My mom has been diagnosed with dementia and every once in a while she claims she cannot see at all and that her eyes will not open. However, her eyes are open but she still claims she can't see. Other times she claims her glasses are not good and she can't see out of them. Is this possible?
My husband had real problems with depth perception that came and went.
primary care physicians don't always refer patients to specialists, even when it could help clarify a diagnosis or supplement primary treatment. In these cases, it’s up to you to sort through the maze of medical professionals.
Geriatric psychiatrists specialize in the mental and emotional needs of older individuals. They conduct thorough memory, mood, sleep, and thinking evaluations, and are particularly good at assessing memory problems associated with life stress, depression, anxiety, excess drinking, or family conflicts.
General neurologists and psychiatrists perform memory evaluations, but do not specialize in Alzheimer’s
Please update us when you can.
Carol
She was rattled when the bulb broke, but couldn't find the words to explain due to aphasia. The aide said she is fine, but I spent Saturday afternoon with her at Urgent Care having it checked.
The Dr did a thorough exam of her eyes and told us her eye
and cornea are normal. Mom loved the attention and all the fuss
He excellent doctor examined him and told me it was a result of his Alzheimers as often they become focused on something regarding their physical bodies. He said to give it a little time, don't comment on it, and it would probably go away.
Sure enough, it was in a matter of a couple weeks or less that he ceased to say anything about it. He has never mentioned it since.
Thanks to a knowledgable doctor for not performing a bunch of unnecessary tests. He checked him out thoroughly and made a wise determination that was right on.
So all factors come into play, loss of vision, perception, comprehension, and memory.
However, I woke up one night last summer with such a pain in my eye I thought I was bursting a blood vessel and was going to die! I could not open my eyes. I lay there panicking for a while, then the pain subsided a bit and I was able to maneuver myself into the bathroom, where I reached for the bottle of Tylenol.
I had to turn on a night light and open one eye to see to open the bottle, which is so safe children figure it out faster than seniors!
I fell back asleep for a few hours and by 7am I phoned my eye doctor, expecting an answer machine. It was Saturday morning. To my amazement, the doctor answered the phone. He reassured me I wasn't dying, told me to take 2 Ibuprofen, rest and call him in 2 hours. I did and the pain began to subside, from 10 to 8, to a 6. He advised me to take 2 more Tylenol and to rest and call in 4 hours. The pain subsided as he also told me to use warm compresses, 10 minutes on, 10 minutes off.
When I saw him in the office on Monday, he told me I had dry eye syndrome and prescribed Restasis. When I asked for a written prescription, he said, not to worry, his nurse would call it in to the pharmacy.
I am telling this long story for a reason. The pharmacy wanted $330. Copay for a 3 month supply!!! I refused and called my insurance company. By waiting a week for mail delivery, I pay only $80. For a 3 month supply now. I put one drop in each eye and I have no more pain.
There are many illnesses of the brain which can complicate our ability to see things and associate them with our knowledge. This includes Alzheimer's,Lowey Body, TIA's and cardiac events. Anything that has an affect on blood flow or oxygen can induce an reduction of vision.
I'm not sure if you have found an answer yet, but in reading your posts, I thought about a condition that I have read about that causes distinct issues with the eyes. In some people, they have trouble opening and closing their eyes and there are substantial vision issues. It might be worth looking into it. It is fairly rare. It's called PSP, stands for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. Also known as Nuchal dystonia dementia. Of course, it could be any number of things, but I thought of it when I saw your mom's symptoms. I hope you are able to figure it out and get her some relief. I will PM you a link for it.
We'd love an update if you have time.
Carol