Understanding Visual Pathway & Visual Field Defects

Visual pathway:

Retina ->Optic Nerve->optic chiasm ->optic tract ->lateral geniculate body->geniculostriate body->optic radiation to visual sensory areas (17,18,19)

• Retina generates visual impulses to the occipital cortex, and the image is perceived
• If any lesion in this visual pathway, it may lead to visual field defect

Also Read: INI-CET High Yield Questions for Ophthalmology

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Visual Field Defects

A) Any lesion to the Retina ipsilateral  (same side) may lead to central scotoma

B) Any lesion to optic nerve I/L Temporal & Nasal may lead to Monocular Vision loss lead to entire one-sided eye vision loss

C) Lesion to optic chiasma B/L Nasal side lead to Bitemporal Hemianopia

D,G,H) Lesion at Optic tract Lateral Geniculate body & optic radiation -: I/L Temporal & C/L Nasal lead to Contralateral homonymous hemianopia

E,J) Lesion in Inferior optic radiation: Meyers ‘loop -Inferior I/L  TEMPORAL & C/L nasal lesion lead to  C/L Homonymous Superior quadrantanopia

F,I) Lesion in Superior Optic radiation: Baum’s loop: Superior I/L temporal and C/L nasal: lead to C/L homonymous inferior quadrantanopia

K) Lesion in Visual cortex except for tip I/L Temporal + contralateral  nasal excluded macular representation: lead to Contralateral homonymous hemianopia with macular sparing

Also, read : NEET PG 2025: High-Yield Topics for Ophthalmology 

FAQ’S

Q. Is visual field defect common?

Ans. It occurs in different populations or particular people with risk factors of age, eye injury history, and chronic diseases

Q. Does visual field defect become worse over a period?

Ans. Yes, some defects may remain stable, but underlying medical conditions lead to the worst prognosis

Q. How do you manage daily activities with visual field defects?

Ans. Adapting to a visual field defect may involve Learning to scan your environment and daily needs more actively, Using magnifiers, or wearing specialized vision glasses.

Q. What are the causes of visual field defects?

Ans. Visual field defects can be caused by various conditions, including Eye diseases, Glaucoma, retinal detachment, and macular degeneration.

Neurological conditions like stroke, brain tumors, and traumatic brain injuries affect the visual pathways. Other Systemic diseases like Diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and hypertension

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