Are you finding yourself bumping into furniture or people right beside you, or lacking confidence when you drive? Any of these signs may indicate peripheral vision loss. As people tend to have clear central vision, the first signs are often ignored until daily life starts becoming difficult.
Fortunately, detecting peripheral vision loss at its earliest stage can help you preserve your vision and even detect eye disease. In this guide, we cover the symptoms of peripheral vision loss, the reasons they may occur, when they warrant immediate treatment, and treatment options.
What Is Peripheral Vision Loss?
Before discussing symptoms and treatment, it’s worthwhile to understand how peripheral vision works and why it’s so important. By understanding how side vision works, one can identify when something’s wrong.
Peripheral vision is the capacity to see objects and movement outside your direct line of sight. With your peripheral vision, you can spot people approaching from your sides, detect movement when you’re driving, and see where you’re going.
Peripheral vision loss refers to having impaired or diminished side vision. A lot of sufferers described it as ‘tunnel vision’, because it feels like looking through a tube.
Quick Definition
Loss of peripheral vision. An individual’s peripheral vision refers to their ability to perceive objects, movement, and other stimuli outside their central field of vision.
What Are the Symptoms of Peripheral Vision Loss?
Peripheral vision loss doesn’t occur uniformly. You might be the type who notices subtle vision changes over the months or years it takes for peripheral vision loss to become a serious problem, or the type who suddenly begins to experience vision issues.
Knowing some of the more prevalent symptoms might help you recognize an early warning sign of peripheral vision loss.
Some of the common signs of peripheral vision loss are:
- Problems seeing things to the side of the head.
- Frequently running into furniture or people.
- Navigating crowded areas is a struggle.
- Difficulty in spotting things while walking.
- Lack of consciousness of movement in the periphery of the vision.
- Difficulty in driving your car.
- Problems changing lanes.
- Loss of night vision.
- Inability to locate items on shelves.
- Increased tendency to fall.
- Feeling lost in new surroundings.
- Tunnel vision.
In some cases, the person will still have clear vision straight ahead, a factor that has historically led to misdiagnosis, with people simply thinking their vision is fine.
What Does Peripheral Vision Loss Look Like?
Most patients recognize they are experiencing sight loss, but find it difficult to describe what they see. A practical approach can demonstrate the vision loss associated with peripheral vision.
The experience of peripheral vision loss may feel like:
- Looking through a paper towel tube.
- Looking through a keyhole.
- Blurred or non-visible edges around the edges of your vision.
- Parts of a scene are missing, but other parts are visible and sharp in the center of your vision.
Patients might observe that:
- People suddenly appear next to you.
- Cars seem to materialize from nowhere.
- Obstacles are easily missed.
- It is difficult to follow actions occurring in busy surroundings.
Many patients compensate for this loss of peripheral vision by turning their head to look around more frequently
Early, Moderate, and Advanced Symptoms of Peripheral Vision Loss
Vision loss generally occurs gradually, and in some cases, early symptoms appear well before significant loss of sight.
Early Symptoms:
- Noticing movement from the side only sporadically.
- Trouble seeing well when driving, in a general way.
- Less aware of one’s surroundings when in an environment with a lot of people.
- Some decrease in the ability to see in low-light conditions.
Moderate Symptoms:
- Often bumping into people and objects.
- Trouble finding the way around in unfamiliar environments.
- Inability to find items out of one’s direct field of vision.
- The head turns more frequently from side to side to compensate for a reduced field of vision.
Advanced Symptoms:
- A very severely reduced field of vision or the appearance of severe tunnel vision.
- Severe limitations with driving.
- Numerous trips and falls.
- Serious difficulty functioning in daily life.
The earlier the symptoms are detected, the better the prognosis for retaining vision.
Common Causes of Peripheral Vision Loss Symptoms
Peripheral vision loss is not a disease in itself, but an indication of an underlying eye or brain disorder. Pinpointing the cause is one of the crucial steps in determining treatment.
1. Glaucoma
Glaucoma is one of the most common conditions that results in the loss of peripheral vision.
It gradually affects the optic nerve and is most often one of the first signs in side vision. Typical symptoms are:
- Slow, gradual loss of sight.
- Blind spots appear.
- Eventually, the only vision is tunnel vision.
2. Retinal Detachment
This is a serious emergency, it can sometimes cause:
- Sudden flashes of light.
- New floaters
- Dark, curtain-like appearance in vision.
- Side vision is abruptly lost.
3. Diabetic Retinopathy
This causes damage to retinal blood vessels and may result in:
- Blurred vision
- Dark spots appearing in the vision.
- Peripheral vision impairment.
- Vision fluctuates.
4. Retinitis Pigmentosa
This hereditary disorder affects the retina. It can cause:
- Difficulty seeing in the dark.
- Progressive loss of side vision.
- Tunnel vision.
5. Stroke
If the brain receives an injury from a stroke, this may affect the processing of vision and can cause:
- Sudden loss of visual field.
- Loss of half of the side vision.
- Other symptoms can also occur.
6. Ocular Migraine
An episode can lead to temporary visual symptoms like:
- Tunnel vision
- Blind spots
- Flashes of light or zigzag patterns in vision.
- It usually passes off.
