Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCataractsMacular DegenerationDiabetic RetinopathyGlaucomaOther CausesDiagnosis
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Cataracts
Macular Degeneration
Diabetic Retinopathy
Glaucoma
Other Causes
Diagnosis
The idea of losing your vision can be scary. After all, you rely on your vision every day. In the U.S., 50million adults have experienced some sort of vision loss.Around the globe, there are an estimated 1.1 billion people with vision impairment. Among those, 43 million are blind, and 295 million have moderate to severe visual impairment.
Some vision loss happens suddenly. Other times, it happens gradually.Partial blindnessrefers to limited vision, andcomplete blindnessorblindnessis when you cannot see anything, including light.Here is information on some of the most common causes of vision loss, including cataracts, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma.
Verywell / Michela Buttignol
Acataractis a clouding in the lens of your eye. It is the most common cause of age-related vision loss.In addition to age, diabetes, eye injury, too much sun exposure, and other factors can speed up cataract formation.
Eye surgeons can remove cataracts.Cataract surgeryis one of the most common surgeries performed in the U.S. This means that cataracts can literally cloud your vision, but it doesn’t have to be permanent.
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Signs and Symptoms
Here are some signs and symptoms of cataracts:
Macular degenerationis an eye disorder that affects central vision. You use your sharp central vision to see objects clearly and for everyday tasks like reading and driving. Also called age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, this eye disorder affects the macula, located in the back of the eye. The macula is part of the retina.
Macular degeneration more commonly occurs over the age of 60 and is the largest cause of vision loss in people over age 50.There are an estimated 11 million people in the U.S. living with macular degeneration. Health experts predict that number will grow with the aging of the population.
There are two types of macular degeneration: wet and dry.Wet AMDis considered a more advanced disease thandry AMD. An advanced form of dry macular degeneration is called geographic atrophy. A person can have dry macular degeneration that turns into wet macular degeneration.
Both types of AMD can affect one eye or both eyes. Both wet and dry AMD can slowly or rapidly develop.
Makes up 85% to 90% of advanced vision loss in AMD cases.
A common cause of legal blindness in the U.S. However, if it is caught early, you can usually still preserve most of your vision.
Makes up 10 to 15% of advanced vision loss in AMD cases.
Does not cause blindness, but it can drastically affect central vision.
Dry macular degeneration:
Wet macular degeneration:
Diabetic retinopathycan develop when you have diabetes. It happens when high levels of blood sugar damage blood vessels in the back of the eye. The blood vessels may leak, become bigger, grow new blood vessels, or close completely.
There are two types of diabetic retinopathy. Non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy is the earlier stage, and proliferative diabetic retinopathy is the more advanced stage. However, both can have serious effects on vision. There are approximately 9.6 million people in the U.S. living with diabetic retinopathy.
Diabetic retinopathy may not always have signs. That is why regular eye checks are important, especially when you have diabetes. Some signs of diabetic retinopathy include:
Diseases That Raise Risk of Vision LossCertain diseases raise your risk of developing vision loss. Sometimes, the disease itself leads to changes that affect vision.Other times, vision loss is associated with a certain disease or condition, and researchers are still teasing apart the connection. For instance, cognitive decline was found to be 3.5 times higher among adults with vision impairment than in those without vision impairment.The vision loss associated with certain diseases can take place slowly over time. Sometimes, there are no other symptoms until the vision loss is more advanced. This is why doctors will recommend more frequent eye exams for people with certain health conditions and diseases, including:Cognitive function impairment such as Alzheimer’s diseaseDiabetesHigh blood pressureKidney diseaseMultiple sclerosisRheumatological diseases such as lupus
Diseases That Raise Risk of Vision Loss
Certain diseases raise your risk of developing vision loss. Sometimes, the disease itself leads to changes that affect vision.Other times, vision loss is associated with a certain disease or condition, and researchers are still teasing apart the connection. For instance, cognitive decline was found to be 3.5 times higher among adults with vision impairment than in those without vision impairment.The vision loss associated with certain diseases can take place slowly over time. Sometimes, there are no other symptoms until the vision loss is more advanced. This is why doctors will recommend more frequent eye exams for people with certain health conditions and diseases, including:Cognitive function impairment such as Alzheimer’s diseaseDiabetesHigh blood pressureKidney diseaseMultiple sclerosisRheumatological diseases such as lupus
Certain diseases raise your risk of developing vision loss. Sometimes, the disease itself leads to changes that affect vision.
Other times, vision loss is associated with a certain disease or condition, and researchers are still teasing apart the connection. For instance, cognitive decline was found to be 3.5 times higher among adults with vision impairment than in those without vision impairment.
The vision loss associated with certain diseases can take place slowly over time. Sometimes, there are no other symptoms until the vision loss is more advanced. This is why doctors will recommend more frequent eye exams for people with certain health conditions and diseases, including:
Glaucomarefers to several eye diseases that cause damage to the optic nerve, located in the back of the eye. That damage can cause vision loss or blindness. There are several types of glaucoma. The most common type in the U.S. is open-angle glaucoma, or OAG. There are more than 3 million people in the U.S. living with OAG.
