This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

I am having problems with my right eye. It is blurry and I am having trouble focusing. It's been about a week. Did contact my neurologist and am waiting for a response. Has anyone had this experience? Any helpful tips on how to deal/resolve this? It is making my already horrible balance worse. I've experienced visual disturbance before when overheated, but it would pass after cooling down. Such a frightening experience.
Thanks.

Hi indigo,

I'm so sorry about the visions problems - those are always frightening. If I were you, though, I would immediately contact an ophthalmologist, because you could probably get right in. Actually, I'm wondering why people with MS so often contact their neuros first with eye problems, when if it turns out to be a serious threat to your vision, a neuro couldn't treat it and would then have to send you to an ophtho anyway. The neuro can wait. If it's a neuro thing, there's little they could do, but if it's an ophtho thing they might be able to treat immediately. Seriously.

I've never called a neuro between yearly visits since my dx almost 7 years ago - I call the doc for that specialty. Example: last summer when I was at work I suddenly got this psychedelic strobe light pattern in one eye and I was afraid I'd lose my sight. My ophthalmologist got me right in and dx'd a common, ordinary ocular migraine - just like he and his wife and half the patients in the waiting room have had before. I got in to see him in about an hour. I plan to mention it to my neuro at next month's yearly appointment, however.

I do wish you relief soon! I can't believe you still haven't heard from the doctor you called.

I will repeat my tiresome mantra that keeps me sane, though, "It's not always MS...it's not always MS...it's not always MS..."
.
.

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Dx'd with MS & HNPP (hereditary peripheral neuropathy) 7/03 but must have had MS for 30 yrs before that. I've never taken meds for MS or MS symptoms except 1 yr experiment on LDN. (I found diet, exercise, sleep, humor, music help me the most.)

Are you having any pain in the eye?

feels more like strain, than pain. starting to get a headache. still no word back from my neuro's office. the nurse said she would call to let me know if i was to get an mri and if i should start solumedrol, perhaps even on a routine basis. ugh.

What is your age? Are you wearing glasses currently?

Does your vision seem foggy? Is there a difference betweeen the vision in the right eye vs left eye? If you exercise or get heated does the vision worsen?

I'm 37. Wear glasses regularly as I am nearsighted. Left eye is normal. Right eye is the problem. It seems to be worse as things get closer in proximity. However, things are blurry at a distance as well. I have had blurred vision in the past, but after cooling down seems to return to normal. This has been going on for ten days. Tried to also make an appointment with my ophthalmologist, but she was out of town, so my appointment is finally tomorrow.

Good luck. I hope it is not optic neuritis!

aaacck. i think it might be. am i in big trouble? do you think the vision will return?

i have had quite a few episodes of optic neuritis, and in many ways i feel that they are not the worst ms symptoms you can get.
first time i got a little vision problems, very hard to describe, accopmpanied by pain. i didnt know optic neuritis was painful, so i contacted doctor who sent me to hospital. pain is not uncommon with optic problems in ms.
the spesialist at the hospital, confirmed diagnosis, and adviced me NOT to take any cortison. he said cortison is used to treat optic neuritis but is not effectiv. this because the optic nerve is under attac, its not just about reducing swelling. it did not last very long. a few left over symptoms persisted for years, when i got tiered.

next time, it wasn't just pain, my eye was red and swollen as well, i didnt know that was possible in ms, so back to doctors and hospital i went. its not uncommon that the eye starts watering and that it can get red. the pain this time was quite horrible, it was like somebody was stabbing my eye with a sharp object. it was so painful it made me throw up.
i was given cortison by neurologist, but i never got round to start the tablets, as i was brestfeeding i never found the right time to start pumping and all that
more symptoms persisted this time, bit more fuzzy, and it came back more frequent then first time around. it only lasted for about a week.

Now i got blurred vision again, it does come and go a bit, but i think it is quite stabile, its not painful, and i have decided not to treat it. it is mainly just blurred when looking to the right and slightly upwards, and its only on my left eye.

it is very difficult to describe how it affects the vision these optic nerve problems, at least for me. they are there, they are tiering, but they are not really diabeling. i still can see, and probably read the boards the doctor has, i can still drive, its jst a constant slight fuzzy feeling in my eye.

good luck with it

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<div>I have lived with ms for 8 years. The last year has been hell, I've gone from shite to even worse every single month, until my liberation in May. </div>

Thanks for all the great responses. Went to an ophthalmologist today, after failing several vision tests, I'm headed to a neuroophthalmologist and for an mri. time will tell...

The vision will likely return if you are suffering from optic neuritis. Keep in mind that each of us have an individual course with MS. Whereas I have, quit ironically, had ON in both of my eyes over the past years, I have regained full visual function. I have a few patients, however, that have not regained all of their function. ON does not have a certain outcome, although in most cases the outlook is okay.