Definition

Noun: A specific type of partial blindness or visual field loss affecting one quarter (a quadrant) of the visual field in one or both eyes. It is a neurological visual defect.

Usage

This is a medical and technical term used primarily in ophthalmology, neurology, and optometry to describe a precise pattern of vision loss. * It is used to specify the location and extent of a visual field defect. * It is often documented in patient records and clinical reports.

Examples

• The MRI scan revealed a lesion that caused quadrantanopia in the patient's lower left visual field.
• After the stroke, she was diagnosed with homonymous quadrantanopia.
• Quadrantanopia can significantly impact activities like reading and driving.

Advanced Usage

• The term is often modified to specify the affected quadrant:
  • Superior quadrantanopia: Loss in the upper quarter of the visual field.
  • Inferior quadrantanopia: Loss in the lower quarter.
  • Homonymous quadrantanopia: Loss in the same quadrant of both eyes (e.g., left upper quadrant in both the right and left eye), typically indicating a problem in the brain's visual pathway.
  • Heteronymous quadrantanopia: Loss in different quadrants of each eye, which is less common.

Variants and Related Words

• Hemianopia (noun): Blindness in one half of the visual field, a related but more extensive condition.
• Scotoma (noun): A smaller, spot-like area of lost or depressed vision within the visual field.

Synonyms

• Quadrantanopsia (an alternative spelling with the same meaning).
• Partial visual field loss.
• Sector visual field defect.

Antonyms

• Full visual field.
• Normal vision.

Notes

• Quadrantanopia is a compound word formed from "quadrant" (a quarter) and "anopia" (absence of sight).
• It is a precise diagnostic term and is not used in everyday conversation. In non-medical contexts, one might describe the symptom as "partial blindness" or "loss of side vision."

Noun

1. blindness in one fourth of the visual field