My Scotoma app for iPhone and iPad

A scotoma is an area of your visual field where you dont see well, or perhaps where you dont see at all. In other words, its a blind spot. Every eye has one, and most of us never notice them. But sometimes diseases or injuries can cause new blind spots to appear and grow.

This app is about blind spots. You can use it to look for yours, and if you have any that youre concerned about, you can use this app to mark and track them. Some of the diseases that cause blind spots are progressive, meaning they get worse over time, but there are treatments that can slow and even prevent that progression. For that to happen, its important to be under a doctors care.

This app is not a substitute for a doctor. If you need glasses, you might get them from an optician, a person who makes glasses. To get the right prescription for your glasses, you would visit an optometrist. But to check the health of your eyes, the best person to see is an ophthalmologist, a medical doctor who specializes in eyes. Everyone should get their eyes checked regularly, even people who have 20/20 vision, because there are diseases and conditions that can sneak up and take away your sight if youre not watching for them.

What causes blind spots?

Two common causes of blind spots are glaucoma and macular degeneration. Glaucoma affects the optic nerve and macular degeneration affects the retina. Both come in many forms. Some are fast and some are slow-moving, and both cause changes that cant be reversed. When we lose vision to one of these diseases, we dont get it back. Instead, we have to adapt to the changes and work to keep them from hurting us further.

What can we do about them?

A good ophthalmologist will have many options for treating glaucoma and macular degeneration. These might include drugs that reduce the pressure in your eye, nutritional changes or improvements to your personal habits, and in some cases surgery. The best thing that we can do is get our eyes checked regularly and follow our doctors advice.

How to use this app

You can use My Scotoma to quickly check your visual field. The grid on the screen is called an Amsler Grid, and its regular pattern can make abnormalities in your visual field easier to spot. Use it on one eye at a time. Close the other eye and focus on the white circle in the center. Move the screen as close to your eye as comfortable, and see if you notice any areas of the grid that are wavy or missing.

If you see anything unusual, mark it by dragging your thumb on the screen to move the yellow square to the problem area, and then tap. The screen will flash and youll see a red square. You can undo your taps or reset the screen with the buttons at the bottom, and when youre finished, use the button at the top right to save your marks. Then you can go back to the history screen and review them to look for changes or to reassure yourself if you feel like things are changing and they really arent.

Remember this:

The best way to care for your eyes is to see an ophthalmologist regularly. Bring My Scotoma with you on your visits, and be careful to do what your doctor prescribes. Lets get the most from our eyes. Theres so much to see!