Double Vision

[johnnyamo]

Hi guys,
I wanted to ask if any one has had experience with double vision problems. Is the double vision a result of the Optic Neuritis? I get double vision when I take a hot shower or physically exert myself in just about any way. I wasn't sure what was going on, but my optometrist sent me to an ophthalmologist who examined me and said that I don't have Optic Neuritis. He said that I show no signs of nerve damage in my eyes or any signs that I've ever had any nerve damage in my eyes. Is this normal?

[RoyaleMSer]

ON is not the only cause of double vision, there are TONS of other reasons as to why it could be happening. I won't go into details because I don't know the specifics and I'm sure someone more knowledgable about it will respond.

[heliotrope]

Okay, first of all - as far as I know, some optic nerve damage isn't visible just from examining you in the office (despite what even my neuro-opth has said). You'd need further testing to tell for sure.
Second of all, ON isn't the only cause of double-vision. mine is definitely MS related and is probably muscular, not just nerve related (way more complex than straight forward ON).
What exactly did the doctor tell you?

[gomer]

I have had double vision since 1964 due to MS related neuro-muscular eye muscle weakness. I has had a patern of getting worse due to some (not all) exacerbations/flairs. It will get worse, then hold the same for years then get eorse again. i have worn prisms (glasses) to correct it since 1964 and updated as needed.

I also have evidence of past episodes of ON, mostoly color issues.

There are other forms/causes of double vision as well. IMO you should see a neuro-optamologist.

Gomer Dr. of, Been There, Done That

[Redwings]

Hi johnny:
Optic neuritis and double vision are separate conditions. They can occur together or separately. The nerves in the eyes that the doctor can see during an eye exam -- the optic nerves -- aren't the ones that are responsible for the most common kinds of double vision. So it's possible for them to be normal even though you sometimes have double vision. It's a bit like comparing apples and oranges.

For the kinds of double vision that are caused by nerves, those nerves are inside the head and can't be seen. So it takes a different kind of evaluation to troubleshoot them. And it requires a different discussion with the ophthalmologist than for optic neuritis. Did the ophthalmologist say what might be causing your double vision? And to put your question in context, have you been diagnosed with MS? Has MS been mentioned as a possible cause of the double vision?

[opiegirl]

I had double vision about 8 years ago for six weeks. My eyes started having pain with movement and then woke up one morning with double vision. I wore an eye patch for awhile and then went to the eye Dr. and ordered new glasses. The day after I picked up the glasses the double vision went away.

Haven't experienced it since.

[maximumlite]

I have had double vision on and off since 97 after a car accident, and I am thankfull that I have never had ON. My double vision seems to come when I under extreme stress and I've never had any pain

[johnnyamo]

Well, right now I'm in limbo. I had a neurologist tell me that I "almost certainly" has MS because of the double vision and the MRI results, but I've also been fighting a sinus infection for about a year. The ENT says all my symptoms can be attributed to Sinusitis, but the neurologist says that sinusitis wouldn't cause the spots on the brain that are on the MRI. I went to the ophthalogist to see if I had Optic Neuritis and he says I don't. I'm so confused. I'm preparing for the worst, but hoping for the best

[Redwings]

Hi johnny:
It's good that you went to the ophthalmologist to see about optic neuritis. The problem is that optic neuritis isn't the cause of double vision. (You can research this yourself. No reputable medical source links double vision to optic neuritis.) If you aren't looking in the right place, you're not going to find the right answer. Looking at the optic nerves (optic neuritis) for the cause of double vision is like looking at the windshield wipers of your car to explain why the steering is pulling to the left.

It's easy to become confused if you aren't looking for the answer in the right place. Unfortunately, doctors of different specialties have different ideas about what the cause of a problem might be. If you're looking at a neurological problem, the odds are that you're better off going with the opinion of a neurologist rather than a non-neurologist. That might not be absolutely true, but it's more reasonable to believe a specialist than a nonspecialist in the field until proven otherwise.

There is much merit in what your neurologist has said. Sinusitis won't cause spots on the MRI of your brain. (You can do your own research and you won't find any reputable source that links sinusitis to brain lesions.) So at this point it's reasonable to stop looking at the eyes themselves -- and the optic nerves -- and look instead at other neurological causes of double vision. Ask your neurologist for a referral to a neuro-ophthalmologist, whose specialty it is to look at the effects of nerves and brain function -- and MS -- on double vision. If you're looking in the right place, it's easier to get a reliable answer.

[GEM]

I find it most interesting that the double vision appears when you take a hot shower or when you physically exert yourself, which raises your internal temperature. Heat related symptoms are oten seen with MS, Make sure you tell this to your neurologist.

[johnnyamo]

I told the ophthalmologist about what the neurologist said and I took the MRI results with me. He didn't look at the MRI and he didn't recommend a Neuro-ophthalmologist. He dismissed the double vision as strabismus and nothing more. Basically told me that I had nothing to worry about. The sinusitis was so bad that I had Functional Endoscopic Sinus Surgery in the first week of March. I've been waiting to see if the symptoms I DO have would go away after treating the sinuses. That way when I go to another neurologist I can tell him that I (hopefully) don't have double vision anymore.

The sinuses now are better but I still have Eustachian Tube Dysfunction, ear problems and, sadly, double vision. I have to find a new Neurologist, hopefully one that I trust this time, because the last one asked me a series of questions, "Do you have vertigo? Do you have any numbness? Are you clumsy? Are you having any cognitive or memory issues?" My answer to all of these was, "No" and the next words out of his mouth were, "Yeah, this is almost certainly MS." I thought he was joking. He was worried about my having nystagmus. Again, a symptom that the ENT chalked up to the sinus and ear infection.

It's like the two doctors only see what THEY individually specialize in. The Neuro said I don't even have a sinus infection, the ENT doesn't see MS. I'm in the middle assuming that I have both at this point. The only other symptom I'm really having is depression, but I don't know if that's a symptom or just normal for any one that's told that they, "almost certainly" have a brain disease.

I didn't have any depression before I got the referral to the Neurologist. Oh well, I guess all I can do it at this point is play the waiting game some more. I'm glad I signed up for this forum. Every one has been so great, and it's nice to talk to people that have an idea about what's going on. I just want to thank every one for all of your comments and help so far. Thank you all.

**Post broken into paragraphs by Moderator for easier reading. Many people with MS have visual difficulties that prevent them from reading large blocks of print.**

[Edge Of Ruin]

I have trouble with double vision

I have trouble with double vision. In fact, it was among the first symptoms to strike the night I also seemed to see dense fog in my room, rose up with vertigo, fell over backwards onto my bed and blacked out. This, along with a numb hand is what sent me to my pcp wondering what was the matter with me. She ordered an MRI right away and the images showed a large lesion on the top of my spinal cord. This was just the beginning of the RRMS diagnosis which actually took over a year to get.
I was surprised, however, that I did not have optic
neuritis yet I was having trouble with double vision and still do at times. I'm glad that I don't have optic neuritis but if I had I probably would have been diagnosed sooner. I don't know the cause of my double vision or if it is directly connected to MS or as I have developed late onset
presbyopia and am severely far-sighted at the age of 58, my eyeballs are getting prematurely old. It seems MS speeds up the aging process. I look 50 but feel like I'm 90.