sudden blurry vision

[terry21357]

I normally need reading glasses, but suddenly I had blurry vision for far-sightedness as well. Thia came on suddenly, with no pain or other distiguishable symptoms. I am 52 y.o. female who is other-wise very healthy.

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

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[JodyDFB]

Thank you for your reply, Dr. Hagan.  It is very much appreciated.  :)

Our health care system is excellent, and not so much "rationed" as managed, to ostencibly keep costs down, overall.  (We have one of the longest life-expectancies in the world.). I have access to all the care I need...just so long as my GP agrees I need it, or I can convince him/her to refer me (in the case of some test or treatment I've decided I want).  I suspect the intent is to prevent waste from people getting needless tests or treatment.  Normally, I'd be the first to agree that one's family doctor is, for the most part, a good gatekeeper, in this respect.  The irony is, this safeguard is preventing me from getting the answers I need, in an environment where the doctors I've dealt with, so far, have been rather apathetic.  (My new GP has, at least, so far, listened to my concerns and scheduled the tests he and I both agree are relevant.  I hope that continues, even though I am still directing my diagnosis, it seems.)

My long-time family doctor retired in 2006.  I miss him.  Granted, I had no health concerns for the 20-something years he was my doctor.  But he provided professional, objective care, and that's all I'm looking for now.  I don't know what appened to healthcare over the past decade, but now that I need it for the first time in my life, I'm left wanting.

TMI again, I know.  Just venting.  Thanks for your suggestions, and your continued participation at this site.  I wish more doctors could/would do the same.  :)

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

I have no idea where you live but I have been an expert moderator on these eye panels since we started them in 2007 and some countries try and make it difficult to see a specialist as a way of rationing care.

Hopefully you will be able to see a neuro-ophthalmologist or even a comprehensive ophthalmologist.

Best of luck finding a cause and then an effective treatment.

JCH MD

[JodyDFB]

Thank you so much for your response, Dr. Hagan!  

Thanks, also, for the tip about seeing, specifically, a neuroopthalmologist.  I had been wondering what type of specialist would be likely to decipher the cause of my strange problem, since it doesn't appear to be my eyes, themselves (but maybe optic nerve or circulation?), nor do I have any overt health issues that tend to readily suggest another likely cause.

I do have (virtually irrelevant to me) PCOS.  However, I have not read any correlation between it and vision problems, much less sudden-onset vision problems.  I'm currently working on the theory I may be having unusal perimenopause symptoms.  I don't have the main symptoms, but I do have several of the less-common symptoms.  Some suggest PCOS can affect the expression of perimenopause symptoms.  I've read about blurry vision, in this regard, but only as a POST-MENOPAUSAL symptom.  I'm definitely not post-menopausal, just yet.  :)  (...But looking forward to it!)

(I have a few symptoms of several conditions, but usually not the main symptoms of those conditions, and not so many that would tend to strongly suggest any particular condition.  For example, sudden onset blurry vision is, apparently, relatively common among those with MS.  Yet I don't have any coordination issues nor cognitive problems, such as memory loss or speech difficulties.  Evidently, there was nothing abnormal found in my CT scan...assuming that might pick-up lesions or blocked arteries.  I AM wildly heat-intolerant, another symptom associated with MS, but also hyperthyroidism.  However, I have been heat-intolerant my entire life.  

Some might suggest hyperthyroidism, or specifically Grave's Disease.  And while I was uber-thin most of my life, I started gaining weight about 6-7 years ago, yet have none of the classic signs of Grave's Disease.  Simiarly, I was finally able to lose the weight, once I learned my until-then-innocuous-PCOS was likely responsible for my becoming insulin reistant.  Once I included a natural insulin sensitizer with my food, diet and exercise were finally able to do their thing, and I'm down from a BMI close to 30, to 23.)

I was the one who pushed my new GP to refer me for a (head) CT scan...since, in addition to the blurry/double vision, I often have (relatively mild but frequent) head pain/pressure, (infrequent but recurring) scalp numbness, and (occasionally) the sensation of what I can best describe as mild hypoxia.  I mean, not being a doctor, myself, some sort of neurological or circulatory investigation seemed like the best next step.  But what do I know?

