Night blindness and defects of colour perception

Defective vision under reduced illumination may reflect the congenital or hereditary condition known as retinitis pigmentosa or may be acquired as a result of severe deficiency of vitamin A.

Defective colour vision affects men more often than women. Total colour blindness is extremely rare and is nearly always associated with poor vision in ordinary light and with nystagmus. Individuals who are partially colour-defective, such as those with red-green colour blindness, may not be aware of the disability until special instruments are used to test the person’s ability to distinguish between hues in one or another part of the visible light spectrum. With these less-severe colour deficiencies, other visual functions are usually normal.

Eyestrain

Eyestrain, or asthenopia, is the term used to describe subjective symptoms of fatigue, discomfort, lacrimation (tearing), and headache following the use of the eyes. Such symptoms may result from intensive, prolonged close work. In people with perfectly normal eyes, eyestrain may indicate abnormalities of muscle balance or refractive errors. Eyestrain is more likely to be manifest during periods of fatigue or stress and is common among students studying for examinations. Refractive errors require correction, and muscle imbalance may require treatment. Psychological factors can be more important to address than physical factors.

Refractive errors

In a normal eye, rays of light from distant objects come to a focus on the retina. In near vision the refractive power of the eye is increased by altering the shape of the lens (i.e., causing it to become thicker) to focus the image on the retina. This ability to alter the shape of the lens decreases with age until fine print cannot be read at a normal reading distance. This condition is known as presbyopia and usually becomes increasingly problematic after age 40. It is corrected by the use of convex lenses for reading.

In some eyes, rays of light from distant objects are not brought to a focus on the retina but are focused on a plane in front of the retina, as in myopia (nearsightedness), or behind the retina, as in hyperopia (farsightedness). In myopia, near objects are brought into focus on the retina but distant objects can be seen clearly only with the aid of concave lenses. In hyperopia, distant objects can sometimes be brought into focus by using the accommodative power of the lens, and in young people there is usually sufficient accommodation to enable them to see close up as well. The constant accommodative effort required, however, may result in problems such as asthenopia or esotropia, and the necessity for accommodating for distance can be overcome by wearing convex glasses.

Another type of refractive error is astigmatism. In this condition the refractive power of the eye varies in different axes, depending on the path the light takes through the cornea. This is due to the presence of nonuniform corneal curvature and results in the distortion of vision at all viewing distances. Astigmatism is a common condition and can be corrected with the use of cylindrical lenses in eyeglasses or contact lenses.

In general, refractive errors are easily corrected with glasses and are rarely accompanied by any serious disease of the eyes. However, hyperopia is a factor in the development of some kinds of strabismus and vision loss (amblyopia) in children, and high degrees of myopia may be associated with serious degenerative changes within the eye, particularly the retina.

Ophthalmological examination

An ophthalmological examination includes a thorough history, with a particular focus on a patient’s symptoms. The ophthalmologist physically examines the eyes with special devices and does various tests to determine visual function. The most important subjective test is for visual acuity. This is usually performed by having the patient read, from a set distance, an eye chart with a series of letters of graded sizes, which become increasingly smaller as the chart is read from top to bottom. The person is asked to read the lowest line legible, and visual acuity is then expressed in terms of the size of the letter and the distance at which it is read, relative to a person with normal vision.

The visual field can be assessed by many methods. The confrontation visual field exam is the most basic test and involves a simple assessment of peripheral vision. In this test one eye of the patient is covered, the ophthalmologist presents one or more fingers in the peripheral visual field, and the patient indicates the number of fingers displayed. The Goldmann visual field exam is another manual test, in which the patient focuses straight ahead on a central point while an object is moved inward from the periphery. The ophthalmologist performs this several times, testing different areas of the visual field and drawing a map of the visual field for each eye. Another technique, called automated perimetry, uses a bowl-shaped instrument into which the patient looks, focusing on a central point. The instrument sends out random computer-generated flashes of light of varying durations, intensities, and locations that may or may not be within the patient’s visual field. When the patient sees a flash, he presses a button, sending a signal that is automatically detected and incorporated into a map of his visual field. Automated visual field testing is commonly used today, especially in assessing glaucoma.

Other subjective examinations include colour vision testing and tests of visual perception under reduced illumination. Examination of the external eye and part of the anterior segment is facilitated by the use of a binocular microscope attached to a slit lamp (a variable source of light that projects the image of a slit onto the eye). The direct and indirect ophthalmoscope has an illuminating system that lights up the interior of the eye and a viewing system through which the fundus can be observed. Photography of the anterior part of the eye and of the fundus is also widely used.

Other specialized methods of examination include examination of the angle of the anterior chamber by means of a specially designed mirrored contact lens (goniolens), which is used in conjunction with the slit-lamp microscope. The electrical responses of the retina and brain to light entering the eye can also be recorded and are of great value in certain conditions.

Estimation of the intraocular pressure is an important part of an ophthalmological examination and is accomplished by an instrument called a tonometer. This instrument is designed specifically to measure the tension or pressure that exists within the eyeball. Many types of tonometers are used, each of which has unique advantages and disadvantages.

The refractive state of the eye can be measured objectively or subjectively or by a combination of methods. The simplest method is subjective, using lenses of different powers to give a trial-and-error estimate of the best correcting lenses. More accurate results can be obtained by using an instrument known as a retinoscope, which gives an objective assessment of the refraction that can subsequently be modified by subjective methods to suit the individual requirements of the patient.

Many other tools are used to examine the eye and aid in the diagnosis of eye diseases, including ultrasound, retinal angiography, and devices to measure corneal curvature and topography. New devices and techniques are constantly being introduced, advancing the eye care specialist’s ability to diagnose and treat eye disorders.