Why is sight loss typically under-diagnosed in people with dementia?

Often sight loss is under-diagnosed because one condition can mask or be mistaken for another, or the person may not be able to communicate that they have difficulties with their vision.

Things that may indicate a person with dementia is experiencing a deterioration in their sight, can include changes in behaviour such as a disinterest in hobbies, trips/falls or persistently cleaning glasses.

There is also a tendency to attribute changes in the individual to the progression of their dementia rather than other causes such as sight loss. Symptoms of eye conditions such as Charles Bonnet syndrome (CBS) which can cause people who have lost a lot of vision to see things that aren't really there, known as visual hallucinations, may be mistaken as hallucinations arising from particular types of dementia.

For further information on CBS see What is Charles Bonnet Syndrome?

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