In the article, we will consider what it is - eye myopathy.
Such a disease is a pathological visual impairment as a result of changes in the refractive functions of the visual system. If the necessary treatment is not carried out, the pathological process actively progresses and can lead to severe visual impairment, and in some cases to complete blindness. Therefore, in case of visual impairment, it is very important to contact a medical institution where appropriate diagnosis and required treatment of the disease will be carried out. The disease can occur in only one eye, but myopathy of both eyes is often diagnosed.
The main causes of pathology
The category of physiological factors in the development of myopathy includes disturbances in the functioning of the accommodation muscles of the visual organs and the shape of their chambers. Myopathy of the eyes occurs due to muscle dysfunction, as a result of which they cease to hold keratin. Over time, their tone weakens, and the death of muscle tissue is not excluded. In addition, such factors can provoke the development of eye myopathy:
- hereditary predisposition;
- high load on the visual organs;
- lack of trace elements and vitamins in the body, which leads to metabolic disorders;
- improper treatment of eye pathologies;
- abnormalities in the structure of the eye.
Not everyone knows what it is - eye myopathy. Consider its main types.
Kinds
The disease in most cases has a genetic predisposition. Myopathy of the eyes is classified as follows:
- Oculopharyngeal myopathy, in which, in addition to deterioration of visual function, there is a lesion of muscle tissue located in the pharynx.
- Ocular myopathy, which is combined with degenerative non-muscular lesions.
This disease can develop in people of any age. Mostly it occurs after reaching 40 years.
Degrees of disease
The disease is usually asymptomatic, which significantly complicates the diagnostic process. Myopathy of both eyes of a weak degree is characterized by impaired functioning of the muscles, which contributes to impaired vision and difficulties with opening and closing of the organs of vision. Some patients develop myopia. The severity of this pathological process is presented below:
- 1 degree - weak (3 diopters);
- Grade 2 - (moderate myopathy of the eyes - from 3 to 6 diopters);
- 3 degree - pronounced (more than 6 diopters).
Symptoms
So, now it’s clear what it is - eye myopathy. Until today, the symptoms of this pathological disorder have not been identified. Specialists who are studying this disease, only one thing is clear: the disease occurs as a result of metabolic processes in the body that are of hereditary origin. Other assumptions regarding the principle of development of myopathy are not confirmed. Despite the fact that the pathology is asymptomatic, the main sign of its occurrence is an intense decrease in vision. If such a symptom appears, and there are also cases of determining this diagnosis in family members, then the likelihood of developing a pathology increases significantly.
Associated pathologies
In addition, eye myopathy often occurs with concomitant diseases, such as:
- glycogenosis;
- myoglobinuria;
- amyloidosis (primary);
- polymyositis.
In most cases, the course of the pathological process of ophthalmic muscle dysfunction is not indicated by any symptoms at all, but only until the vision begins to rapidly deteriorate. The approach to such patients should be individual. Earlier detection of this disease may be facilitated by a biopsy.
Myopathy can be malignant, in which case its consequences and complications will be much more serious. The catalyst for disease progression is bad habits, such as alcoholism and smoking.
Myopathy and myopia
The symptoms of this disease are closely related to the concept of myopia of the eye, that is, myopia. Treatment also occurs precisely for this disease, because the root cause in this case is not treated. Again, the symptoms do not appear immediately. And the main one is that vision is gradually deteriorating. Many people do not immediately notice this. However, over time, when the phenomenon becomes moderate, they turn to doctors. At the same time, a person finds it difficult to read a small text, does not see objects located far away, or sees them vague.
Myopathy of the eye in a child can take a very long time, until parents begin to notice some features of his behavior and complaints. Children tend not to notice a deterioration in vision and think that such visual perception is considered normal. This significantly complicates the diagnostic process and identifying the cause, which often becomes a degenerative muscle process in the structure of the eye.
What is eye myopathy and how is it diagnosed?
Diagnostic measures
It is not recommended to delay a visit to an ophthalmologist, since the risk of loss of vision is very high. If the patient has visual impairment, it is important to determine their cause precisely. The doctor will conduct a patient survey, during which he finds out how long vision problems have occurred and whether there are similar pathological symptoms in close relatives. In the case when similar problems are found in family members, the diagnostic process proceeds, as a rule, quite easily. If the typical symptoms of the disease are not observed in the patient’s relatives, diagnostic measures are significantly hampered.
First of all, it is necessary to exclude diseases of the nervous system. The greatest difficulty during diagnosis is represented by large groups of myopathic syndromes provoked by endogenous and exogenous and pathologies. For example, myopathy of the visual organs often occurs with primary amyloidosis and myoglobinuria. To make the correct diagnosis, the patient needs to undergo such examinations:
- blood enzyme analysis;
- electromyography;
- muscle biopsy.
Diagnosis of myopia, as a consequence of this pathological process, is usually not difficult and involves the following measures:
- vision test using Sivtsev tables;
- perimetry (the study of visual fields);
- fundus ophthalmoscopy ;
- onometry (measurement of intraocular pressure);
- ultrasound procedure;
- ophthalmometry (determination of the optical power of the cornea);
- Skioscopy (studying the movement of the shadow in the pupil area);
- tonography (study of the products and processes of the outflow of intraocular fluid).
Eye myopathy treatment
If the patient is diagnosed with severe, moderate, and mild myopathy of the eyes, treatment involves prescribing medications to the patient, which normalize metabolic processes in muscle fibers. In most cases, they resort to the help of the following drugs: Methylandrostenolone, Retabolil, as well as vitamins E and C. The pharmacological agents that improve blood circulation in the tissues are not dispensed with. At the same time, such drugs as Nikoverin and Trominal can be used. In addition, pharmacological agents are used that can stabilize the processes of excitability and conductivity. For this purpose, "Mestinon" and "Galantamine" are prescribed.
It is important to know that the right medicine and the duration of its use can only be determined by a specialist who takes into account the severity of the disease, the presence of concomitant pathologies, as well as the characteristics of the body of a particular patient.
What it is - retinal myopathy, it is important to find out in advance. In the absence of timely therapy, myopia develops, which implies a separate treatment. It can actively progress and be complicated by pathologies of the retina (rupture, dystrophy, detachment), vitreous hemorrhages, staphyloma of the sclera, blindness. There are several ways to treat this pathology:
- correction with contact lenses or glasses;
- drug treatment;
- surgical intervention;
- laser correction;
- folk methods.
A selection of glasses and lenses
Incorrectly selected glasses contribute to visual impairment. The purpose of this correction is to normalize the focus of the image so that it hits the retina. Glasses scattering light are used to correct myopia. When selecting patient glasses, they are planted at a certain distance from the Sivtsev table, and negative lenses are installed. If there is an improvement in vision, the diagnosis is confirmed. Then select the necessary lenses.
A drug course of therapy is recommended for anyone who suffers from myopia, since this stops the process of its progression, and in some cases they use surgical treatment of this problem. The following drugs are prescribed:
- vitamin C;
- calcium gluconate;
- medicines that contribute to the normalization of blood circulation in the visual structures: Picamilon, Halidor, Nigeksin, Cavinton.
The article described the symptoms, degrees, causes and treatment of eye myopathy.