Sight loss as the result of dementia will affect over 120,000 people, according to the RNIB. Even if they still have healthy eyes, their problems may be caused by the way in which the brain perceives what it sees rather than how sharply they see something.
Because of the changes that occur in the brain, typical sight problems that may occur when dealing with people with dementia include narrowing of the field of vision, difficulty in perceiving distance accurately, coping with different light levels, locating food on their plate or perhaps even hallucinations.
Other common problems include perceiving things wrongly and seeing one thing as something else. For example, is the pattern in the carpet something to pick up or is the dark border a step? Misidentification is another issue; for example, is that a real apple or a picture of an apple? Or perhaps is that my son or my husband?
It is easy to see how these mistakes may lead to the person with dementia saying or doing things that do not make sense to others. However, what they are experiencing is not a problem with thinking (it is not based on incorrect reasoning or ‘delusional thinking’). Instead, it is the result of damage to the visual system.
Understanding more about how people with Alzheimer's and Dementia see the world is nicely explained in this video by Teepa Snow, one of America's leading educators on dementia.
She has her own YouTube channel with lots of free videos - click here.