Introduction
A cervical spine syndrome can be accompanied by a variety of complaints, and often visual disturbances also occur. The cause can be various pathological changes in the cervical spine, such as muscular tension or joint wear and tear. Often, small nerve tracts or blood vessels are affected. This is accompanied by various symptoms in the area of the head, such as headaches or visual disorders.
Connection of the cervical spine syndrome and visual disorders
A cervical spine syndrome is not a uniform clinical picture, but rather a summary of various complaints, which may also include visual disorders and which may have various causes. As a rule, the symptoms are based on a pathological change in the cervical spine. Lack of movement, too much sitting but also increased stress can be the cause of muscular tension in the area of the shoulders or neck.
Muscular tension can also affect nerve tracts or blood vessels. A possible cause of visual disturbances in the context of a cervical spine syndrome are therefore circulatory disorders of the eyes. In addition to muscular tension, joint degeneration can also be a cause of the complaints.
It is also possible that a rheumatic disease leads to a cervical syndrome with visual disturbances. The same applies to an injury involving the cervical spine, such as a traffic accident with whiplash. Visual disturbances can also occur with other diseases, which may be dangerous and must be treated promptly and specifically. Therefore, visual disorders should better be clarified by a visit to a doctor.
Associated symptoms
The cervical spine syndrome can present itself in many different ways and can be accompanied by a variety of other accompanying symptoms in addition to visual disturbances. Most affected people report superficial pain and limited mobility in the neck and shoulders. The pain can also radiate and manifest itself as headaches or arm problems.
Sensory disturbances, such as tingling or numbness in the arms or hands, can also appear as accompanying symptoms in addition to visual disturbances. Some people also suffer from dizziness, tinnitus (ringing in the ears) or difficulty swallowing. Visual disturbances in a cervical spine syndrome can present themselves in many different ways.
Some affected persons describe above all a burning sensation in the eyes. Usually both eyes are affected. Often the burning sensation subsides after some time and is triggered again under certain circumstances, for example by stress.
Basically, however, eye burning can have a variety of other causes. In addition to irritation, for example due to an allergic reaction to grass or house dust, an incipient inflammation of the conjunctiva can initially manifest itself through burning eyes. If visual disorders such as burning eyes occur again or become very distressing, a doctor should be consulted.
Visual disturbances in the context of a cervical syndrome can be accompanied by flashes of lightning, among other things. Presumably, these are short-term circulatory disorders of the eyes, which may be caused by muscular tension in the neck area. However, even people without a health disorder may occasionally experience short-term eye flashes.
This usually has no disease value, is harmless and requires no treatment. If, however, an unusually high number of light flashes occur and one feels restricted by this visual disturbance, a prompt presentation to the ophthalmologist is recommended. Especially in elderly people or those with concomitant diseases such as diabetes (“diabetes”), it must be excluded that a detachment of the retina is the cause.
However, if no treatable cause of the light flashes described by the patient can be found, the cervical spine syndrome often remains as the exclusion diagnosis in the case of simultaneous neck complaints. Flickering of the eye can have many different causes, although in most cases it is harmless. This is especially true if the complaints occur only occasionally and disappear by themselves after a short time.
A cervical spine syndrome can be one of the causes. However, if the eye flickering does not subside or becomes increasingly severe, a medical clarification of the visual disorder should be made.Eye twitching is a common symptom that can occasionally occur even in many completely healthy people. In the vast majority of cases this is harmless and does not require further clarification or treatment.
Even if this visual disturbance occurs in the context of a cervical syndrome, there is no reason for concern. If the causal complaints in the neck area are treated by means of heat applications and physical activity, the complaints in the eye usually subside as well. If eye twitching persists for a long time or is perceived as very distressing or worrying, it may be advisable to consult a doctor.
A cervical spine syndrome can lead to quite different visual disturbances or symptoms in the eyes. If the eyes are swollen, however, there is usually another cause. For example, an inflammation of part of the eyes may be responsible.
Water retention in the context of severe kidney or liver disease can also cause swollen eyes. Often, however, the eyes are only perceived as swollen if you have had a poor night’s sleep. Since complaints due to a cervical spine syndrome can often impair sleep, this can indirectly lead to the visual disturbance or swollen eyes.
Dry eyes are usually not the result of a cervical spine syndrome. Even though complaints originating from the neck can in principle cause all possible forms of visual disturbances, dry eyes are more likely to have another, independent cause. For example, this can be a disease with disturbed production of tear fluid.
But even if you spend a lot of time in an environment with dry warm air, dry eyes can occur. Remedy can be for example artificial tear fluid. If dry eyes occur frequently and are perceived as disturbing, a presentation to a doctor is indicated.
If a cervical syndrome causes visual disturbances, this does not usually lead to red eyes. Rather, these can give an indication of another cause of the visual disorders, which occur independently of the neck complaints. Red eyes can occur, for example, in the context of an inflammation of the conjunctiva or cornea.
A redness that is only one-sided and limited in its extent can also be caused by a burst vein. If this occurs rarely and only in one eye, there is no reason for concern. The blood is broken down by the body within a few days and the blood vessels recover quickly.
However, if vision problems occur again and the eyes are red, a doctor should be consulted for clarification. If a cervical spine syndrome is present and is accompanied by visual disturbances, some affected persons report an increased feeling of pressure in their eyes. This is usually an incorrect perception due to the impairment caused by the tense neck muscles.
The actual intraocular pressure is normal in most cases. However, there are also eye diseases in which the intraocular pressure is actually increased and in which one should definitely try to reduce it by taking medication. One speaks of glaucoma or “green star”, which, if left untreated, can lead to blindness in the worst case.
For this reason, it is essential to consult an ophthalmologist as soon as possible in the case of newly occurring visual disorders and eye pressure. A direct disturbance of the optic nerve is usually not to be expected due to a cervical spine syndrome. In contrast to many other nerves, the optic nerve does not originate from the spinal cord of the cervical spine but directly from the brain.
It is therefore not disturbed even in cases of severe neck pain or tension in the neck region. Visual disturbances in the cervical spine syndrome are more likely to be due to an impairment of the blood supply, since the entire blood supply to the head coming from the heart can only be supplied via the blood vessels of the neck. Indirectly, in principle, the optic nerve can also be disturbed, since, like all other parts of the visual system, it is dependent on an adequate blood supply. Ultimately, it is usually not possible to clarify exactly how vision disorders occur in a cervical spine syndrome or which part of the eyes is affected.
