Does this sound like Optic Neuritis?

[FLNatalie]

Hi all,

I am still undiagnosed, and thus is my first post here, but my question is vision-related.

My visual symptoms are what made me consider the possibility that the paresthesia I was experiencing might not be "nothing."

What I have experienced is very hard to describe, and doesn't sound like the typical description of ON. The best way I can describe it is to say I see too much light. Light from a window that should stay in the background doesn't; it actually looks like it is in front of things closer to me than they are. Florescent lighting is bad this way, too. I see long beams of light from concentrated light sources like light bulbs, day or night. My left eye is definitely worse than the right, and sometimes this difference causes a double-vision like experience for days or weeks at a time.

I have been seen by an opthalmologist, who said my eyes looked healthy, with no damage to the optic nerve that she could see. She really didn't know what might be causing it, but wants me back for a visual field test.

Do any of you recognize these types of symptoms? I obviously do have other, non-visual symptoms that made my doctor suspect MS, but the thing with my eyes is driving me crazy!

I'd appreciate any comments or advice.

[Coops49]

Hi!  Optic Neuritis was a early symptom of what has become my MS. Fortunately, this has seldom and only briefly been painful. My presentation was total blindness in one eye (which was fortunately and successfully treated with a short course of steroids. I would suggest you develop a good understanding and lose relationship with your MS carers/team, and take it from there....good luck;)

[Coops49]

I was diagnosed with retro bulbar neuritis, prior to confirmation of MS 25 years ago. What you have described sounds (usefully) detailed, so I'd remain being as detailed and persistent as you are able, until you get some useful advice!

[FLNatalie]

Okay thanks everyone!

[Coops49]

hello roger,
Have you received this? (it's my first time here!)

[Roger5477]

Hi, I've had Ms for close to 20 years. I've had some of the symptoms you are describing. Without getting over technical or long winded, the best advice that worked for me was to consume blueberrys, raspberrys and carrots. These help keep your eyes healthy. I recommend checking out Dr. Terry Wahls. Please google her and see her story. I learned a lot.

[FLNatalie]

I am seeing a neurologist, but he saw no problem with my eyes tracking or the optic nerves either.

I did notice yesterday that the more affected eye has a larger pupil than the other. I wonder if that is significant. The optho might not have seen it because by the time she saw me, my eyes had been medically dilated.

Thanks so much for your responses!

[PeninaD]

In our DD case, all the doctors asked over and over was, double vision or blurry vision. Never asked about pain, or light sensitivity or seeing colors differently from eye to eye. None of then noticed a problem with one eye partially opening immediately after constricting to the pen-light. None did color testing.  Only a couple really caught nystagmus.

Guess what? She did have ON scarring, caught on a specialist camera at the professor of ophthalmology when he was to clear her for possible Gilenya.  So for months, pediatricians, multiple neurologists and medical students all missed it.

The take-away is that more than just blurry vision can be a sign of optic nerve damage.

[kwarendorf]

Hi FN - Welcome to the group.

To answer your first question, no it does not sound like optic neuritis. ON is caused by inflammation of the optic nerve. Your opthamologist said she saw none.

ON is not the only thing that causes vision issues when it comes to MS. I have nystagmus which causes me to see double for a few minutes when I wake. There is nothing wrong with my optics, but the muscles that control my eye movement get corrupted messages thanks to my Ol' Pal MS :-)

I think you should pursue this with a neurologist rather than an eye doc. Are you seeing a neurologist?

Kyle