ON question

[Armygirl73]

Hello all,

Hope you all had a terrific holiday season. I have a question about ON. I had an episode about four years ago where my eye was pained, felt like I had some spotting in it and things seemed really blurry. I figured it was eye strain and ignored it for several weeks. I just tried staying off the computer, etc.

I finally went to the doctor after a car accident, I was at fault ... no one was hurt thank God, but I was so shocked. I was told I'd had a red light but I honestly didn't see that. I didn't have the radio on, wasn't playing with my cell phone or anything ... I remember every second of that incident and I'd still swear I saw a green light.

Anyway, several weeks after the accident I was able to finally be seen by an eye doc. All my eye issues were gone by then except some blurriness but it was slight. I told him everything, but he said nothing was wrong with my eye except maybe I needed some reading glasses for the one eye. He gave me a prescription and I went on my way. The glasses helped for about a month or so, but then things seemed blurry with the glasses on and clear with them off. So, I quit wearing them.

No problems with my eyes unless I had some vertigo or heat intolerance  until about two weeks ago ... pain in left eye (same eye as before), feels like a lot of pressure back there, blurriness but not so bad I can't see, dimness as though the lights are dimmed in that eye and some yellowed spots perceived.

The weirdest thing is ... and the reason behind my longwinded question ... my eyelid. It looks perfectly normal, but about four times out of ten when I shut it there is a weak muscle feeling. Almost as though my lids not strong enough to open back up or as though it's being stretched to move over something bigger than it's used to. Could this be optic neuritis or just eye strain? I don't want to bother my doc with something unimportant. I had an eye exam again last year and was told my eyes were just fine ... they noticed no optic nerve issues which I was told would remain if I'd had ON that first time. Is that true? My VEP was considered normal, but I was told there were very different results between my two eyes ... "my left eye was almost nearing abnormal." Whatever that means :-) I also had no lesions on the brain MRI near my eyes or on the optic nerve. That MRI was almost two years ago.

Some of these symtoms are beginning to clear up or lessen -- pain and pressure have subsided, but dimness and blurriness remain along with perceived discoloring, although coloring is getting better.. The eyelid thing hasn't happened in a couple days now. Any help would be appreciated ... I don't want to freak about something that's no big deal.

Blessings,
ArmyGirl73

[Armygirl73]

Hi there,

Thanks for your response. I am going to see a specialist and talk to my neuro about it. My husband says he can't see anything with my eyelid or face ... I thought it might have been Bells Palsy symptom or something, but nothing else in my face has changed.

I will definitely get this looked at though. My neuro appt. is on the 13th, so not too much longer. Hope your eye gets better as well ... I think anything messing with your eyes is way too annoying!

Take care and keep in touch.

Blessings,
ArmyGirl73

[tarter]

To Armgirl73

I have this problem this morning I could not move my eye I have to wait till the eye opens.

I saw the eye specialist and he put dye inside and this highlighted scaring so he suggested drops six times a day but this has not helped.

Another eye person thought ON and rhemy thought SS but bloods were negative.
Does your lips slope downward somtimes when this happens?
My husband commented on this today its not like a stroke appearnce but slightly sloped.

My eye is painful as well.

Perhaps you could have your eyes tested and that might lead to a referal.


Let me know the outcome good luck tarter

[Armygirl73]

Thanks for the responses ladies! I do love this forum ... it's so nice not to feel alone in this battle.

I am diagnosed ... found out a few months ago. It was a clinical diagnosis based on symptom history and MRIs, and I was in the process of moving, so things have bee very stressful. I've had lots of symptoms like the numbness, parathesias, fatigue, vertigo, and more. I even have a tremor in my hand and head. This is the first I really thought this might be ON but wasn't sure. If it is, it's exactly like what I had before.

I will definitely see an Opthamalogist. All I saw before was an optometrist ... I am such a dork, because I had no idea there was a difference.

Thanks so much!

Blessings,
ArmyGirl73

[sandie490]

Hi Armygirl,

Sorry you're having so much trouble with your eyes. Did you see an Opthamalogist, or an Optometrist?   You should definititely try and see an Opthamalogist, for any Optic Nerve related problems.  I have ON, and before I had any sx of ON, I had gone to my Optometrist for my regular eye exam, my eyesight seemed off.  I also have diabetes, and Lupus, and I was on Plaquenil at the time which can do damage to the retina, so I was having that exam also.  So the Dr, said there were some slight changes, but  nothing that a new scrip wouldn't cure, and the special test they do for my retina came back normal.

