Patients use the term dizziness to describe many different types of feelings. Dizziness can feel as if the world is spinning, often also referred to as vertigo, or feel unsteady, unbalanced, lightheaded or a mixture of any of these. Maintaining balance requires the brain to successfully interpret sensory data from both the eyes and ears about the body’s position in relation to the surroundings. Therefore vision problems can cause chronic dizziness, defined by the Merck Manual of Health and Aging as dizziness that lasts for more than a month.
Macular Degeneration
Macular degeneration describes a chronic eye disease that affects people as they get older. MedLine Plus and the National Institutes of Health report macular degeneration as the leading cause of blindness in those over the age of 60. Macular degeneration affects the macula -- the portion of the eye located in the center of the retina that distinguishes fine details. Wet macular degeneration occurs when blood vessels grow abnormally behind the macula and leak blood and fluid, damaging the macula. Dry macular degeneration occurs when the macula slowly breaks down.
Patients with macular degeneration begin to notice blurred vision, especially in the center of the vision field. This disruption in the center field of vision can interfere with balance. Patients who feel unsteady and unbalanced often describe those feelings as dizziness. Other symptoms of macular degeneration include the inability to distinguish colors, the need for additional light and hallucinations of geometric shapes or people, according to MayoClinic.com.
Glaucoma
Doctors use the term glaucoma to describe a group of eye diseases that gradually cause a loss of sight due to damage to the optic nerve. Although not present in all cases of glaucoma, one of the leading risk factors for developing glaucoma is an increased intraocular pressure. The increase in pressure of the fluids in the eye can cause damage to the optic nerve. Glaucoma often occurs without any warning symptoms and, if left untreated, can lead to total blindness, according to the Glaucoma Research Foundation. Vision loss usually begins as a loss of peripheral, or side, vision. To compensate, patients often turn their heads to the side. This change in vision can confuse the brain about the body’s position, leading to a sense of unbalance and dizziness.
Cataracts
A cataract, which commonly occurs in older individuals, describes a clouding of the lens of the eye. The lens, the clear part of the eye, focuses the light and the image on to the retina. When the lens becomes cloudy, it sends a blurred image to the retina, therefore interfering with clear vision. Cataracts occur when clumps of proteins accumulate on the lens as a result of aging. In fact, approximately half of all Americans have a cataract or have had cataract surgery by the age of 80, according to the National Eye Institute. The vision disturbances caused by cataracts can interfere with balance and lead to dizziness.
