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Blindness

• Overview
• Treatment

Alternative Names:

Loss of vision

Home Care:

It is important for a blind person to be able to dress, eat, function independently, and stay safe. Many services are available that provide the training and support that allow blind people to function independently.

Call your health care provider if:

Sudden vision loss is always an emergency, even you have not completely lost all vision. You should never ignore loss of vision, thinking it will get better.

Contact an ophthalmologist or go to the emergency room immediately. Most serious forms of vision loss are painless, and the absence of pain in no way diminishes the urgent need to get medical care. Many forms of vision loss only give you a short amount of time to be successfully treated.

What to expect at your health care provider's office:

A complete and thorough eye examination will be performed. The treatment plan will depend on the cause.

• Review Date: 2/22/2007
• Reviewed By: Manju Subramanian, MD, Assistant Professor in Ophthalmology, Vitreoretinal Disease and Surgery, Boston University Eye Associates, Boston, MA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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