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Eye Care (Expert Forum)
ACUTE Binocular Myopia
Our Ask A Doctor Ophthalmology Forum is where you can post your question and receive a personal answer from physicians affiliated with the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
ACUTE Binocular Myopia
by Simon__0, Jul 25, 1999 12:00AM
Posted by Simon on July 25, 1999 at 11:48:01
My brother developed myopia in BOTH eyes overnight. He noticed in the evening that distant objects were a little blurry, then the next day could not focus on objects further than an arm-length away. His eyes hurt when trying to focus and they are producing some conjunctivitis-like mucus. He had a headache the day of the onset of vision problems.
An ophthalmologist has examined his eyes and found that he has myopia, but has never seen an onset so quickly. He did not find any abnormality during an ophthalmic examination. He was also tested for diabetes, with a negative result. He can only just read the letter "A" on the top line of the eye test chart. All this from a 38 year old healthy male with no previous eye problems and no corrective lenses. The only significant symptom has been more than average numbers headaches and very occasional migraines (with associated visual symptoms)over the last fifteen years. Several years ago he had a brain scan to determine any pathophysiological cause for these headaches. The result of the scan was negative.
This is very scary for him, because all of a sudden, he cannot drive or work. He can barely see the buttons on the phone. But his vision improves slightly if he wears "pinhole glasses". I reiterate that this literally occurred overnight. He has been programmed for some other brain tests at the end of NEXT WEEK, but he would like to know more, sooner, as you would understand.
Can you please come up with any ideas as to what the cause may be? I have scoured the web for appropriate symptoms, but most do not fit.
Your help is greatly appreciated.
Regards, Simon.
Brisbane, Australia
Posted by HFHS MD - NI on July 27, 1999 at 19:39:12
Without examining your brother, it is difficult to arrive at a diagnosis. SOme possibilities include spasm of the near reflex where the eyes spasm and foucs up close. This can be associated with crossed eyes. Other possible causes inlcude medications (some have ocular side effects), diabetes (which was ruled out), or unusual eye conditions where the eye lens is loose and can move forward.
I think you need to keep follow-up with his ophthalmologist. It is important to know if with correction, does his vision return to normal. Pinhole glasses help correct for the myopia, but are nor practical options as they do not allow for any peripheral vision.
If after a full investigation, your ophthalmologist is not able to find a cause, you may want to see a neuro-ophthalmologist.
This information is provided for educational purposes only.
