Strabismus in the absence of binocular vision

Features of lateral vision in women

The principle of peripheral vision is to reflect rays of light, which, in turn, are reflected from objects.
This happens thanks to the peripheral areas of the eyes, which capture lateral space, including contrasting and dynamic objects. Despite the fact that lateral vision is characterized by the perception of unclear outlines of objects, it is an indispensable guideline in broadening one’s horizons and orientation in space, including in the dark.

Significant differences in peripheral vision are observed between men and women. A feature of the male visual field is a more focused perception, which has the characteristics of tunnel vision. This means that most men perceive visual information in a direct projection.

Women's peripheral vision detects the slightest changes in space, since the angle of the field of view is much wider than men's. In some cases, it can reach 160-180 degrees, which allows you to observe events happening around you without the slightest difficulty.

Impaired lateral vision is expressed in a person’s inability to perceive surrounding objects.

Deterioration in the functioning of the peripheral zones of the visual organ leads to loss of the ability to navigate and contemplate lateral objects. This is a good enough reason to start appropriate treatment. There may be several reasons for this:

• retinal injury;
• diseases of the visual organs, including glaucoma;
• deterioration of brain function;
• intracranial hypertension.

If you have problems with the perception of objects in your peripheral vision, you should immediately visit a doctor to avoid more serious health consequences.

Types of violations

1. A narrowing of the visual field is characterized by a decrease in the space that covers the human organ of vision. This phenomenon can progress until only a small part of the rectilinear visual space appears.
2. A change in the structure of the eye, expressed in the appearance of inoperative areas of the retina of the visual organ. This species is characterized by the appearance of dark spots, which indicate a loss of visual perception zones.
3. Partial loss of lateral vision. Violations of this plan can affect either one eye or both.

As we have already indicated, peripheral vision has different indicators in people depending on their gender. In women it is more developed. Scientists in the field of medicine and physiology of humanity attribute this phenomenon to the machinations of evolution.

It is believed that for a long time a man was a hunter, that is, a breadwinner, whose main task was to see the prey in a timely manner and not lose sight of it until the very moment of capture. Therefore, he concentrated on the designated object and was not distracted by what was on the sides. In this way, the man’s field of vision was naturally narrowed.

Over the many years of human existence, the brain centers that are responsible for peripheral vision have remained undeveloped. Today, this feature is called tunnel vision with a well-developed direct projection. This does not mean that they do not have lateral vision at all, they do have it, but it is developed to a much lesser extent than in women.

But with the beautiful half of humanity the situation is completely different. A woman is a housewife, everything should be in her field of vision, her husband, her children, order in the house, and delicious food. Therefore, she had to simultaneously notice many details and all their characteristics. And if we go back to more ancient times, the woman not only supported the household, but also collected.

Thanks to her peripheral vision, she noticed berries and the right herbs, and also foresaw danger and responded to it in a timely manner. That is, the brain responsible for peripheral vision was constantly at work, so thanks to such continuous stimulation, today a woman has such a wide field of vision.

Psychologists believe that due to a life full of household chores and caring for the family, the weaker sex has developed lateral peripheral vision from generation to generation. Therefore, lateral vision differs significantly between men and women. In girls it is usually better.

Non-proponents of evolutionary theory are of the opinion that this is due to physiological characteristics - from a young age, girls show more attention to detail, understand colors and textures. In addition, unlike guys, they will not defend themselves, so they instinctively increase their vigilance and become more careful, thus ensuring their safety.

Boys have weaker peripheral vision, which explains the abundance of bumps, abrasions and injuries from a young age. Their gaze is directed forward and into the distance, for this reason the peripheral zones of the retina become less active and lose their strength over time. On this occasion, scientists started talking about tunnel vision in men - the eyes are focused on the target in front and nothing distracts them on the sides.

Thanks to this, guys see clearly distant objects without much effort and can follow an object moving at a long distance for a long time. However, everything that concerns small details, closely located elements, here they have a more difficult time. Men are characterized by rapid fatigue of the visual apparatus. The eye constantly has to focus and re-adapt when moving its gaze, for example, from the gearbox to the control panel.

