Finding an ophthalmologist

eclements

Hi, I am new to the message board. I volunteer as a Community Educator for the Alzheimer's Association, and I oversee the care of my oldest sister who has Alzheimer's. Recently she appears to have difficulty seeing things on her left side. Has anyone taken someone with dementia to an ophthalmologist in the Virginia Beach/Chesapeake area and had a successful visit? My sister is in the middle stage of this disease. Thank you for your help.

Marta

I would start with her PCP and let him/her know about the left-sided visual deficit.  Please google hemianopia and you will see that it can be a sign of stroke or brain tumor.

Since making decisions at the ophthalmologist, such as which choice was more clear, would be very difficult for a cognitively impaired person, I would not take that route.

M1

Hi there, there are some other fairly recent posts about PWD not being able to see food on their plates, etc. that seems to be more one-sided than another.  Probably very difficult to tease out--I agree with Marta that she might not be able to cooperate enough for an accurate ophthalmology exam.

eclements

Thank you for your responses about finding an ophthalmologist. I looked up hemianopia and my sister did have a recent TIA. Perhaps it has caused the vision loss on her left side. I will check with the PCP.