Neuro-ophthalmic conditions

What is neuro-ophthalmology?

Neuro-ophthalmology merges the disciplines of ophthalmology (eyes) and neurology (nervous system), focusing on the complex interaction between the eyes, brain and nerves.

What are the symptoms of neuro-ophthalmic conditions?

Almost half of our brain is used for processing visual images and moving our eyes. Neuro-ophthalmologists carry out diagnosis and treatment of conditions affecting the nerve pathways that connect the eyes to the brain.

Some of these problems include:

Unexplained vision loss.
Optic nerve problems (such as optic neuritis, optic neuropathy and optic atrophy).
Abnormal eye.
Movements (nystagmus).
Unequal pupil size. (such as Horner syndrome and Adie pupil)
Eye and vision problems relating to brain damage (such as stroke, trauma, and multiple sclerosis).

What causes neuro-ophthalmic conditions?

The eye is connected to the brain by the optic nerve. It carries signals from the the light sensing tissue (retina) at the back of the eye to the brain which interprets them as visual images.

Neuro-ophthalmology patients often have other long-term medical conditions. Your brain controls what you see and there are many conditions that affect both the brain and the eye.