Parkinson's and Eyesight

 

Good morning, it is Friday morning as I sit and write this post about Parkinson’s and eyesight, how many of us thought PD would have anything to do with our eyesight, not me that’s for sure.

It seems it is not uncommon for those of us with PD to have difficulty in focusing on nearby objects, this is because we lose the ability to converge with the eyes in order to focus.

This leads to blurred vision, often with double vision when reading.  This book says that relief can sometimes be found with a slight prismatic correction in prescription reading glasses, whatever, that means.

Focusing movement of the eyes may be slowed which is a problem with driving, as the PD suffer may not be able to shift gaze fast enough.

Then there is the reduction in blinking which may lead to dry eyes and a tendency for crusting on the eyelids and of course soreness. If one has dry eyes artificial tear eye drops should be used for relief.

Sometimes the drugs used to treat the disease may affect focusing, thankfully this usually only happens when starting a medication and after a bit things improve. Although in some rare cases the drug may increase the fluid pressure in the eye and provoke glaucoma which isn’t good. As this can cause pain, vomiting and deterioration of vision.

More to come next week.