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    Optic neuritis? Or something else?

    Hi everyone - I have had vision problems in the past - specifically double vision - associated with MS, but those were suspected to be due to a lesion on my brainstem area and were not ON.

    Over the last several weeks, I've had a couple of episodes where I've had kind of a blind spot/shimmery spot in the center of my vision - it's been similar to how if you look at a bright light for a minute then look away it leaves sort of a "shadow" in your field of vision, except for me the shadow has been kind of shimmery and blurred. (sorry I'm not explaining this well). These episodes only last for about an hour, though my eyes feel generally strained & tired. And it seems to affect both eyes, not just one.

    I would tend to think that once ON happens the visual disturbances would be fairly constant and may not be the same in both eyes, but wanted to hear if any of you had experienced anything like this before?

    If it's not ON, is this something that could still be caused by lesion activity? Or unrelated - I know it's easy to blame everything on MS. :S

    I have left a message with my neuro to talk about this but wanted to see anecdotally if anyone on the board has had a similar experience.
    Sx since 2007; Dx Oct. 2014. Started Copaxone after Dx...praying that it's working!

    #2
    Hi malaholic,

    I don't know if it's MS related or not and I really do not want to guess.

    I have left a message with my neuro to talk about this
    Neurologists really are not good at diagnosing eye problems. You should make an appointment with an Ophthalmologist to discuss this eye issue and for an evaluation/exam.
    Diagnosed 1984
    “Lightworkers aren’t here to avoid the darkness…they are here to transform the darkness through the illuminating power of love.” Muses from a mystic

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      #3
      Originally posted by SNOOPY View Post
      Neurologists really are not good at diagnosing eye problems. You should make an appointment with an Ophthalmologist to discuss this eye issue and for an evaluation/exam.
      I agree wholeheartedly with Snoopy - see an ophthalmologist or maybe a neuro ophthalmologist!
      1st sx '89 Dx '99 w/RRMS - SP since 2010
      Administrator Message Boards/Moderator

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        #4
        Something else

        Originally posted by malaholic View Post
        If it's not ON, is this something that could still be caused by lesion activity? Or unrelated - I know it's easy to blame everything on MS. :S

        I have left a message with my neuro to talk about this but wanted to see anecdotally if anyone on the board has had a similar experience.
        It's not ON, and I've had a similar experience many times (I've had ON many times, too.) That shimmery blurry spot you've seen is called a scintillating scotoma, and it's classic for a visual aura with a migraine (with a headache) or an ocular migraine (by definition, without a headache).

        If you aren't having a headache, it's called ocular (or acephalgic) migraine. It's fairly common in the general population. The vast, vast majority of people who have ocular migraine don't have MS, so it's not possible to say whether yours has any connection to MS.

        One of the characteristics that fit the classification of ocular migraine is the self-limited nature of it. Most often they last about 20 to 30 minutes, although they can last longer. So your hour fits. An you're right: MS doesn't cause anything that 1) acts so dramatically and 2) comes and goes in such a short amount of time.

        Another is that the blurring and scintillations occur in the both eyes in approximately the same place at approximately the same time and clear up in approximately the same time. That's because the cause and effect aren't happening in the eyes, they're happening in the brain. The eyes aren't actually involved at all.

        Because they eyes aren't involved in a migraine aura or ocular migraine, your neuro actually IS the right person to talk to about yours, because neurologists are the specialists who treat headaches and migraines. So please do discuss this with your neuro.

        As scary as ocular migraines can be, they aren't known to cause any harm. Because they usually don't occur often, last such a short time and aren't harmful, ocular migraines aren't usually treated. The preventive medications for migraine with headache are overkill for a visual symptom, and the episodes are over before any other medications can take effect.

        It's still a good idea for you to see an eye doctor (ophthalmologist or optometrist) just to make sure there isn't anything else going on with your eyes that you might tend to overlook now that you know what an ocular migraine is. But that's what it would be for -- which is always a good idea. But since ocular migraines don't involve the eyes, there isn't anything for the doctor to see that's related to them, and nothing that's going to be done about them. A neuro-ophthalmologist isn't going to see you for such a common problem that doesn't actually involve the eyes or the nerves that control them.

        You can google ocular migraine to read other descriptions of the symptoms and the causes and management, and see if those descriptions match what you're experiencing. And you'll know more when you talk with your neurologist and have your eyes examined.

        I've had episodes of ocular migraine a few times while I was driving. And a couple of those times my vision became so wiped out that I had to just pull over and sit in a parking lot for 15 or 20 minutes until my vision cleared up enough so I could drive again. So if you get the same symptoms while you're driving, stay calm and pull over and sit it out, because you know it will be over in about an hour or less.

        If you start to have headaches along with the visual symptoms, you'll be experiencing a more classic migraine. That's when you really need to talk to your neurologist about it.

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          #5
          Thank you!

          jreagan70 thank you for the information on ocular migraine. I did some research after seeing your note and that seems to fit my symptoms very well - short duration, both eyes, etc. I was glad to read that it is generally not considered serious.

          I think it is worth noting for my neurologist one way or the other, so I talked with one of her nurses who is going to relay it to my neuro (who is currently on vacation).

          What's interesting is I have had "regular" (headache) migraines with no visual effects in the past, but much less frequently after I started Copaxone. This is the first time I've had the ocular effects but no headache to go with. I'll be interested to hear what the neuro thinks but I won't stress it too much til then.

          Thanks again!
          Sx since 2007; Dx Oct. 2014. Started Copaxone after Dx...praying that it's working!

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            #6
            Optical neuritis

            I am now 50. I have had optical neuritis twice. Both incidences happened the same and were a few years apart. It started out with a blank spot on the left side of my eye that progressively worked its way over the eye from left to right. This took a week, and my whole eye was blank. I called my neurologist and he saw me right away and prescribed steroids. It took the progress of another week for the vision to come back in the manner it left. This is how I was actually diagnosed. It was very scarey for me since I have another eye disorder in my right eye, not from MS, but from another autoimmune disease, so I was almost totally blind. Call your neurologist, he should take care of it because it is a part of MS.
            Hugs for you. God bless

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              #7
              Hi I hope its not to late to pop in here with a question? I have problems with my eyes getting blurry and having to close one eye to make things come in focus. I have the focus problem mainly in the AM. If I don't close one eye I can't read my cell phone at all.

              Forget reading! I fall asleep in less than a min. Sometimes my eye will feel swollen and painful. I usually give up and just close my eyes with a cool damp cloth over them and go to sleep! I hate it!!!
              So I'm not sure who to see about this!
              Sissy

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