temporary Semi-Blindness? Like Looking Through A Milky Lense

[toughilou]

The other day I was rubbing my eyes because they were hurting a bit. I have angle closure glaucoma, but got surgery on right eye to prevent sudden blindness, and dry eye, plus, cataracts which Dr. said would not need surgery for another 10 years. He also said I wouldn't require surgery for the angle closure in the left eye for quite some time, and to keep taking my Timolol Maleate.

Anyway, after I rubbed my eyes, it was like I was looking at the world through a milky lense. This persisted for quite some time, although I kept blinking. It kind of scared me, but hasn't happened since. Should I be concerned? Was this possibly due to the tear erosions I get from time to time?

On a side note, I have myopia, presbiopia, and astigmatism. I see fairly well with glasses.

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

I have had a few epic bicyclie crashes myself the most spectacular was failing to negotiate a right angle curve and doing a 10 ft drop to the ground.

You need to begin with a medical eye exam by an Eye MD  to make sure you have no eye disease. Need a physician by your MD to be sure you do not have a health problem like cardiac valve that might cause this.

You could have a borderline dry eye that the wind causes to become symptomatic. Even the googles do not prevent that. You might see a cornea Eye MD and if drops/gels don't work discuss tear duct plugs or restasis.

JCHMD

[flyfly]

I am a mountainbike cyclist  and regularly ride in groups ranging from 10 to 300 plus riders depending if it is a race or a training ride. We ride mostly on single tracks jeep tracks and gravel roads over terrain ranging from vety technical rock gardens to sand and hard soil surfaces.

I have been noticing over the past few years that my vision rapidly deteriorates after about one hour into the race/ride especially in dusty conditions. My vision changes to completely milky leaving me with no depth perception and vision as if looking through a white cloth. I wear correctice clip on lenses for distance inside a pair of Rudy's Project sport glasses which have served me very well over the years.
I recently had a spectacular and quite legendary crash in a stage race when I rode into an ant bear hole ....! I stpped twice within the first hour to check that my glasses were clear and to put eyedrops in my eyes hoping that it is caused by dust. It didn't improve my vision. I am naturally concerned! I have noticed this also during night rides when, towards the end of the ride, it appears that my lights have been dimmed and that there are rainbow rings around the cyclists lights.

I know that dust is the culprit here..... But nobody else in the group ever has this problem. Could the rough terrain and shaking about have a bad effect on my eyes? (I seem to also have a ptyrygium ??on my left eye .) my eyas arr normally ceryredafter a ride. What should I do besides not riding into deep holes!!

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

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[toughilou]

Thank you. I sure will! Your'e the greatest! :)

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

Thanks and that's a good game plan. Insurance plans don't tell Eye MDs whether then can do a laser iridotomy or not. It's entirely a judgment call based on a test the Eye MD does called gonioscopy.

Also if you have children and or grandchildren be sure they are aware of all the details of your family's glaucoma history. They should be under the care of an ophthalmologist from a young age.

JCH MD

[toughilou]

Thank You! Will Do! Thank You, Dr. Hagan!
I think he didn't want to do surgery in the other eye maybe because the insurance told him not to. Maybe they wanted him to wait until the first of the year. Who knows?

All I know for sure is that I haven't been able to see far aay since I was in kindergarten, when I got my first glasses. The presbiopia came around when I was about 37 or 38, and I could no longer read fine print.

I am the third generation of glaucoma in my mother's side. My mother's mother had it, as does my mother, and now, me. My brother, age 40 is a suspect.

At first, my doc said It was merely open angle, so I wasn't worried, and I knew that if my eyes got red, pupils mid-sized, and unresponsive to light, and if I got a headache in my eyes so bad that it made me vomit, it would most likely be an angle closure attack, and I told my Dr. as much. He then said that I shouldn't feel so confident, as my right eye was borderline angle closure.

Later, he said he needed to do the surgery, as my right eye was getting much worse. I know I went in to my MD.s office with my jacket over my face one day and my MD wouldn't see me, as he said my eye Dr. wanted me to get in his office immediately, because he thought it was from the surgery, so I went. My husband had to lead me around. I couldn't take any light.

Eye Dr. sent me to hospital for MRI, which they said was normal, and he got all huffy puffy and extrememly rude with me, and was very peeved at my MD for sending me to him.

Sometimes, when I cough, or even when I don't, my orbits feel like they are road rashed. Lately, that hasn't happened, though. The pain in my orbits makes me cry when it's that bad.

I saw a 1/2 x 1/4 inch encapsulated looking bean-shaped thing in my maxillary sinus, on the right side. I made my own copy of the MRI disk, and posted pictures here on this site, in other forums, but I never kept my appt. with ENT. I just gave up. I have gotten where I dread all doctors. I fired my MD of 14 years for not seeing me when I needed him to. I don't think I'll be going back to that eye Dr., either. I will get a second opinion, like you said. Thanks. I wish we lived closer to your office. You're a darned good eye Doctor.

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

There are some very unusual things about your situation. 1. eyes with angle closure are almost always bilateral meaning your other eye would usually need a laser iridotomy 2. angle closure is RARE in myopic people it almost always only occurs in hyperopic (farsighted) people.

Consider getting a second opinion about your eye situation from another eye MD ophthalmologist. While your're there mention your rubbing problem AND STOP RUBBING YOUR EYES, not good for them, can raise the intraocular pressure extremely high.

JCH MD