The development of peripheral vision can slow down the eye disease, and in the event of complications, its loss is irreversible. Due to the decrease in acuity, that is, with myopia and farsightedness, no significant changes occur. But there are more complex deviations, the influence of which must be stopped as soon as possible.

Glaucoma

The disease is caused by disturbances in blood circulation inside the eye:

• high blood pressure has a negative effect on the main nerve;
• the removal of fluid that accumulates near the cornea is disrupted;
• Aqueous humor collects in the lens, which prevents light from penetrating the pupil and negatively affects the ability to see.

The disease can be caused by both congenital pathologies and stressful situations, steroid drugs, and physical trauma to the head, especially the facial part. Signs are a change in the color of the iris - greenish, emerald or the formation of a whitish shell on it. The patient often feels:

• weakness;
• headache;
• rainbow glow in bright light;
• blurred vision in a dark room or outdoors in the evening.

Scotoma

This is the name for a deviation in the form of partial loss of vision in the form of dark spots. The cause is various diseases: cataracts, glaucoma, congenital anomalies, as well as frequent neuroses. Both central and lateral vision are affected by the disease, so the patient experiences loss of coordination, dizziness and disorientation. Treatment for an illness begins with eliminating the root cause, only in this way the symptoms begin to gradually go away.

Ocular migraine

Visual impairment in the form of attacks of visual images that make it difficult to see clearly. A specific category of people falls under the attack of deviation, not the elderly, among whom eye diseases are common, but:

• the youth;
• pregnant women;
• middle aged people.

The defect consists of uneven figures, waves of white or multi-colored colors. A special feature is the glow effect around the appeared image. The source of the problem is frequent stress, nervousness and sudden emotional swings.

In addition to its absence, clouding of lateral vision is also called a deviation. It may seem to a person that a shadow slipping from the side is a ghost, a spirit, a familiar person, etc. Other hallucinations also occur, especially often in dark rooms and in the presence of mirrors.

What types of strabismus do not impair binocular vision?

Doctors distinguish several types of strabismus, and not all of them are accompanied by binocular vision disorders.

• Imaginary strabismus.

In fact, it is not a pathology, but depends only on the anatomical features of the structure of the eyelids and eyeball. From the outside it appears that the eye is squinting, but a thorough examination shows that both visual axes are parallel and binocular vision is normal.

• Heterophoria.

A latent type of strabismus, which is caused by incomplete symmetry of the action of the extraocular muscles. At rest, when there is no need for binocular fusion of two images, the views of the right and left eyes are not consistent with each other. But if it is necessary to focus the gaze on an object, the visual axes again become parallel.

Thus, binocular vision in heterophoria is preserved in most cases.

See what's ahead

All men were originally hunters and breadwinners. For them, the most important thing was to see well in front of them and follow their prey at a great distance. Any hunter must keep an eye on the game until he catches it. This is what accounts for the significant narrowing of visual fields in men. Due to this, he could see clearly ahead without being distracted by surrounding objects.

In another way, this ability is called tunnel vision, which provides good perception at a distance, but only in direct projection. It is precisely due to evolutionary factors that the brain centers responsible for lateral vision are not developed in men. Nevertheless, they have peripheral vision, they just use it to a much lesser extent than central vision.

Diagnosis and treatment of partial or complete vision loss

We recommend that you consult an ophthalmologist as soon as you notice a sharp drop in vision, blind spots appear during vigorous activity, in an excited or overexcited state.

To check vision, Dr. Belikova’s Eye Clinic uses a comprehensive diagnostic examination, including a complete examination. The patient is assigned a attending physician who will accompany him during the prescribed complex treatment.

In our clinic, only experienced ophthalmologists of the highest and first categories, laser surgeons, Ph.D., as well as Doctor of Medical Sciences, Professor Elena Ivanovna Belikova personally receive treatment.

Sign up for a full diagnostic examination, we will definitely take care of the health of your eyes.

Take care of your vision and remember that nothing can replace the bright colors of the world around you if you suddenly lose it.

Lost - what to do

Until now, peripheral vision has not been studied in detail. Most experts claim that with daily training, it can be significantly developed in all people, regardless of gender. One of the exercises is as follows: you should concentrate on an object that is located at eye level. At the same time, you need to look at the objects around you.

