Visual Disturbance followed by Hemorrhage

For the past week I have experienced 3 episodes of slight vertigo/dizziness while sitting, lasting aprox. 10-15 seconds.  The last episode was yesterday morning and it passed as the others did; but about 2 hours later when I sat down at the computer to compose a letter I realized I was having difficulty seeing the screen.  The center of my vision was blurry, but slightly out from the center field was a circular ring formed by tiny triangles that looked like clear prisms, exuding ever so slight light reflections ...... this portion lasted  2-3 minutes, and then the circle began to enlarge and then only looked like a giant C in the vision field, which likewise lasted about another 2-3 minutes before fading away.   When I  looked in a mirror a few minutes later, I had a huge subconjunctival hemorrhage.   I did go to an ER to R/O possible stroke.   A CT scan was negative for stroke, and ECG was negative for heart attack.  DX. Vertigo  possibly due to virus (???) Eye not related to Vertigo (???)  .......Referred me to see eye specialist, cardiologist, and primary.  Today my eye and left temple are sore and I am experiencing discomfort in the orbital area.  

Background Info.  I am a 55 year old Breast Cancer Survivor, still on Tamoxifen and currently using the very low dose Est-Ring.  I have multisensitivity allergies, acute asthma and now have lung damage following acute pnuemonia (pneumonia) after radiation 4 years ago. I use Ventolin, Foradil Inhaler, Zyrtec 24 hr, Sudafed 12 hr, and cortisones as needed. (used to take Singulair)

WPW and other conduction system problems run in family, but all testing for this in past has been negative even though I have had episodes with heart periodically in the past.   FUCH's Cornial Dystrophy also runs in family, though a slit light was not used to check my eye at ER since I could "SEE" clearly again.

I have never experienced such a visual disturbance in my life before yesterday and I do not suffer from migraines.  Can anyone offer any insight into my experience?   Thank you .....

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Your symptoms are not due to FUCHS.  The possiblities are transient ischemic attack due to disease of heart, brain, blood vessels or eye. Or by exclusion ophthalmic migraine. You do need to see the Eye MD, primary and cardio to work through the possiblities.

JCH MD

[GrammyBoomFire]

Thank you very much.....I will see an opthomologist, CV, and GP .....

Deborah

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

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