Eye involvement

[wonko]

I was wondering about symptoms involving the eyes.

My eye problems began in April/May.   The first thing that happened was I noticed in dim/dark rooms that I get flashes (like from a camera) in the corners of my eyes when I move my eyes.  Soon, I started to have pain when I moved my eyes.  Then, I started to have what I call ghosting, or mild double vision (imagine some one printed a page of text twice on the same sheet of paper, but the paper shifted such that the 2nd image had about 50% overlap with the 1st).  Things in the distance look pretty normal, except things that give off or reflect light I can detect a 2nd image.  I also get bloodshot a lot.

I've also had ocular migraines, or auras.  But those are isolated.  The other stuff (flashing and pain upon moving, ghosting, and bloodshot) is all the time.

These symptoms were very frightening when they emerged.  I did see an opthamologist, who noted the blood shotting but had no explanation for any of this.  My brain MRIs never showed lesions on the optic nerves.  Despite the lack of evidence explaining them, I still very much so dislike these symptoms!

Last night I woke up and had a sharp pain in both eyes.  It felt like some one had poked me in both eyes or something!  It is better this morning, but persisted for hours.  I had a few episodes of this type of eye pain last spring when my visual symptoms began.

I recently (Tues.) started Zithromax in addition to Mino, which I've been on about 1 month.  I'm *hoping* that the dramatic eye pain last night, the likes of which I haven't had since my eye problems were starting, was possibly a herx or other sign that *maybe* my eye symptoms will start to clear up?

Any reactions, or other tales of Lyme/eye involvement?  
Thanks.

[Thanks2]

I have had behind the eye dull pain ... which manifests itself primarily when
I try and relax .... sleep , meditate etct.

I have had a number of test run by 4 Dr.s ... two LLMDs.
and although I am mildly positive, they have says since I don't have symtoms
that I don't need further test or treatment.  ( I was on Docxy for 2 mo.)
Durning that time my eye pain occured more often.

I am begining to wonder if I was to conservative in mentioning my eye pain.
I've had it so long.... and I think it has psych elements..   (Even mention that with any MD and they seem to write off any othe co-explaination.)

I have seen my Eye MD... and he to does not think it was Lyme related.
Although he did prescribe new glasses prescription .. astigmatism had changed alot in a year.   The took care of most of mild double vision ... traffic timed signals e. g.; the one looked like an eleven.   And it was hard to read football scores on the TV.

Thank you all-- for your input in the posts above.

[EricaO]

Yeah, I also wear contacts so it makes it even worse because contacts can cause red eye just from having to wear them.

[JackieCalifornia]

Everyone, be sure to check in with an ophthalmologist (MD specializing in eyes) once in a while.  I had not been to see mine for quite a while, given all the OTHER doctor visits and miseries I was dealing with a la Lyme.

So I went to the ophthalmologist, and began to tell him about my Lyme+ infections, diagnosis and treatment, he got very interested and concerned and said that Lyme can affect the eyes and so should be followed carefully.  

I realized at that moment that as I was telling him about my Lyme+, I had been downplaying it and minimizing it ("Well, I have been diagnosed with Lyme and another coinfection, and while I know there is a lot of controversy about Lyme and treatment and so on, well, I am on long term antiobiotic treatment, which I know a lot of doctors don't agree with, but, ...").  I was just jabbering on, practically APOLOGIZING for being sick.  What this disease does reduce us to:  apologizing for being ill.  Sigh.

So -- I got a clean bill of health for my eyes, and am very grateful that I was treated with respect and concern.  Sad, isn't it, to be grateful for what should be a given.

        My eye symptoms, fwiw:  when at the height of my infection (before treatment), I got weird thingsm like:  (1) I had just gone to bed, the room was fairly dark, my eyes were closed, and suddenly there were two large pale blue flashing lights, esp in my left eye.  Like car lights on a dark road.  They stopped and didn't return, but whooeee.  (2)  I was sitting at my desk on the phone, and in my left eye, concentric circles of little waves, as in water, were flowing around and around in opposite directions.  They never recurred either.  (3)  Most common event:  when I would cut my eyes to one side to glance at something, I'd get a bright yellow/white light as though I had pinched something inside my left eye/nerve.

I have more and bigger floaters now, and sometimes my eyes don't focus properly, and do so at different times.  I get red eyes when Herxing.

THE GOOD NEWS:  with antiobiotics, the visual symptoms are nearly gone except for the pesky floaters and odd focussing (which may be due to the meds).

Go see your ophthalmologist!  We give up a lot to Lyme, but eyesight is one thing to not give up on.

[wonko]

LOL, I know what you mean!  (Not laughing AT you, just trying to see the lighter side of things.)

In addition to the red/blot shot eyes, I (and probably lots of you, too!) get bouts of dizziness and vertigo, and also my face often turns beat red.  I'm sure to an outsider I look lit up like a Christmas Tree at times.

The eye PAIN is not funny at all.  It is awful.  It comes and goes as it pleases, I can never control it with any OTC medications.

I remember one of the first things my LLMD told me after getting my history and making his clinical diagnosis was about how people would react:

"You won't get any sympathy with this diganosis."

Not that I'm going around expecting people to feel sorry for me, but I often feel like I can't even tell people what my diagnosis is, because people just don't get it.  

Of course, before I went out of my way to learn more, I too underestimated what Lyme could do.  I'm glad this forum is turning into a nice place to share info and frustrations.

[EricaO]

I have the SEVERE headaches behind my eye and redness. People at work used to joke that I had been drinking or smoking pot, which I don't do either so at times in the workforce it is a tad humiliating. :(

[patsy10]

Antibiotic treatment helped with the redness and pain.  My eyes felt like pins were being stuck in them.  Everyone at work would comment on how red my eyes were. Oh and that 50%  overlap thing you described, that never went away either.  I could have written your post it is so much like me!

[wonko]

Yes, I forgot the floaters but I have those, too.  No blisters though! (Knock on wood.)  

I know what you mean about feeling your pulse.  On my worse days, I have a lot of cranial pressure, which aggravates my eye symptoms and worsens the extent of blood shotting.  On those days, I can feel that way, too.  

I have pages of expereinces with this that sound ridiculous, and I know I am a "mild" case on some scales!

I do feel a lot of these eye problems are related to inflammation.  The flashing lights are not unlike the light you see if you close your eyes and rub them.  I think in my/your case, the pressure may be from inflammation.

I am sorry that your eye symptoms have not improved over time.  I do hope my eyes will get better, but it's too soon to say, I guess!

Thanks.

[patsy10]

I have all of that plus....floaters, small blisters on my lids at times, vision that jumps up and down, can't focus my eyes, dry eyes that stick when I blink and more.  My first symptom after the bullseye rash was severe eye pain.  Other than the severe redness and pain, the problems never really went away.  I can also see and feel my pulse in my eyes.  I know that sounds ridiculous but it's true.

Hopefully your increased eye problems are from the die off of the bacteria and will resolve.