So, I get my new glasses, now this was back at the end of last Dec- beginning of Jan.
I get my new script but,after a month it seemed  like the glasses weren't working.  Then around March, I started getting eye pain, the eyeball was hurting in my right eye. Whenever, I tried to rub it which I did alot because of strain from them not working right, it really hurt, they felt so sore, and instead of getting any relief when rubbed, it made it worse, and I have allergies, and there was burning and itchy.  But, it felt different, not like it usually felt when the allergies kicked up.  I had developed an eye twitch also, and this twitch got really bad, then I went to a neuro, because I had also developed a hand tremor.  I do have a lesion in my brain, but he had said he didn't think anything pointed to ms, and I didn't mention the eyepain only the twitch and tremor, he started looking into parkinsons's but I was in the middle of a move, and couldn't follow up.  My eye got worse, eyeball pain whenever I moved my eyeball, pressure behind the eye, burning, blurriness, and also weakness in my eyelid.

When I wake up in the morning, my lid is half closed,and the lid feels too weak to open, and I had developed vertigo.  My sister had been dx with ON, and later MS, but my point is I had the same sx as she did with her eyes,and ON, so she said to me,.....Don't just go to an Optometrist, you need an Opthamalogist.   So I went, and he said that I have ON.  But even after going on eyedrop steroids, and an anti-inflammatory, my lid hasn't been the same. I don't think they can do the IV steroids with me cause I'm diabetic, and the steroids hike the blood sugar way up.  I need to go on prednisone from time to time, for a 2 week course usually, and it's hard to keep my sugar down.  The twitching has eased up, but the weakness in the lid hasn't.  I noticed when I try to look up without actually putting my head up, I have to keep blinking, cause it's hard to look up and even when I do, then it's hard to focus my eye to see correctly.

You really need, more tests, with an Opthamalogist.   Your MRI from 2yrs ago is too old, because this happened to me so fast, within 3 months this appeared, and I know I must have had a problem with the Optic Nerve when I went to the Optometrist, cause my eyeball was hurting then, and he didn't pick up on anything.  I think they're good for just regular eye exams.  That lid thing, on top of the other eye problems, is really annoying,  cause I'm finding it hard to wear any eye makeup.  I also find that I get pain around the brow area and cheek.  Oh! before I forget, the problem had moved to my left eye also, I had inflammation on  both sides.  The Optic Nerve inflammation is down now, but I still have pain, and the lid still weak, and eyesight is still off, hard to focus on things.   Make that appointment!  Are you dx with MS? I'm still not dx, have another appt this month with a new neuro.  

Sorry so long, I always write a book.  Let us know how you make out.  Feel better,
Hugs    Sandie

[NiCeeGlover]

Happy New Year!  Hi, my name is  NiCee : )

I'm afraid I won't be much help to you as far giving you answers concerning  ON.

But do keep checking back, we have awesome people on this site that will be

able to help you.  

I am headed to Duke on the 11th for a lot of answers myself.

I do want to tell you that you are not alone with these questions.

Off and on since 10-04-09 I have had almost the exact same thing going on with

my left eye. I'm sorry you are suffering with this, but you made me feel better just

reading your post! It's just crazy how this comes and goes.

If you go to my profile to my photos, you will see a photo of me that clearly

shows my eyes are under attack.

It affects my sight so bad  at times my reg glasses I have for threading

needle etc are no longer strong enough. I  bought strong reading glasses from

Walmart, because my fam doc said not to get my eyes checked

for stronger glasses until after going to Duke. I rarely used my glasses before.

Now I need glasses all the time to read, and sometimes I can't see well

enough then to be on the computer long if at all.

My left eye has always been my weaker eye, and I wore glasses since the 5th

grade until 10 years ago, my eye doc said my glasses had corrected my eyes so

much I really didn't need to wear them unless I was doing small detailed work.

Some times my right eye joins in on the blurriness.

I am having other problems too, but I have had hours and some times a few days

days where it hit my left eye, and then it would go away.

I'm have looked in the mirror many times to see if my eye lid had dropped. Felt

like something was pushing it down.

I wish you well, and please keep checking back , the leaders of this group are full

of knowledge and they can guide you on what to do.

Best Wishes,  NiCee