can lead to glaucoma. But the test that checks to see if there is any actual vision loss requires that the patient press a button when they see lights.

Unfortunately tests to check what a patient can see require that the patient is able to tell you if they can or can't!

The standard eye-chart test for spectacles can sometimes be replaced by using a device that directly measures the eyes . The result is not so accurate because vision is partially subjective, which is why the optician asks you "better, or worse?" so many times. If your mum's worsening vision is simply the normal experience dwith aging, this may be an option.

If your mum's vision is deteriorating, espescially if this is rapid, then his eyes need to be examined because this could be a sign of macular degeneration. There are two sorts - "dry" AMD which happens slowly and gradually, and "wet" which can be much more sudden and rapid. Both show physical signs in the eyes that will be seen by a doctor/optician on examination. Definitive diagnosis requires a test done is hospital that uses a special dye and a camera to image the back of the eye but this requires the patient to be able to tolerate an injection (in a vein on the back of the hand) and to sit still looking straight ahead into the camera. Dry AMD is untreatable, but wet AMD is (for some people)

The typical signs of AMD are increasingly poor vision, poor colour vision, a need for a brighter light, etc. When advanced it leads to a blind spot in the centre vision, this is th epart of the eye that is used for detailed vision so things like reading or recognising faces becomes very difficult. Wet AMD typically leads to distortions in vision, particularly straight lines as well as the other symptoms. It is very important to get an examination, since wet AMD can progress very rapidly (sometimes in weeks or months) and the treatment cannot restore any vision that is already lost.

If you cannot find an optician that can help, see your GP. They would also be able to conduct a basic physical exam of the eyes and make a hospital referral if necessary.
 
Last edited:

LYN T

Registered User
Aug 30, 2012
6,958
0
Brixham Devon
I am taking Pete to the opticians on Tuesday. It's his normal one but he hasn't been for three years.I emailed them and explained the situation (he couldn't do the test properly three years ago). I told them he has AD MMSE 7/30 but he didn't know the diagnosis. A very nice lady phoned me and said they had allocated him an hour long appointment with a very patient optician. I will be able to sit with him. So at least they are making a very good effort. He has glaucoma (eye drops every night to relieve pressure) and he needs complicated variofocal glasses, but I feel quite confident that they will do their best and treat him with dignity at all times.I will post and let you know how I got on.Maybe it's a case of trial and error to find a sympathetic optician?
 

jean3

Registered User
Oct 18, 2007
15
0
South Lakes
Mmmm think this might be it. She wouldn't be able to use or understand any aids but many thanks for all the responses - gives me something to work on.
Jean

Jean, hi
My hubby's eyesight now seems very bad too but it's the messages from the eyes not being reacted to by his brain rather than something wrong with his eyes. When the dementia cloud lifts for a short time he can see very well.

Dora's idea of looking for and using aids is a good one, I hope you can find things that will help you both.
With kind regards from Jo
 

optocarol

Registered User
Nov 23, 2011
315
0
Auckland, New Zealand
Jean3, I am a retired optometrist, have some questions. How old is your mother and how old are her current glasses? I would phone some optometrists (as they are called here) and ask if they have an auto-refractor. This measures the prescription without asking the patient anything. As someone else has said, it may not be the same result as you would get subjectively, but if it's significantly different from her current glasses, it's going to be an improvement. As far as macular degeneration, cataract and glaucoma are concerned, my attitude would depend on her age. Significant cataract and glaucoma are not hard to diagnose without input from the patient.

Hope that helps.
 

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