lestoby

Hi,

I have been waking up with one eye closed since August, (when I had my 1st attack) and must almost always read the paper with one eye closed. Not so much because of double vision, but because R eye is blurrier and sometimes see grey spots. Sometimes, I have to see at distances with one eye closed too. I have been having eye problems for over 3 years and it is NOT optic neuritis.

I decided to keep a "pain journal" regarding body parts affected, symptoms, and level of pain 1-10. I have a tendency to ignore my problems and never go to the doctor, but I mainly wanted to see if I could find an underlying cause regarding my eye symptoms. There does not seem to be a definitive connection, but the opthomologist found my list very helpful. My friend who is a psychologist recommends his patients keep a pain journal, which helps him write reports and monitor a patients history. So, I highly recommend pain journals.

For the past month, I have been having 50-75% blurriness in my R eye, but it only lasts for 3-4 hours at a time and it has happened about 6 times for the past month.

My symptoms are mainly, pain at the bridge of my nose and across the eybrows, pressure/bulging feeling in R eye, light sensitivity, and a "cold" feeling. I do not have all of these symptoms at the same time, seems to be a traveling kind of thing.

My eye problems began about 4 years ago (warning sign, but didn't know it) and went to an opthomologist. He diagnosed blepharitis, but that is because I wore contacts for 21 years. Obviously his prescribed rx of Patinol (very expensive) did not cure my symptoms.

Had a severe attack in August, 2005 and discovered 2 lesions in my R occipital lobe. The occipital lobe is the part of the brain that controls your eyes.

I went to my opthomologist today (because of the recent "blurriness" problem) and he said that my optic nerve was fine (not inflamed). We are both of the opinion that my eye problems are due to the location of my lesions being in the occipital lobe. I also discovered that my vision decreased significantly in my R eye and my blind spots increased in size since my attack. I have had the same prescription for eyeglasses for over 20 years and now I have a change in my Rx primarily due to my lesions.

While I wish my doctor had a magic wand to make my eye problems go away, I do at least seem somewhat validated that I do not have some kind of stress-related tic. I almost wish it was optic neuritis, so that I could be prescribed steroids to make the problems go away, but I guess there is no cure for my particular problem.

By the way...... I have not received a diagnosis of MS - I am still in limboland. Do you have a dx of MS yet? Do you know if your lesions are in your occipital lobe? I too am looking for somebody that I can relate with who has this problem. Most people with MS can blame there eye problems on ON, but that is not my problem.

But.... in answer to your question, a highly-rated opthomologist can help you with your eyes. You do not necessarily need to see a neuro. My neuro is almost impossible to get an appointment with, but my O.D. can get me in within 2-3 days.