Less commonly, the flipside may occur, with excessive blinking known as blepharospasm. The blink reflex, which occurs normally at about 16 to 18 times per minute, may decrease in PD, sometimes substantially. In terms of complementary and alternative therapies, art therapy has been seen to alleviate some of the vision effects associated with Parkinson’s disease. Prisms help to bend light to the proper focal point on the retina when the eyes are not able to achieve this on their own. Often these are pediatric ophthalmologists or optometrists since convergence insufficiency is common in children. A neuro-ophthalmologist may in turn refer you to an ophthalmologist or optometrist with special training in fitting prisms. If you are found to have convergence insufficiency, you may be prescribed glasses with prisms. If an eye movement abnormality is found, you may be prescribed two pairs of glasses, one for distance and the other for close activities and reading. A neuro-ophthalmologist is either an ophthalmologist or a neurologist who has additional post-residency training in neuro-ophthalmology. Neuro-ophthalmologists attempt to bridge the gap between ophthalmology and neurology by diagnosing and treating the vision manifestations of neurological disease. Therefore, if you are having visual problems and a trip to the ophthalmologist with a new lens prescription does not solve the problem, ask for a referral to a neuro-ophthalmologist. In order to diagnose an eye movement problem however, different types of evaluations need to be done that may not be performed at a routine visit with an ophthalmologist. A refractive error can be picked up by an ophthalmologist or optometrist. This is a common cause of vision issues for many people with and without PD, and as we age, it is normal for a lens prescription to need adjustment over time. If a person with PD is having visual complaints, the first thing to consider is whether a simple refractive error is contributing to the problem. This problem can also affect a person’s ability to read. This is called convergence insufficiency, which can cause double vision, especially when focusing on near tasks. In PD, the eyes are often not able to come together sufficiently as a target draws near. If a person has Levodopa-induced dyskinesias, the saccades can become fast and erratic which can also be problematic.Īnother common eye movement issue for people with PD is difficulty with vergence eye movements. In PD, the saccades tend to be slow, which means reading can be difficult if the eyes are unable to find the correct place on the next line. When the target comes towards a person for example, the eyes have to move slightly together, or converge, to keep vision of the target clear. Vergence eye movements are used when the target is coming towards or away from a person.They are important when reading as the eyes need to jump from the end of one line and to the beginning of the next. Saccadic eye movements are the rapid eye movements that allow the eyes to quickly jump to a new target.Pursuit eye movementsallow the eyes to travel together to follow a moving target in the horizontal or vertical direction.There are three fundamental types of eye movements. Try the Tool How Parkinson’s Affects Your Eyes Eye Movement Problems Easily track and communicate your symptoms with your healthcare provider.
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