optic neuritis?

[fivestudent]

Hello. I am a 38 year old female. My vision problems have been worsening. I also suffer from classic migraines with aura that I have had since the age of five. At age 30, I began having seizures. I haven't had one since 2002. Then, in 2004, my migraines became daily or "transformed". In the last six months, I have been having about three migraines per day, sometimes more. There have been other recent symptoms in the last three to four months that are new and disturbing. I have high pitched noises in my ears sometimes and ringing and a feeling that they are blocked. And this ringing is worse, not better, after a shower. And the vision symptoms are what I am asking you about. I see halos around all bright lights, day or night. And without my glasses, my vision is blurrier than usual. I see all kinds of scotoma in both eyes, mostly clear and white, sometimes red. The scotoma are less noticeable when my glasses are off for some reason. And when I watch television, long streams of vertical light reach up from above the t.v. and below it. This has made watching t.v. somewhat distracting to say the least. I am used to migraine aura, so I know what that is. But these are all new symptoms. Also lately, in between migraines, I will see darting spots that do not lead to migraine but are similar. I finally found a neurologist who is helping and who has referred me to Stanford neurology. But I haven't had my appointment with them yet. Thank you.

[redsoxkitty]

I AGREE THAT YOU SHOULD SEE A NEUROLOGIST. WITH THE EYE SYMPTOMS YOU ARE HAVING YOU COULD HAVE OPTIC NEURITIS WHICH LEADS ME TO TELL YOU TO TALK OVER ALL OTHER SYMPTOMS WITH THE NEUROLOGIST.
OPTIC NEURITIS IS OFTEN THE FIRST SIGN/ SYMPTOM OF MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS. ALSO, MIGRAINE IS NOW BEING RECOGNIZED AS A SYMPTOM OF MS.
TALK SERIOUSLY WITH YOUR NEURO....

KITTY
(FELLOW GOING-BLINDER AND PERSON WITH MS)

[Sandy Feldman, MD, MS]

Dear fivestudent,

I urge you to see a neurologist and eyeMD immediately and undergo additional testing such as complete ophthalmological and neurological evaluations including possible CT scanning.

Dr. Feldman

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