What can be done in cases where peripheral vision is lost? The first step is to visit an ophthalmologist. Most patients complain of blurred peripheral vision. One of the reasons for such deterioration may be glaucoma, as well as damage to the retina or the optic nerve itself.

In conclusion, we can say that lateral vision in women and men is indeed somewhat different. In the first case it is better developed, in the second - worse. However, peripheral vision is trainable and can be developed if necessary. Unfortunately, few men will seriously engage in this, as they are accustomed to seeing the world as somewhat reduced.

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line of sight

When we look forward in a relaxed state, in addition to the objects located there, we also notice what is on the sides. Everything that thus captures the eye is the visual field. The higher a person’s visual acuity, the further he sees, but lateral vision practically does not depend on this.

By “field of view” we mean not only what a person sees horizontally, but also vertically.

Examination of the state of this vision is very important in diagnosing diseases of the retina, optic nerves and visual acuity. In case of retinal diseases, the doctor examines the patient’s field of vision dynamically over a long period of time. And it is the state of peripheral vision that can indicate the characteristics of the pathological process in the eye and help select effective treatment.

To a certain extent, the field of vision is narrowed due to the protruding parts of the face - nose, cheekbones, eyebrows. If a person wears glasses, then their frame may somewhat limit the view.

Visual field testing is the main way to diagnose peripheral vision. And the simplest of all is the control method. It does not require any instruments; the doctor, with a healthy and complete field of view, compares that of the subject with his own.

For a more accurate determination, computer diagnostics are performed - the patient looks into the eyepieces, the doctor demonstrates various objects that appear on the sides and approach the middle of the view. As soon as the patient notices them, he presses the button, and the computer records it.

Peripheral vision examination is carried out on each eye separately.

Diagnostic examination

It’s easy to check the health of your lateral vision at home. To do this, take a pencil in your hands, white or another contrasting, bright color, and spread them to the sides. You need to look at one point at a distance of three meters directly in front of you, and at this time spread your arms further to the side. As long as you can see both an upright object and pencils placed as far away as possible, your vision is normal.

In a medical institution, a special device is used for this purpose. As in most cases, this equipment examines each eye separately. The patient places his head in the fixator, and in front of his eyes the monitor simulates the movement of figures in the perimeter. While the person is looking away, the technology remembers the possibilities and analyzes the state.

Peripheral vision impairment

Impaired lateral vision is associated with diseases of the retina, its dysfunction, and damage to the sensitive processes of the cells of the nervous system, which transmit visual information to the brain.

The most common cause of pathology is glaucoma. Persistent high intraocular pressure leads to damage to the optic nerve and a decrease in the visual angle of the eye. At the initial stage, small areas fall out of visual function. As the disease progresses, the boundaries become irreversibly narrowed. In severe cases, blindness occurs.

Retinal detachment, dystrophy, and vascular diseases of the eye can cause loss of lateral vision. The viewing angle decreases with tumors, traumatic brain injuries, cerebrovascular accidents, and hemorrhage.

Peripheral vision defects, types of scotoma:

• positive (the person himself sees the spot, a missing area of ​​vision) and negative (the anomaly is discovered during the examination);
• absolute (at the spot there is no visibility of the color and the object itself), relative (objects are partially visualized through the white film);
• central, peripheral (according to location).

Defects are detected using campimetry. The patient is placed 1 meter in front of a black board and asked to fixate on a white dot located in the center. The white object is then moved to the side until it disappears from view. Mark this place on the board with chalk. This is done in 8 vectors.

Paralytic strabismus: the eyeball moves poorly

With this type of strabismus, only one eye deviates from the central visual axis, while its movements are impossible or limited due to damage to the extraocular muscle. Because of this, binocular vision is impaired, which leads to double vision and decreased clarity of visual perception. Paralytic strabismus can occur as a result of nerve damage or dysfunction of muscle tissue. Such defects can be congenital or caused by tumors, injuries, infectious and vascular diseases.

The most striking symptoms of paralytic strabismus:

• limited mobility of the eyeball;
• lack of binocular full vision;
• frequent double vision;
• dizziness;
• the need to tilt the head towards the affected muscle.