Schizophrenia and blindness are both separate conditions, but linked together, as individuals who are blind by birth are less likely to develop schizophrenia. Individuals with schizophrenia think in an illogical way and see the world negatively. Although it’s very rare, it happens. In this article, you may get to know how dementia and schizophrenia are linked!
What is schizophrenia?
Individuals with schizophrenia see the world in a negative way; this mental condition causes psychotic symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, disorganized behavior, paranoid thoughts, and more.
What is Blindness?
Blindness is referred as a loss of vision; some individuals are blind at birth, and some become blind later in life due to genetics, infections, or mishaps.
Is there any link between schizophrenia and blindness?
Schizophrenia and blindness are linked together. According to a recent study, people born blind are less likely to develop schizophrenia. Individuals with schizophrenia also have abnormalities in vision, such as retinal changes and eye movement problems.
1. Retinal Changes
Individuals with schizophrenia have changes in the retina, such as large venules. These changes are a sign of schizophrenia.
2. Eye Movement Problems
Individuals with schizophrenia have difficulties in eye movements, such as saccades, which is a jerk movement which may change the focus suddenly, and a smooth eye movement which may smoothly change the focus.
Can cortical blindness protect from schizophrenia?
People with cognitive blindness are at a lower risk of developing schizophrenia. Researchers have not found any cases of schizophrenia in blind people, although schizophrenia and blindness both occur from genetics and infections, but they are not related. Lack of vision also affects the development of the brain. Researchers have put forward many theories, including:
1. Lack of Visual Hallucinations
People who have never seen the visuals of the world may not experience hallucinations because the brain has never developed visual hallucinations.
2. Neuroplasticity
Individuals with cognitive blindness have different neurodevelopment, the brain gives signals about the visual information, and other senses such as hearing, and touching. This neuroplasticity helps individuals from brain chemicals that may lead to schizophrenia.
3. Increase in Sensual Interpretation
Individuals with a lack of sight have sensory interception, such as hearing and touching. This increase in sensory interception helps blind individuals to differentiate and sense the reality and hallucination.
4. Dopamine Regulation
Schizophrenia arises because of the dysregulation of dopamine. Dopamine works differently, especially in people who are born blind. This change in dopamine reduces the chances of developing schizophrenia.
5. Social Behaviour Patterns
Blind people are trained from childhood to interact and communicate with others. This social behaviour helps in reducing the chance of developing schizophrenia.
6. Coping mechanism
People who are born blind have social and cognitive skills. This helps them to cope with stresses and problems such as childhood trauma, environmental stress, and social hardships.
Can people who became blind later in life be diagnosed with schizophrenia?
Not all kinds of blindness can protect from schizophrenia; individuals who become blind later in life can develop schizophrenia, it also depends on the brain development. Individuals who became blind later in life have seen and experienced the world, so they might develop schizophrenia.
Treatment options
Schizophrenia is an incurable condition; however, some medications and therapies can help reduce the symptoms. These include:
1. Antipsychotic medications
Antipsychotic medications are recommended by healthcare experts. It helps reduce the symptoms of psychosis and helps regulate dopamine.
2. Social training skills
Social training skills help individuals improve social interactions. It helps in the overall quality of life, such as work, relationships, and schools.
3. Psychotherapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy is very important in dealing with schizophrenia, as CBT individuals learn how to manage their symptoms.
4. Family therapy
Family therapy educates the family members to create a friendly environment that helps reduce the stress for individuals with schizophrenia.
Reach out to Brain Power Wellness Institute Today
Seeking help is an act of bravery and encouragement. Reach out to Brain Power Wellness Institute and take the first step towards recovery. We have a team of experts who are ready to help you, whether it’s OCD, Depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, or more. We provide a holistic approach and evidence-based treatments.
Conclusion
Schizophrenia is a progressive (long-term) disorder that affects millions of people around the world is strongly linked with blindness. Researchers claim that individuals who are born blind are safe from schizophrenia because they have never seen the world. But not all the blindnesses are safe; people who become blind later in life can develop schizophrenia because their mind has already developed the visuals of the world.
