What does Optic Neuritis Feel like?

[skarey]

I know this sounds like a silly question and was debating on whether or not to ask, but for the past few days I've been having horrible left eye pain.  It isn't a constant pain, but hurts when I blink or move it.  Sometimes it just hurts when I'm not moving it.  It also just feels different ... kinda swollen feeling, but it doesn't look swollen.  My vision seems fine... it's just painful.  

I haven't been dx'd with anything, I've been worked up for MS with normal MRI's and normal neuro exams. But this eye thing has me a bit concerned.  I'm currently being tested for Lyme through Igenex (don't have results yet).  I've had intermittent eye pain through this whole thing, but this is worse.

I've had two "flares" one now and one in 2007.  I remember then my eyes hurting as well.  Very strange.   All my tests have been normal besides a High EBV and also a two positive bands on Quest WB for lyme.  

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks so much,
  skarey

[HVAC]

This is an old post.

Alex

[gypsyflyer]

http://www.hindawi.com/journals/msi/2013/627870/

[gypsyflyer]

Well, you tell those "doctors" that lesions start in the gray matter which can't be seen except with a very powerful Tesla...educate him...it's certainly not just a white matter disease!

[fabnurse40]

Mine started with the loss of vision blury I can say! I was at work & it was extremely hot in my patients home & when I left to drive home about 10 15 miles I stayed close to the right lane! Thank God I made it home safely! I went to eye doctor and that's when he referred me to a neurologist that's when I first started experience exacerbation.

[zoefromsussex]

ON doesn't always hurt. My first attack was severe (I was totally blind in my right eye) but it didn't hurt at all, which I believe is unusual. With the next attack it started as the sensation of something caught under my contact lens, like a bit of mascara for instance but over the next couple of days it became really painful, like a constant dull ache deep within the eye which got worse if I moved the eye.

[peeldeen]

thanks... i feel some cool wind in your sound. you don't know how much , how much happy i will be if i get rid of optic neuritis or MS. a grave is better then my bad vision. but i don't understand why i get nostril tingle what i never experienced in my life and need to press my nose hard to neutralize it.just after the injury i am experiencing this and in cold a clean pain spreads only in my left part of head. why not in full head or cortex like migraine? i was forgetting all the things, listening music, sleeping. but suddenly these symptoms are making me freak ! :) thanks again.

[immisceo]

Hi there. You've posted on a Multiple Sclerosis forum on a thread that's almost five years old. This is probably why you haven't gotten too much response.

Yes, I'd say the eye injury likely explains what you've been experiencing. It also sounds like you're dealing with a lot of anxiety because your vision is so important to a job you love. We are not doctors here, simply people with MS or those in the diagnostic process, so I really don't feel qualified to say much more. Are you concerned that the symptoms you're experiencing are no longer related to the injury?

[peeldeen]

well i hope i will get help here. before 1 month i got a hit of cork while playing badminton in my left eye. it was very painful to move the eye and everything was blurry and very dim sight. i went to an optometrist and he didn't give me an MRI. he said that an inflammation happened and gave me medicine for 10 days. within 10 days my sight appeared almost 20/20 but my colour and contrast remained unchanged. i got an headache in my left side and in 10 degree cel cold i feel nostril stink with little inconformity and slight pain in my left head. when i try to watch movies or work in screen [ i'm a graphics specialist :(... i have to work a lot in high res screen for a long time. ] i get headache in my left part of head[ i never got a headache in my head in 26 years age so i don't know what is headache... i feel uncomfortable and extra weight in left part and gradually it moves to right part. after 1 hours of working in screen my right eye gets full of water but affected eye remains dry and felt little detached] i didn't have MS ever. but the doctor says there is no relation of headache with my problem cuz i don't have any MS signs like feeling concussions or vomiting or instability. even i clearly get motion perceptions. but recently im forgetting word spellings too much and can't think deeply cuz my head get extra weight. but the doctor tells it just a psychological fear of mine. so he gave me brain relieving tablets. i want to work like past in screen. it's my only happiness to live in the earth. i don't want anything else. please help me.

