What Is Peripheral Vision Loss and What Causes It?

Peripheral vision loss, also called tunnel vision or, simply, PVL, is when you lose the ability to see anything other than what’s immediately in front of you. This can range from a slight loss of side vision to a serious condition that significantly impacts how you view the world.

There are many peripheral vision loss causes and, depending on what these are, can result in a gradual decline or one that accelerates more quickly.

The Definition of PVL (Side Vision Problems)

It can be a little difficult to comprehend what’s actually meant by peripheral vision. The easiest way to think about it is when you catch a glimpse of something out of the corner of your eye. It’s the ability to notice movement or objects off to the side without turning your head to look at them. While everyone suffers a level of natural age-related decline, which means that most people will have lost around 20-30 degrees by age 80, this is very gradual.

What’s not normal, is for this to occur at a younger age or rapidly. In such instances it’s a strong marker of some kind of health issue, such as eye disease. 

Symptoms of peripheral, or side vision problems, include:

• Bumping into people or objects off to the side because you don’t notice them.
• Night driving difficulties and/or night blindness.
• Balance issues.
• Falls.
• Headaches.

Peripheral and Vision Loss Causes

Apart from aging, there are many reasons behind PVL—not all of which are related to eye problems. These include health conditions, such as a stroke, head injury, certain cardiac problems, and even transient causes, including migraines and anxiety attacks.

When it comes to tunnel vision and eye disease causes, the list gets even longer…

One of these is glaucoma, a condition where uncontrolled pressure builds up within the eye. There are different types of this disease, but any incident where tunnel vision occurs suddenly or over a very short period requires emergency treatment to ensure the best outcome.

Other potential eye disease causes include:

• Optic nerve atrophy: A condition that affects the nerve that runs from the eye to the brain (the optic nerve).
• Diabetic eye disease: This affects the small blood vessels in the eye, where high levels of blood glucose cause them to swell and, potentially, leak fluid.
• Optic neuritis: Inflammation of the optic nerve.
• Compressive optic neuropathy: When an external force, such as a tumor or aneurysm, compresses the optic nerve.
• Genetic conditions: Some rare, inherited, diseases are known to cause PVL. These include Pigmentosa, Bardet-Biedl Syndrome, and Usher Syndrome.
• Retinal detachment: When the thin layer of light-receiving cells at the back of the eye can peel away from the surrounding tissue.
• Papilledema: Intracranial pressure causes swelling of the optic disc, which, in turn, compresses the optic nerve.

If you only take one thing away from this article, it should be that any sudden change to your vision—be it peripheral vision loss or anything else—requires urgent attention. It’s important to know that when we talk about “sudden” change, this also means a significant shift over days or weeks, rather than something that slowly alters over many months or years.

To be honest, a very gradual decline isn’t something that most of us would notice. The natural side vision changes that occur with age are generally only picked up and monitored during your regular eye exams. It’s the ones that you actively notice that warrant a trip to your eye doctor or ER.

Treating tunnel vision, eye disease, and other conditions is a specialty at the West Boca Eye Center. As a world-leading ophthalmology clinic, we offer the expertise to ensure you benefit from your best possible vision at every stage of life.

Discover more and book a consultation at https://www.westbocaeyecenter.com/

Peripheral vision loss, also called tunnel vision or, simply, PVL, is when you lose the ability to see anything other than what’s immediately in front of you.

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