It’s not that these studies have found that eye problems cause dementia and other conditions of cognitive decline, according to the Assil Gaur Eye Institute. Cognition and vision both tend to decline with age. However, it’s possible that vision problems can accelerate this decline. When you’re not getting a clear visual picture, symptoms of dementia can become more noticeable, such as the inability to recognize a familiar face. Vision loss can also cause problems reading maps and other important information, and it can also limit how much information your brain receives. When your brain isn’t actively stimulated, it loses its acuity.
On the other hand, it’s possible that dementia could contribute to vision loss. Lewy body dementia occurs when the brain develops clumps of protein that affect some of the brain’s ability to process information, particularly visual information. People with Lewy body dementia might see large floaters or have problems seeing spatial relationships between objects. Because these vision problems have to do with the brain, your eye health might appear to be normal.