EYE pain

I guess starting about 2 days ago my left eye was feeling painful.  Not too bad and just intermittent.  Last night I noticed it was worse.   I thought maybe I was just tired so went to bed.  Woke up middle of night and it hurt worse.  This morning it feels painful and hurts worse when I blink.... my eye also feels a bit weird... kinda swollen feeling.  Still no visual disturbances just the pain.  

It has me a bit worried.  Can lyme cause just eye pain?  From what I gather most people on here actually have visual problems, but haven't really heard anyone else with just eye pain.

What is it and what causes it???  Of course I'm worried about optic neuritis (as with MS).  

Thanks!

[gorbybelle]

do you have any signs of a 'stye' [think thats how it is spelt!] - a swelling on upper or lower lids?

I do get occasional sharp stabbing pains in my eyebrow area & and pain behind the eyes.

[skarey]

Nope no stye.... I've had that before..  Just the pain in my eye ball/behind the eye.  I'm only noticing it in the left eye right now.  I've had on and off pain in both eyes before though.  This just feels worse.   I remember having this same pain 2 years ago during my first episode and saw an eye dr.  He said my eyes looked healthy... but it is still very concerning.

[gorbybelle]

yes - any pain in the eyes is worrying - maybe you should get it checked by doc or optician .

[wonko]

My eye issues started last spring.  At first it was just some intermittent pain upon movement, and I think it was more in one eye than in the other at first.  Over time, I more consistently had pain in both eyes.  I also started to experience phosphenes (flashing lights, like a bunch of cameras going off) when I move my eyes, very notable in dime light.  I also started to get mild double vision.

So it wasn't all at once, more gradual.  I saw an opthamologist and eventually, a neuro-optha.  They saw some floaters, but couldn't explain my eye issues.  I was surprised to read how many Lyme patients get similar eye pain and vision issues, I know it's come up on this forum before any many of us have overlapping eye symptoms.

I've read that optic neuritis can be caused by Lyme, though it is more often associated with MS.  Bilateral cases are very rare, though.  You may want to still have your eyes checked.  If you notice any sudden change in vision, including color vision, definitely get it examined ASAP.

[JackieCalifornia]

Agree, see the eye doctor.  Eyes are nothing to mess around with.  I recently got VERY red eyes and bad headache and sinus ache, and went off to the ophthalmologist (eye MD), but he said I just had dry eye ... tho I doubt it.  However, he takes Lyme very seriously and knows I have it, so I was comforted by his quick check of my eyes.  I have also had some double vision once in the past, and got a few flashing light effects as you describe, but they haven't recurred.  But with the eyes, better safe than sorry ... I'd get them checked.

[skarey]

Well the eye pain is still there.  I went shopping today and decided to get it checked out by an optometrist  (I scored cause they were offering free eye exams today :)).  She said she couldn't see anything wrong with the health of my eyes and they looked good.  My vision was also perfect.  So who knows... it's definately related to whatever I got goin on though.  I'm just happy it's not messing with the actual health of my eyes.  

If it persists I'll see an opthomalogist rather than just the optometrist.

Thanks again for your help.

[patsy10]

You could ask your doctor for a test called visual evoked potentials if you are concerned about optic neuritis.  It's painless.  You just look at a TV screen with a checkerboard pattern.  It looks for optic neuritis.  I had this done and it was normal.  I had severe eye pain for months.

[margypops]

I hear a lot about Floaters , what are they?

[patsy10]

They are little particles floating in the vitreous fluid in our  eyes.  You can see them well when you look at something light or at the sky. They look like little worms.  It's normal to have some floaters but it seems that a lot of us with these symptoms have an abundance of them.

[margypops]

Thanks I seem to have a small amount of them,

[Todd36]

i had eye pain similar to what you're describing.  i had my eyes checked and they found nothing.  it was intermittent and i couldn't notice any pattern.  as you probably know, lyme disease can effect nearly every part of your body.  like the others have said, get checked out to be safe.

[skarey]

Hey guys,
  The eye pain has eased off.  It's WAY better if not gone.  I never did get vision problems just stayed with the pain.  It's always something isn't it?  Each day we have to deal with a different thing.  Like last week I was dealing with the eye thing... this week I felt ok... and now I'm dealing with the painful hands/fingers, ankle and feet pain, burning, and weakness.
   I still don't understand why the symptoms are so fleeting and moving.  And why are they always changing?!!  Makes me feel like I'm going crazy...
   Then when I feel good... I literally think... WOW... maybe this was all in my head or maybe it was stress... but then it always comes back.  Brings me back to Reality that there really is something wrong.   I hate it as I'm sure all of you do to.

   Happy Sunday to you all!  Hope everyone is feeling well.

[wonko]

I am the same way--One good day, and I start to question if I ever really was very sick at all?  Of course, reality always makes a comeback.

Glad the eye pain is less worrisome now.  

Before I started treatment, my symptoms were very static, but now that I'm on abx, I never know what to expect, and can change a lot even over the course of the day.

Take care.