What causes visual impairment?

There are many types of visual impairment, and the causes of each type of visual impairment are different. Transient visual impairment may be caused by mental stimulation, cerebral hemorrhage or excessive fatigue. Some other visual impairments may be congenital or caused by other reasons in the later stage.

1. Transient visual impairment

Common causes include central retinal artery spasm, orthostatic hypotension, mental stimulation syncope or blackout, cerebral ischemia reaction, high intracranial pressure, psychoneurological reaction (hysteria, neurasthenia), body reaction (decompression sickness, hunger, excessive fatigue), etc.

2. Acute visual impairment

1. Central retinal artery embolism.

2. Central retinal vein obstruction.

3. Localized retinal hemorrhage: can be seen in retinal periphlebitis, arteriosclerosis, blood diseases, etc.

4. Acute optic neuritis.

5. Retinal detachment.

6. Macular hole.

7. Eye injury.

8. Drug, alcohol, and CO poisoning.

3. Chronic visual impairment

1. Congestive eye diseases: such as keratitis, iritis and iridocyclitis, panuveitis, suppurative endophthalmitis, panophthalmitis, orbital cellulitis, and angle-closure glaucoma.

2. Non-congestive eye diseases: such as corneal degeneration, open-angle glaucoma, lens opacities, vitreous opacities, retinitis, optic neuritis, refractive errors and accommodation disorders.

3. Complications and sequelae of trauma and inflammation: such as traumatic cataracts, secondary glaucoma, sympathetic ophthalmia, retinal detachment, macular holes and macular degeneration.

4. Hereditary eye diseases: such as retinitis pigmentosa, high myopia, retinoblastoma, and Marfan syndrome.

5. Craniocerebral diseases and trauma: such as brain tumor, encephalitis, meningitis, and craniocerebral trauma.

4. Fixed visual impairment

1. Congenital developmental abnormalities: such as microphthalmos, keratoconus, spherical lenses, congenital lens opacities, pupillary residual membrane, retinal degeneration, and congenital optic atrophy.

2. Sequelae of eye diseases: such as corneal clouding, leukoplakia, leukoplakia, pupil occlusion, lens opacity, proliferative vitreoretinopathy, and secondary optic nerve shrinkage.