Peripheral Vision Loss Symptoms by Cause
There are varying degrees to which different conditions affect side vision. You can recognize patterns in symptoms to help illustrate why an evaluation by a medical professional is essential.
|
Cause |
Typical Symptom Pattern |
|
Glaucoma |
Slow, progressive side vision loss |
|
Retinal Detachment |
Sudden curtain or shadow effect |
|
Stroke |
Sudden loss of part of the visual field |
|
Ocular Migraine |
Temporary tunnel vision or blind spots |
|
Diabetic Retinopathy |
Progressive blind spots and blurred vision |
|
Retinitis Pigmentosa |
Night blindness followed by tunnel vision |
Can Peripheral Vision Loss Affect One Eye or Both Eyes?
A common question patients have is whether their peripheral vision loss affects only one eye or both eyes. That depends on the cause. Peripheral vision loss in just one eye may be associated with:
- Retinal detachment
- Trauma or injury to the eye.
- Optic nerve disease
Peripheral vision loss that involves both eyes is associated with:
- Glaucoma
- Retinitis pigmentosa
- Certain neurological diseases that impact the visual pathways.
Since individual patterns of presentation differ, a full eye examination is mandatory.
Is Peripheral Vision Loss an Emergency?
It’s not always an emergency, but some symptoms indicate a serious eye condition or a medical emergency that requires immediate medical attention.
Call for medical emergency if:
- Suddenly losing your peripheral vision.
- Seeing new flashes of light.
- Many new floaters (specks in vision).
- Shadow across your visual field like a curtain.
- Sudden severe pain in the eye.
- Sudden numbness in your face.
- Slurring of speech
- Sudden onset of weakness.
- Sudden onset of confusion.
Swift medical treatment can help avoid permanent vision loss
How do doctors diagnose peripheral vision loss?
Most of these eye diseases present with comparable symptoms. Eye specialists can determine the cause of your visual field loss using specialized tests. Typical tests used include:
- Visual field testing
- Dilated retinal examination
- Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)
- Eye pressure testing
- Retinal imaging
- MRI or CT scan (if neurological conditions suspected)
Treatment for Peripheral Vision Loss
Treatment is specific to each cause. In some cases, immediate medical attention is required, whereas in others, a long-term management plan is required.
Treatment options may include:
For Glaucoma
- Prescription eye drops
- Laser procedures
- Surgery
For Retinal Detachment
- Laser treatment
- Cryotherapy
- Vitrectomy
- Retinal surgery
For Diabetic Retinopathy
- Control blood glucose levels
- Retinal injections
- Laser treatment
For Stroke
- Emergency medical treatment
- Rehabilitation therapy
- For vision rehabilitation
- Vision training programs
- Mobility training
- Low-vision aid
More tips and techniques can be found in our guide on improving peripheral vision.
Can Peripheral Vision Loss Be Reversed?
Whether vision can recover after loss is one of the most frequently asked questions by patients.
This is related to the etiology of vision loss and the timing of treatment initiation.
Conditions caused by temporary abnormalities, such as ocular migraines, usually result in completely reversible vision loss. Certain retinal diseases might even improve when the physician initiates prompt treatment.
Yet, vision loss that is caused by advanced glaucoma or heritable retinal diseases may be irreversibly lost.
When Should You See an Eye Doctor?
Often, it takes a long time for patients to seek advice because the symptoms do not initially appear consequential. Knowing when to book an appointment with your eye care professional is vital to preserving your eyesight.
See your eye care professional if you experience:
- Lack of peripheral (side) vision.
- Difficulty with driving.
- Colliding with other people or objects frequently.
- Declining night vision.
- Unexplained visual changes.
Don’t dismiss these symptoms.
Retina Vitreous Associates Of Florida — Preserving Vision. Protecting Lives.
Peripheral vision loss may affect not only your quality of life and independence but also your safety. Although some sources are not immediately concerning and develop slowly, some can occur suddenly and should be treated by a medical professional. Catching vision problems at an earlier stage can allow for prevention and preservation of sight.
If you have experienced alterations in your peripheral vision, do not wait for symptoms to worsen. Schedule a full eye exam with Retina Vitreous Associates of Florida specialists to diagnose your peripheral vision loss and get the recommended treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What Are The First Symptoms Of Peripheral Vision Loss?
Initial symptoms such as bumping into things and difficulty driving are often overlooked, as are difficulties with peripheral awareness of movement and with crowd navigation. This is usually because vision through the center of the eye is unimpaired.
2. Can Peripheral Vision Loss Happen Suddenly?
Yes, Retinal detachment, stroke, eye trauma, and some neurological disorders can be causes of rapid peripheral vision loss. If you have an acute change in vision (especially with flashes, floaters, or any neurological signs or symptoms), get medical help right away.
3. Does Glaucoma Cause Peripheral Vision Loss?
Yes, a loss in the periphery usually happens before the center of the visual field. Glaucoma usually happens very gradually and painlessly, so it’s important to get regular checkups to catch it early.
4. Is Peripheral Vision Loss Permanent?
Not necessarily. Some conditions can be temporary, such as ocular migraines, and affect vision only temporarily. Certain conditions, if not treated in a timely fashion, can result in permanent vision loss. It all depends on the condition.
5. Can Peripheral Vision Loss Affect Only One Eye?
Yes. One eye can be involved in retinal detachment, optic nerve diseases, eye injuries, and certain retinal diseases. However, some conditions, such as glaucoma, usually affect both eyes over time. Still, the effects may not be equally apparent in both eyes.