This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Knowledge & Support Community

so far it has been mild but things seem to be ramping up right now, and the iv solumedrol is hell! i just got my latest MRI that showed still no lesions in my spine>>>lol knock on wood .....nothing lit up either on my brain just a few more lesions, I may start tysabri but thats a whole new topic!!!lol

thanks for coming into it eyedoc - i'm not sure if brian has the same brain-eye issues i had, but if he got a zinc test maybe he could find out whether or not it's part of the scenario?
so - when i had my brain and eye problems that resolved after zinc treatment, is there a way you can see that making sense? i felt a twisting strain in the back of my eye when trying to navigate in traffic, and i also felt like my brain could not process visual information fast enough. i never get that any more since i started zinc therapy. however i had good reason to suspect zinc deficiency, and bloodwork to back it up. the symptoms were sort of coincidental - i didn't ask for the zinc test because of them, and i didn't really expect the supplements to correct it, but i was pleased that it seemed to make the difference.

boy when you talk about your eyes not keeping up with your brain that is exactly how i feel!

i'm not sure brian - i could see okay, but my brain couldn't put together what i saw fast enough to make the usual kind of rapid decisions you need to, when driving say. does that make sense? anyway, very glad that particular time is over!
JL

Yes, the extraocular muscles are smooth muscle tissue.

I don't know what to think about zinc in relation to the problems we are describing. I can tell you this: I have never seen a patient with the types of problems we have that is not an MSer. Certainly, other issues like stokes, etc. cause problems with eye movements, but I am talking about these non-specific eye problems, like fthe feeling that our eyes do not work together well anymore. So if zinc was at the root of the problem, I would assume I would see more patients (i.e. non MSers) with these complaints.

Brian, I have the same types of problems with my eyes that you do. They come and go, just like most of my MS symptoms. I have tried to explain the problems to myself numerous times, but I can't even convince myself I know exactly why it happens! I think my theory is pretty sound, though. Nerve damage will affect the fine movements of the eyes for sure, and that kind symptom will be noticed by us easily. It is amazing just how fine and coordinated eye movements have to be.

It just seems that most people that have m.s. eye probs have double vision or some vision loss. I have not had that (yet)lol and hopefully i wont, my main issue now is the ability to look someone in the eye and have a conversation with them. If they are talking to fast i cant keep up and i need them to slow down. Another example is say when im going down the grocery isle i have to go slow cause i cant keep up with the speed im walking correlating to what i see. It is so frustrating and i bet you are right about it being nerve damage, somewhere in the optic trac? My lesions are only in my brain too. I feel like im getting clumsier...

hmm now that you describe it more brian, it does sound like you have just the same kind of problem i did. doesn't it make you nuts when driving?

all i can say is, zinc is low in ms-ers, i had those brain-eye issues, got my zinc tested, was well out the bottom of the normal range at 8.6, and when i fixed the zinc level (to 20) the brain-eye deal cleared up. at the same time a really annoying chronic skin lesion that i had had went away.

i would suggest that it can't hurt to request a zinc test, and supplement if needed. zinc's so cheap. and don't settle for 'normal range' - i keep seeing 18 micromol/L as the average value in healthy controls. ms-ers are always lower, more like an average 12 to 13. details:
http://www.thisisms.com/ftopic-5486-0-d ... rasc-.html

my brain and my eyes are still fine, knock on wood.

eyedoc what do you think about this?

...Ultrastructural findings were as follows. The number of myelinated axons of Zn-deficient rats at 4 and 7 weeks were significantly decreased and the myelin sheaths were significantly thinner in the Zn-deficient groups and in the recovery group. Unmyelinated axons were more numerous than in the control rats. Destruction of myelin and proliferation of glial cells were found in the optic nerves of Zn-deficient rats. This study suggests that the optic nerve needs Zn for the maintenance of its cell structure and even if Zn is supplied to the Zn-deficient rats, destruction of the myelin structure may continue. Zn-deficiency induces a decrease of myelinated nerve fibers, and it is thought that optic neuropathy in patients treated with some drugs such as ethambutol may be a secondary change due to Zn-deficiency following drug administration.

a brief cognitive link...

Low consumption of foods rich in bioavailable iron (Fe) and zinc (Zn) such as meat, particularly red meat, and high consumption of foods rich in inhibitors of Fe and Zn absorption, such as phytate, certain dietary fibers and calcium, cause Fe and Zn deficiencies. Neuropsychologic impairment is one of several potential outcomes of these deficiencies.

jimmylegs I think i am going to get the zinc tested..it definately cant hurt right?lol

nope, i don't see how it can hurt at all - knowledge is power as far as i'm concerned! let me know how it all pans out for you. i HATED how that felt and i'm so glad it's gone.