How Alzheimer’s Impacts Vision

Learn how Alzheimer’s impacts vision and what steps to take to ensure safety.

The intricate steps needed to make it possible for us to see are mind-boggling. Within the blink of an eye, our brains have the capability to take transmitted details from the environment around us, translate that information based upon input from other senses, thoughts, and experiences, and then build an understanding of that information to help make us conscious of what we are seeing.

It’s unsurprising that Alzheimer’s impacts vision, and therefore people with Alzheimer’s can encounter misperceptions and visual deficits, particularly in the aspects of:

• Depth and/or color perception
• Contrast
• Motion recognition
• Peripheral vision

What’s more, individuals who have Alzheimer’s can frequently encounter an altered sense of reality in the form of illusions. For instance, someone with Alzheimer’s disease could see a shadow on the ground, and mistake it for something harmless, such as the family pet, or a hazard, such as an intruder. Additional kinds of visual misperceptions in dementia can consist of:

• Misjudging reflections in glass or mirrors for another person. This could result in distress in believing somebody else is present, or thinking that a bathroom mirror reflection means the washroom happens to be occupied by another person.
• Believing that images on TV are real and happening in the room.
• Difficulty with sitting in a chair or on the toilet, being frightened of a fall.
• Stress in overstimulating environments that creates confusion.
• Reaching for objects that aren’t there, or missing the mark in attempting to grab something.
• Troubles with drinking and self-feeding.

Listed here are some approaches to help senior loved ones:

• Maintain sufficient lighting through the entire house, and remove any specific items which produce stress or visual confusion whenever possible.
• Integrate contrasting colors whenever possible; as an example, serve dark-colored soup in a light-colored bowl, or a scrambled egg on a red plate.
• Close blinds or curtains both at night and whenever the sunlight produces a glare.
• Make use of adaptive tools such as remote controls and phones with large buttons to help facilitate opportunities for independence.

At Hired Hands Home Care, the top-rated providers of home and dementia care in Pleasanton, CA and the surrounding areas, we are dedicated to ensuring seniors are safe and thriving in the comfort of home. Our compassionate care team can help with specialized memory care activities, a home safety assessment, companionship, reminiscing, and more. If you would like to learn more about the home and dementia care services Pleasanton-area families have trusted since 1994, email or call us today at (866) 940-4343 for more information.