Blindness

In the Blindness it is the most severe visual impairment. It occurs as a result of various diseases in the course of life or has existed since birth. If the eyes are the most important human sensory organ, the loss of vision is often characterized by further psychological complaints.

What is blindness?

Further symptoms can result from blindness. On the one hand, the risk of accidents increases, for example when crossing a traffic light or performing certain everyday tasks.
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Blindness is understood as the absolute loss of vision. It is no longer possible for those affected to orientate themselves using the eyes. In the meantime, there are numerous aids that are supposed to make life easier for blind people (these include, for example, specially trained guide dogs or writing that can be grasped with the sense of touch), but blindness is seen as a reduction in quality of life.

In most diseases, blindness develops slowly and not from one day to the next. Often, diseases of the retina are responsible for the process. But injuries can also severely limit or eliminate vision.

People who can no longer perceive light are recognized as absolutely blind. This condition is known as amaurosis. Furthermore, there is blindness if the vision of the better eye is a maximum of two percent.

Blindness can be congenital, for example due to inherited retinal diseases, prenatal malformations or due to the atrophy of the optic nerves. In Germany, however, the majority of the blind will become ill in the course of their lives.

The ability to increase low vision is given in certain circumstances and depends on the underlying cause. Complaints should therefore be clarified quickly by a doctor.

causes

The causes of blindness lie in different diseases. These include, for example, the cataract. In a healthy eye, the lens is responsible for ensuring that the image seen adopts sharp outlines, which are then passed on to the brain. Cataracts, on the other hand, cloud the lens, which means that it cannot function properly.

Instead, as the disease progresses, a veil becomes visible behind the pupil. The cataract occurs especially from the age of 65. Every year around 400,000 to 600,000 people are treated surgically in Germany. Without treatment, cataracts are one of the most common causes of blindness worldwide.

The second most common cause is glaucoma, also known as glaucoma. The term covers several eye diseases that have a damaging effect on the optic nerve. The optic nerve represents the connection between the eyes and the brain. The image of the environment seen is created by incident light. This in turn triggers certain stimuli on the retina, which are transmitted to the brain in the further visual process. Only when the information has reached the brain can it evaluate the stimuli and create the image.

However, if the optic nerve is injured, the transmission can no longer take place. Instead, progressive injury leads to blindness. In 2012 there were a total of 670,000 people in Germany who had glaucoma.

Another potential cause is diabetes. The metabolic disease can damage the retina due to broken blood vessels. Various light sensory cells are located in the retina, which enable an image to be taken in both darkness and daylight. Damage to the retina means that those affected can no longer perceive the incident light. Because this plays an important role in the visual process, the retina is an important element of the sense organ.

Blindness is an evolutionary disadvantage. It has the potential to restrict the life habits of the person affected, whereby the condition does not benefit. However, those affected can learn to sharpen their other senses to compensate. In particular, people who are blind from birth usually have better hearing, for example.

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Symptoms, ailments & signs

Further symptoms can result from blindness. On the one hand, the risk of accidents increases, for example when crossing a traffic light or performing certain everyday tasks. However, the psychological consequences are often perceived as more important, which manifest themselves in particular in people who lose their sight in the course of their lives due to illnesses.

The sensory perception through the eyes can no longer take place at all or only to a very limited extent. It is therefore no longer possible for the person affected to see. This also applies with the help of any visual aids. Complete blindness (amaurosis) is only spoken of when no optical senses can be processed at all.

However, poor eyesight is also a symptom of blindness. This is based on a visual acuity of 1/50 or worse on the better eye. Medically, a symptom of blindness can also mean the severely restricted or non-existent ability to see in only one eye.

Blindness as such can lead to secondary symptoms, which among other things result from the increased risk of injury and a certain psychological stress experienced by the blind. The necessity of everyday help can lead to corresponding dependencies and behavioral changes. The loss of vision can also lead to severe psychological suffering.

There are often signs of blindness if a progressive or chronic disease is the cause. In most cases, the view is initially cloudy or the field of vision gradually becomes restricted. How blindness is announced depends on the cause. An accident-related blindness or one that is due to irreparable damage to the structures of the eye, the optic nerves or the brain, on the other hand, can also occur acutely.

