Optic Neuritis or what?

Hello, I am just curious as to what may be wrong with my eye.  About 2 weeks ago I woke up in the middle of the night with a headache but the pain was mostly pressure behind my left eye and still continues but since has calmed down.  The pressure is so intense that it hurts to keep my eyes closed for a while.  There have been no visual changes but I always feel like my left eye is severly strained and the pain is immense.  I have since then seen an opthamologist that said that my eyes looked healthy and he didnt see any signs of optic neuritis but he is still referring me to an neuro opthamologist?  Is it true that regular opthamologist cannot see the entire optic nerve and the only true way of diagnosing optic neuritis is to have an MRI?  I am scared to death because my appointment isnt for another 2 weeks and I still have this continuing pain.  Thanks

[Sandy Feldman, MD, MS]

Dear pillowjax,

I would recommend that you go back to your eyeMD to determine the cause of your pain.   You can find one by going to the AAO.org website.

Dr. Feldman

Sandy T. Feldman, M.D., M.S.
ClearView Eye and Laser Medical Center
San Diego, California