That's why I elected to see an optometrist, on my own.  I thought it was just good due-diligence to have my eyes physically examined, to rule out some obvious anomaly which might be the cause, or hint at what might be causing it.  None of the doctors I'd seen asked questions about my vision, much less examined my eyes.  Obviously, no one referred meto an opthalmologist.  

While he may have done it, I don't even recall my new GP looking at my eyes during the complete physical I had done 2 months ago.  He looked in my ears, my mouth and, well, did a pelvic exam.  But I don't remember him examining my eyes in any way.  This was after sitting in the chair in his office exclaiming, again (as I did in our first meet'n'greet visit), how new/sudden/troubling my blurry vision is, and how much it is impacting my life.

I really emphasized my vision problems, several times, to every doctor I've seen, in fact, and none of them seemed to even consider it.  That's why I thought it was ridiculous, and made an appointment with an optometrist, myself.  It just seemed obvious to look for a physical/structural cause for my vision problem, first.  Sure, nothing was found.  But wouldn't a physical exam be an obvious, economical, non-invasive first step?  Again, what do I know?

Sorry, TMI.  (blushing)  As you can see, my frustration level has been increasing.

I will have to go back to my GP, and ask him to refer me to a neuroopthalmologist.  Where I live, I can't just book an appointment with a medical specialist.  I need a referral.  

So, thanks, again, for the suggestion, Dr. Hagan.  It's a direction to turn, rather than being left to my own, inexpert hypotheses.  :)

I sure would like to solve this problem.  And even if I can't solve it, per se, a prognosis would be welcomed.  It'd be nice to know if this is likely to get worse, or if there's anything I can do to mitigate symptoms.

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

Your description indicates that you have only seen general MDs and not an Eye MD ophthalmologist. an optometrist is not a MD or a physician.

My strong suggestion would be to see a neuroophthalmologist. If you live in USA you can find one near you by going to www.geteyesmart.org or if you live outside USA most medical schools have such a Eye MD.  Neuroophthalmologist are sort of the Sherlock Holmes of medicine and specialize in difficult diagnosis.

JCH MD

[JodyDFB]

terry21357, I know this is from 4 years ago, but I just wanted to add that I, too, had sudden blurry vision, along with other (scary) symptoms, out of the blue, one day.  I'm a 47-year-old, otherwise extremely healthy woman, and had essentially perfect vision prior to this.  (I do have very minor presbyopia, which started around age 43.  I still don't need reading glasses, though.)  

I saw a doctor the day these sudden symptoms began, and he pretty much dismissed most of them, and completely ignored my blurry/double vision complaint.  Two subsequent ER visits had pretty much the same result.  No one even looked at my eyes, despite my blurry vision complaint.

The 2nd GP I saw also said he couldn't find anything wrong with me, while smirking...almost mocking me.  Later that day, I had the worst cluster of symptoms to date, at that point.  Yeah...nothin' wrong with me. (eye roll) (what an incompetent boob)

In the mean time, I took it upon myself to see an optometrist, since all medical doctors had ignored my vision concerns.  (He found no physical anomalies.  In reviewing my retinal images, he described my eyes as "perfect".)

You see, aside from my other symptoms, my blurry vision means I can't lead a normal life.  Now, my very hardworking husband has to chauffeur me around after work, and I'm having everything from groceries to clothing delivered to my house.  My car sits in the garage, unused.  Along those lines, I'd been very excited about choosing my next car.  I was thinking something fun, like the new i8, or maybe a used Spyker.  Now there's no point.  I can't drive.  :(

I went out and found a new GP, and he listened to my concerns.  He did a bunch of additional tests, but never anything to do with my eyes.  It's as though all the doctors I've seen don't even hear me when I explain my sudden onset vision problem, much less how much that has impacted my freedom.

It's been 7 months now, and I still have no answers.  I'm practically a shut-in, due to the vision problem, combined with my other symptoms.  

Because my blurry vision means I can't come and go as I please, it's the worst of all my current symptoms.  The rest I think I could tolerate pretty well, if I could lead a more normal life by being able to take care of chores and errands myself.  Sure wish I knew what is wrong with me, and how to get back to normal.

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

You need to see an Eye MD ophthalmologist ASAP. Find one and call today. www.aao.org

JCH MD