Learning More About How A Tick Bite Can Cause Blindness
Many people enjoy walking through peaceful, beautiful wooded areas. Many pet owners love to hug and snuggle their outdoor pets. Lots of people enjoy working in their garden and flowerbeds. If you are one of these people, you may have been bitten by insects like mosquitoes and ants. You might have suffered a couple of bee stings as well. However, you may never know a tick has latched on to you until you start getting sick. Find out how checking your head and body for ticks after being outdoors can help you avoid blindness.
Lyme Disease And Its Association With Your Vision
Lyme disease has been found in some cases to cause a condition called optic neuritis, an inflammation of the optic nerve in the eye. The optic nerve is responsible for sending messages to your brain from your eyes. The sights you see are possible because of the messages your optic nerve sends to your brain as your eye sees them. Lyme disease causes an infection that can affect the optic nerve, thus leading to the inflammation that can cause temporary blindness.
Symptoms Of Optic Neuritis Caused By Lyme Disease
In most cases of optic neuritis, blindness only occurs in one eye. Most people complain of pain that worsens with eye movement and that colors do not look right. You may see flashing lights to one side in both eyes, even when only one is suffering with optic nerve inflammation. Your pupils may have different reaction to bright light and your vision can become remarkably worse when your body temperature gets hotter. The fever associated with Lyme disease can dramatically impact worsening vision because of the temperature difference. Your optometrist needs to know right away if you notice any changes in your vision or if you experience any pain in one or both eyes, especially if you have recently been bitten by a tick.
Treatment For Lyme Disease And The Possible Temporary Blindness That Can Come With It
Lyme disease is usually treated with antibiotics like tetracycline while optic neuritis is treated with intravenous corticosteroids. When these two conditions are caught early, they are easily treatable and leave behind no lasting effects. Many people have successfully recovered from Lyme disease and the blindness that it sometimes causes.
If you have outdoor pets or if you spend a great deal of time outdoors, always make sure you are tick-free when you come back in the house for the day. Taking the time to check yourself and your family for ticks can be time spent saving your vision. Talk to an optometrist or eye doctor for more information.
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