Psychological difficulties with blindness can usually be divided into different phases. While those affected stagnate in their life at the beginning and often reject a change in habits, the attitude of slander is abandoned in the phase of confrontation. Instead, there are a number of psychological complaints such as frustration, anger, the search for culprits, arguments with third parties and an increased potential for aggression. This is followed by the episode of depression in which blindness is first consciously perceived and accepted in the final phase.

However, blindness can also lead to permanent depression. Although there are now numerous aids and support options, it is not uncommon for blind people to feel overwhelmed and socially excluded in everyday life. In the first few months in particular, they need increased attention, which in turn can lead to a feeling of dependence.

Some of those affected perceive themselves as a burden for relatives and carers. In addition, the loss of independence can lead to further psychological complaints. Because orientation is initially via the eyes, the other sensory organs must be trained in the event of blindness in order to compensate for the loss. In this way, there is the possibility that after some time those affected will show an improvement in orientation and in coping with everyday tasks. Nevertheless, blindness represents a reduction in quality of life and long-term dependence on others.

Complications

Blindness itself does not lead to any medical complications that could further change a patient's state of health. However, the patient's everyday life is extremely limited by the blindness. It is no longer possible for the person concerned to move around alone and without assistance.

This can lead to severe psychological problems and depression, especially in young people. In the worst case scenario, it leads to thoughts of suicide and ultimately to suicide. Social life is also severely restricted by blindness. The person concerned also suffers from an increased risk of accidents.

Treatment is not possible and is not carried out for blindness. Therefore, there are no further complications. However, it is possible for the patient to use some movement aids. These include the white cane or trained dogs that accompany the blind in everyday life.

As a rule, life expectancy is not reduced by going blind. However, the patient cannot recognize all diseases or injuries himself, so that certain symptoms are only recognized and treated late. This can lead to different complications, depending on the symptom.

When should you go to the doctor?

Complete blindness usually cannot be remedied if it has existed since birth. However, if significant visual disturbances become apparent over time, an appropriate doctor should be consulted as soon as possible. Visual disturbances can arise for a wide variety of reasons, so the greatest caution is required at this point. The most common cause of subsequent blindness is the spread of an infection or inflammation.

An infection in the eye can attack the connective tissue or the cornea, so that eyesight can be lost. For this reason, it is very important that the visit to the doctor is not delayed. The first signs of infection are red eyes and pus, which get worse over time.

Anti-inflammatory agents can be very effective and helpful, but they should only be prescribed by an appropriate doctor. So: if you want to avoid going blind, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. Any consequential damage can be identified and treated at an early stage through medical and drug treatment.

Doctors & therapists in your area

Outlook & forecast

It is very difficult to make an exact outlook and prognosis in the event of sudden blindness, as in many cases the course of blindness depends on the cause. In rare cases, blindness is short-lived and then disappears completely. Most of the time, however, any blindness that occurs is permanent and therefore incurable.

Often, damage to the retina or optic nerve is responsible for blindness. If the retina or the optic nerve is badly damaged, permanent blindness can be expected. The prospect and prognosis of a full recovery are therefore very poor. The situation is different, however, if existing blindness has been caused by excessively bright light. In such cases, affected persons often only have a white haze on their retina for a short time. The chances are very good even without medical or drug treatment.

In many cases, however, complete blindness is no longer curable. Even if a medical examination and treatment takes place, a return of the eyesight is often not to be expected. For this reason, a doctor should be consulted as soon as the first problems with the retina arise. Early treatment can prevent serious complications.

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You can do that yourself

The diagnosis can throw the affected person mentally and physically off track. It will often be necessary to get psychological support - professionally or in self-help groups; because the relatives are mostly helpless and overwhelmed.

The diagnosis affects all areas of life. What about career and family planning, how about financial security? Can retraining be done? The BMAS's "Guide for People with Disabilities" is available for the institutional framework.

The person concerned learns to structure his home and work area and to furnish it with contrasts. Family members and work colleagues should also adhere to the structure, because the person concerned creates a "mind map" for all possible processes: What he does not remember or cannot find does not exist. The search for these little things takes a lot of time and nerves and reminds the person concerned of the disease process every time. For this reason, there should be no objects lying around in the way that the person concerned could trip over and injure themselves.

Depending on the functional failure, a large number of optical aids and aids for everyday life are available, which are presented every year at the "SightCity" trade fair in Frankfurt / Main at the beginning of May. There are also opportunities to test the optical aids at regional action days organized by the blind and visually impaired associations.