Eyes / Vision / Optic Neuritis

[CtResident]

Someone mentioned a problem with color saturation when their eyes were tested.

And my sister mentioned that there is a difference between how my eyes are and how my vision is. Frankly......??? Don't know what she means (east coast to west coast emails, so we're on different time zones here, no regularity to our exchanges).

What I guess I am asking is what sort of tests are done on the eyes re: MS?

I wear bifocals and have thought I needed a stronger Rx. I mean really, when you need a magnifying glass to read the phone book, might that be an issue? I truly believe that they need a LARGE PRINT EDITION, who's with me here? :-)

But lately I sometimes get blurry vision. No spots or colors. Although it seems like everything is so dim, I got higher wattage bulbs for the house. 3-way ones too. Forget about those energy saver deals. While I'm the first one in line for composting and recycling, I just had to toss the idea of low-watt bulbs in favor of the  $$ ones ............I can't see things very clearly!

Any ideas on this one? Is it related to Optic Neuritis? Although that sounds very serious indeed, and I'm just not sure if I fit that criteria.

Thank you,
Suzanne

[Jenn0030]

I never chimed in the other day to let everyone know a little about me...

I am in research...eye research

In testing for color desatorization you are asked to look at a the top of a red top eye drop bottle with one eye while the other eye is colored. If the one eye reports the that the cap as dimmer or duller red, optic nerve disease is suspected.

Color plate testing will be followed to compare the deficiency.

Optic neuritis is not a transient loss of vision, meaning that it does not come and go during the day.  It is also not improved with glasses.  It usually involves pain with movement, however when I first developed mine I developed the pain about 2 weeks later (or I was just ignoring it)

Going back to original topic...I assume you have a color desaturization problem?

[CtResident]

I don't know, haven't been tested yet. I just thought since lighting seems so dim to me, that it was a flag of ON or something. I don't have pain in my eyes, just annoying blurriness and I try to blink it away. There have been incidents of it being exceedingly bad, but it was while I was online, so then I just get off the computer and go do something else. I am however tired of "cleaning" my glasses all the live long day!!!

Thank you for your help! :-)

Suzanne

[pennst8r]

I get feelings like there is a screwdriver sticking in the back of my left eyeball. Not like tired eyes, dry eyes, whatever people assume you mean when you say your eye hurts - it's the eyeball itself. Movement makes it hurt worse. Is this what you mean by eye pain? Or have I perhaps lost it (I'm still open to that possibility - eventuality at the rate things are going lately, lol).

I do also have times where I need glasses to read things that other times I do not need them. I don't get it.

Penn

[young at heart]

OPTICAL NEURITIS CAN BE DETECTED BY YOUR OPTHAMOLOGIST OR A NEURO-OPTHAMOLOGIST.USUALLY THE OPTICAL NERVERS ARE PALE OR PALLOR.THE NERVES CAN BE SWOLLEN OR INFLAMED.

A VISUAL EVOKED POTENTIAL CAN DETECT ON.

ON CAN CAUSE DIM VISION,I KNOW WHAT YA MEAN WHEN YA SAY THAT YA FEEL THAT YOUR BIFOCALS AREN'T STRONG ENOUGH.

ON CAN CAUSE DIM COLORING USUALLY RED WILL APPEAR DULL OR PINK.

YOUR EYES WILL HURT WHEN MOVING.

PERIPHERIAL  VISION CAN BE LOST.

IN SEVERE CASES YOU CAN LOSE YOUR VISION COMPLETELY IN THAT EYE,USUALLY THE VISION WILL BECOME BLURRED.

NORMALLY ON WILL EFFECT ONE EYE BUT OVER TIME ITS NOT UNCOMMON FOR OPTICAL NEURITIS TO EFFECT THE OTHER.

I'M STILL TRYING TO GET PAST BILATERIAL ON THAT EFFECTED ME IN DECEMBER AND I WAS TREATED WITH 5 DAYS OF SOLU-MEDROL.

I HOPE SOME OF THIS INFO HELPS.

HAVE YOU SEEN AN OPTHAMOLOGIST? IF NOT GET AN APPOINTMENT.

PS....I AGREE PHONE BOOKS SHOULD BE LARGE PRINT.

T

[LATW]

I am on my second round of ON and it has been my experence that glasses or a magnifying glass does not help me see any better. ON causes blind spots in vision. Atleast it has in mine. : (  I have not had a total loss in vision thankgoodness. And my other eye is 20/20. I am very grateful for that!  

My first bout of ON was much more painful than this one is, but my vision loss is greater this time.

L

[LATW]

I should have added that the only way they knew for sure I had ON the first time was by doing an MRI. My optic nerve looked ok when they looked into my eye. But the MRI showed ON on the part of the nerve that can not be seen by an eye exam.

This time they knew by looking into my eye and seeing the pale optic nerve and I didn't even have my eyes dialted.  : (  

They strongly suspected ON the first time because of the vision field test and my symptoms. This time it was easier to dx. There has been a 7 month period of time between my two bouts of ON.

[CtResident]

I'm sorry that you have to endure this!

I have bits of things going on and that includes my vision. My father has a benign tumor near his optic nerve, but they won't operate, just "watch" it. His sister died from brain cancer. One of my sisters was thought to have epilepsy as a teen, she was on Dilantin for a while before they tapered it down, then off of it. I have twin autistic daughters.

No, LOL, that's not all eye issues, but they are brain issues, so I just keep searching for answers for myself.

Thanks for your info, I appreciate your time. :-)

Suzanne

[Jenn0030]

There is one other type of ON.  Retrobulbar ON- which ocurs with inflammation behind the eye.  You can have the loss of vision, color vision changes, afferent pupil defect (pupils not responding correctly when light is shined in the eye) and the dilated exam of the may look normal.  However other testing will pick up the ON.  Not to mention that Optic disc pallor sometimes develops with time.  

[LATW]

Is Retrobulbar ON related to MS?
L