Can a pinched nerve cause pressure and vision problems in one eye?

I suffer from scoliosis, lordosis and three herniated discs.  Last year after spending too much time at my desk, my sciatic nerve became so irritated that I eventually had to stay home for about three weeks in order to let it heal.  I also had pressure behind my left eye and the vision in that eye would get better and worse, especially when I had a pinched nerve.  If I rested my eyes by not reading, my left eye would feel better.  

Then, in December of last year, I hit the top of my head very hard against a kitchen door cabinet and lost vision in my left eye for a few minutes, seeing black with bright points of light.  My head hurt a lot too.  My osteopath told me that the bones at the top of my skull had "sunk" and that the membranes around my brain were inflamed.  She adjusted my skull bones which helped a lot.

Since then, I have woken up several times with blood in my left eye.  It seems to be there in the morning when I wake up with a pinched nerve in my neck.  I started yoga again and after doing a neck stand during which I hurt my neck a bit, I woke up with a big hemorrage in my eye. When I have sinus pressure, I often feel pressure behind my left eye and the vision gets affected.  When I carry heavy things, I have pressure behind my left eye.

I have gone to both an optometrist and an opthamologist who tell me that my eyes and nerves are in perfect health.  My left eye's distance vision went from 1.50 to 3.50 in the two months between my visit to the optometrist and the opthamologist.  The opthamologist said that the pressure and vision problems that come and go are probably from stress and cannot be caused by a pinched nerve.  

It feels like the pinched nerve in my neck and sinus pressure inflame a nerve behind my eye, causing pressure and affecting my vision for different periods of time.  I have had this problem even I haven't felt stressed.  

Is it possible that the blood, pressure and vision problems are being caused by a pinched nerve?

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

I'm sorry but I really can't make an anatomical connection between pinched nerve in neck and vision problems.  They're not really related.  Believe me, there are thousands of problems of the eye itself to cause blurred vision that it doesn't need to have anything to do with neck.  Obviously, you are not feeling well and at those times, your sense of vision will suffer, just as you won't want to be around loud noises or do extremely difficult mental work.  Medication side effects could be playing a role - I wonder if you are on pain meds for back/neck.  Muscle relaxors and narcotics are especially bothersome for vision.  As you have been hurting and in pain, it sounds like your ciliary muscles could be weakening and you refraction went from +150 to +350 so that also fits the picture.  Anyway keep in contact with good board-certified ophthalmologist and try to find the ways that the two problems (neck and eyes) are not necessarily physically related yet linked also in other ways.

Michael Kutryb, MD

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