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Hubby has been in an AL facility, in a dedicated memory card unit, for about nine months. A few months ago,I noticed that his peripheral vision had diminished. In the last few weeks, he appears not to focus on anything. He reaches for things that are not there. I waved my hand right in front of his face and he had no reaction. Any input welcome.

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Aging eye issues can happen with or without dementia. Reaching for things that aren't there is part of dementia, my Mom had that.

My Mom [98] was almost blind with degeneration for years and she didn't get dementia until her final few months after a serious fall. Same with my Dad [95], issues with eyesight, no dementia at that time, dementia came on years later.
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As FF says, eye problems can happen to anyone, separate from ALZ, and he should have his eyes checked. BUT, tunnel vision is something I have read about in connection with alzheimer's, it is a problem with the brain being damaged in the area that controls sight and their loss of the ability to process the information coming from their eyes. You might try searching "tunnel vision and alzheimer's" on the web to find some related articles.
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As has been mentioned, eye issues can happen with anyone. But with Alzheimer's it's common to have problems not so much because of the eyes but because of the brain. The brain can't correctly interpret what the eyes see. It's part of the process. That being said, if you can find someone to check his eye health, that still should be done. Taking a regular eye exam may not work for someone in advanced AD, but at least eye health can be checked.
Take care of yourself. You have a lot of challenges.
Carol
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My husband with early onset Lewy Body Dementia had trouble with his vision that showed up in his fifties. So it was very much the disease & not old age. Losing peripheral vision was one of the things they (occupational therapists) tested 8 years ago to determine if he was safe to drive. They also tested his reaction time among other things.

As the disease progressed he seemed to forget how to walk & needed to be lead. I think that was partly from not being able to see or interpret the contrast between light & shadows, which is also part of dementia vision problems.

He was especially afraid in the shower & would keep his eyes closed. I think the light, shadows, & water (feel & noise) overloaded his brain.

Reaching for things that aren't there could be hallucinating, also part of dementia. My husband would talk (mumble) to people who weren't there & "take or give them things"
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I don't see a good reason to attempt to have his vision checked. He won't be able to keep up with his glasses for long, if he gets some, and the ability to understand directions once you are in a memory care is so small, the Rx for glasses won't be right either.

If there is something else going on in his brain, perhaps that would save him from the indignity of late dementia. It's your choice to put him through additional testing for a few more years to decline with Alzheimer's. I'm regretting treating mthr's colon cancer now that I see her in advanced Alz, unable to speak intelligibly, incontinent, and somewhat scared.
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That sounds like glaucoma to me. We treated my mom's colon cancer (stage 3B) four years ago. No regrets here. We have had four good years with her. She is eight years into her diagnosis now.

I would definitely consult and treat the eye issues. No need to live blind or with poor vision if there is a cure or treatment to slow down progression.
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My sister has Alzheimer's & she wears glasses.She carries a pocket book with her all the time.unfortunately she can no longer read.A month ago she lost the screw out of the arm of her glasses & I was not contacted for two weeks- there was a miss comunacation.Long story short I got her glasses fixed -- she had not even missed having them for that amount of time.She had hearing aids but would hide one & drowned one ( twice) She gets along fine without them.
My sister is 72 & is in s nursing home,she has lost all her social skills,when walking she walks with her legs spread apart . She does not know days from weeks Each person with Alzheimer's is different from another person having the same disease .The brain cells are dying.She is happy & content in the nursing home. & I no longer take her home-- it Is too confusing to her.. The nursing staff are so very good to her. & that is all I can ask for.
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My husband has FTD dementia and I had his eyes checked a year ago. He was able to walk into the Dr and he could not do any of the testing but they could check his vision and see if his glasses had changed, to correct his vision, like they do with little kids that can not tell you which of the charts or letters were clearest. He had never had any problems like macular degeneration, etc so we went to LensCrafters. They were wonderful with him. I had talked to the Dr when I had gone before to have my exam and they reassured me they could check his eyes even though he could not do any of the testing. Once he is no longer interested in TV as he is now and is more nonresponsive we won't worry about that. Just another thought.
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Rehab brought it to our attention that Moms left side vision seemed to be effected. Her neurologist felt it may have been caused by a stroke. He had me take Mom to her eye doctor. He did a series of test, an extensive one for glocoma, and ruled both glocoma and a stroke out. Dementia is the cause. I have gone to hand Mom something and she doesn't seem to see it. There r times her eyes look blank.
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I agree with JoAnn...it seems there comes a point when the dementia affects the way the brain interprets what they see....or don't see. My mom wore glasses most of her life and after cataract surgery her vision improved so much she didn't need to use glasses. Yet she continued to wear them but often had a blank look in her eyes and was unable to 'see' what she was being shown. Her neurologist said he thought she had lost the ability to interpret what she was seeing (most of the time). Blessings to you, Lindaz
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