Glaucoma becomes more common with age, particularly over age 60. It also is more common in Blacks, Hispanics, or those with a family history of glaucoma.
Initially, glaucoma may not have any symptoms. This is why regular eye exams are important, especially as you get older. However, the most common symptom of OAG is the loss of your side, orperipheral, vision.
Central Vision Loss vs. Peripheral Vision LossOne key difference between macular degeneration and glaucoma is the area of the eyes that each disorder affects. Macular degeneration affects your central vision. As the name implies, this is the area in the center of the eye. It is the area of vision you use most and for a wide range of tasks, including reading and driving.Peripheral vision is your side vision. If you look straight ahead, peripheral vision is the vision on either side of you. You also may hear this referred to as having “tunnel vision.” It can be dangerous to lose your peripheral vision.
Central Vision Loss vs. Peripheral Vision Loss
One key difference between macular degeneration and glaucoma is the area of the eyes that each disorder affects. Macular degeneration affects your central vision. As the name implies, this is the area in the center of the eye. It is the area of vision you use most and for a wide range of tasks, including reading and driving.Peripheral vision is your side vision. If you look straight ahead, peripheral vision is the vision on either side of you. You also may hear this referred to as having “tunnel vision.” It can be dangerous to lose your peripheral vision.
One key difference between macular degeneration and glaucoma is the area of the eyes that each disorder affects. Macular degeneration affects your central vision. As the name implies, this is the area in the center of the eye. It is the area of vision you use most and for a wide range of tasks, including reading and driving.
Peripheral vision is your side vision. If you look straight ahead, peripheral vision is the vision on either side of you. You also may hear this referred to as having “tunnel vision.” It can be dangerous to lose your peripheral vision.
Another type of glaucoma calledacute angle-closure glaucomarequires emergency treatment from an eye doctor.Symptoms of acute angle-closure glaucoma include:
Other Causes of Vision Loss
Although cataracts, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma are the most common causes of vision loss, there are other vision loss culprits. Those include:
Diagnosing the Cause of Vision Loss
Any time you have a change to your vision, you should make an appointment with an eye doctor. Many times, the cause could be as simple as a change to your refractive error, and perhaps you need new glasses or contact lenses. Sometimes, however, it could mean there is an eye disorder that requires treatment.
You should also see an eye doctor if you notice a change in vision in only one eye and not the other.
An eye doctor such as an optometrist or ophthalmologist will perform various tests to examine your vision loss. These could include:
Other tests performed will be specific for the potential cause of vision loss.
A Word From Verywell
Although vision loss is worrisome, there are ways to help prevent it. The best way to help lower your chances of vision loss is to schedule regular eye exams. Ask your eye doctor how often you should be examined. Another preventive move is let an eye doctor know if or when you experience any changes in your vision.
General healthy lifestyle recommendations, such as eating more fruits and vegetables, avoiding smoking, and getting regular physical activity also are helpful for the eyes as well as the rest of the body.
If you already have experienced vision loss, there often are treatments available to help stave off further vision loss. Talk to your eye doctor to find out which treatments are best suited for you.
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16 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Foundation for the Blind.Facts and figures on adults with vision loss.International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.Global estimates of vision loss.National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Blindness and vision loss.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Common eye disorders and diseases.National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Adult cataract.BrightFocus Foundation.Age-related macular degeneration: Facts and figures.National Eye Institute.Age-related macular degeneration.BrightFocus Foundation.Age-related macular degeneration: facts & figures.BrightFocus Foundation.Wet macular degeneration.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Diabetic retinopathy: causes, symptoms, treatment.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Prevalence estimates for diabetic retinopathy (DR).Saydah S, Gerzoff RB, Taylor CA, Ehrlich JR, Saaddine J.Vision impairment and subjective cognitive decline-related functional limitations—United States, 2015-2017.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2019;68(20):453-457. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6820a2BrightFocus Foundation.Glaucoma: Facts and figures.National Eye Institute.Glaucoma.Glaucoma Research Foundation.Types of glaucoma.World Health Organization.Trachoma.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Foundation for the Blind.Facts and figures on adults with vision loss.International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness.Global estimates of vision loss.National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Blindness and vision loss.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Common eye disorders and diseases.National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Adult cataract.BrightFocus Foundation.Age-related macular degeneration: Facts and figures.National Eye Institute.Age-related macular degeneration.BrightFocus Foundation.Age-related macular degeneration: facts & figures.BrightFocus Foundation.Wet macular degeneration.American Academy of Ophthalmology.Diabetic retinopathy: causes, symptoms, treatment.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Prevalence estimates for diabetic retinopathy (DR).Saydah S, Gerzoff RB, Taylor CA, Ehrlich JR, Saaddine J.Vision impairment and subjective cognitive decline-related functional limitations—United States, 2015-2017.MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2019;68(20):453-457. doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm6820a2BrightFocus Foundation.Glaucoma: Facts and figures.National Eye Institute.Glaucoma.Glaucoma Research Foundation.Types of glaucoma.World Health Organization.Trachoma.
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