[peeldeen]

well i hope i will get help here. before 1 month i got a hit of cork while playing badminton in my left eye. it was very painful to move the eye and everything was blurry and very dim sight. i went to an optometrist and he didn't give me an MRI. he said that an inflammation happened and gave me medicine for 10 days. within 10 days my sight appeared almost 20/20 but my colour and contrast remained unchanged. i got an headache in my left side and in 10 degree cel cold i feel nostril stink with little inconformity and slight pain in my left head. when i try to watch movies or work in screen [ i'm a graphics specialist :(... i have to work a lot in high res screen for a long time. ] i get headache in my left part of head[ i never got a headache in my head in 26 years age so i don't know what is headache... i feel uncomfortable and extra weight in left part and gradually it moves to right part. after 1 hours of working in screen my right eye gets full of water but affected eye remains dry and felt little detached] i didn't have MS ever. but the doctor says there is no relation of headache with my problem cuz i don't have any MS signs like feeling concussions or vomiting or instability. even i clearly get motion perceptions. but recently im forgetting word spellings too much and can't think deeply cuz my head get extra weight. but the doctor tells it just a psychological fear of mine. so he gave me brain relieving tablets. i want to work like past in screen. it's my only happiness to live in the earth. i don't want anything else. please help me.

[Chez46260]

MS possibly!

[skarey]

Thanks for your comments.  My eye is still hurting.  This has been going on now for 3-4 days.  It isn't a constant pain.  It feels normal at times and then occasionally gets the pain. It's not excrutiating pain, just a very bad ache and nuisance.  Feels like someone keeps poking me in the eye or something.

I'm still having no vision or color problems so that's good.  I'm going to try to get in to see my dr tomorrow or possibly the ER this afternoon.  We are stationed overseas in England and have to go through the base clinic.  We do not have a eye dr nor opthamologist there.  I would have to get a referral from my dr to see one off base which could take forever!  So I'm not sure what to do.  Would that be odd to go to the ER for the eye pain?

I've read that optic neuritis is made worse by heat or exercise.  Well yesterday I was out in the sun for awhile and noticed nothing different. Maybe I do just have something viral or bacterial that is causing all this havoc (such as lyme).  I can't wait to get those results back from Igenex.  I've read that many lyme patients also have eye problems.  

I do appreicate the feedback and suggestions.  I'll keep you posted.

[PastorDan]

Hmmm.  My VEPs were described as normal.  I forget the exact numbers, but seem to recall them being well within the range of normal.

[novakf]

Yes, according to things I've read, the optic disc always looks fine in the case of retrobulbar optic neuritis, which is the most likely kind in MS. It looked fine on my examination. They really have to do an MRI to see the inflammation, and in some cases it doesn't even show up very brightly there. (Mine was visible, but only just) but was quite clear on the VEPs (Visual Evoked Potentials).

When I had optic neuritis it was very painful. Weirdly I've had that same headache/eye pain several times since, briefly (a day or two), often at the onset of other symptoms. But it has not affected my vision noticeably when it recurs. Oh but it's hard to tell because my vision is pretty **** ever since the first bout so it's difficult to measure if it's gotten worse or better. I mean I can still see but there's always that haze there, lack of contrast sensitivity so words don't stand out on the page and such.

Oh, and skarey, I had the pain for a few days before I noticed any changes in my vision, so it might take a while for the damage to show up. Also it's possible that the damage is so minor you can't see it, but it may show up on field tests/VEPs.

[PastorDan]

Now I am curious.  What else could have been causing the eye pain that I was having?  It felt like the back side of my eyeballs was bruised.  Blinking hurt, moving the eyes hurt, but usually doing nothing at all hurt.  I've also been having a hazy patch in the vision for months, and some double vision.  However, the optic disc is reported as looking fine all along, and my one MRI noted nothing about the visual systems at all.  The pain's now faded since I began Neurontin, but it was pretty intense for a while.  Still, I hear no explanation.  Is this how "retrobulbar" ON presents, or would there have to be other evidence, such as via imaging?

[Erin0313]

  I have had Optic Neuritis twice this year and it was horrible. The eye pain was the worst part for me but I also had blurred and loss of vision as well as color blindness. I didn't notice it but when they told me to close one eye at a time and look at something (red is best) and then compare the 2 eyes sure enough the left was way lighter red than the right.

Even if you only have pain and no other symptoms I would advise seeing someone to have it checked out. You don't want to mess around with your eyesight. A neuro-opthamologist is the best but I was dx in the ER because I couldn't stand the pain and then confirmed by the neurologist and neuro-op after.

Hope it gets better and whichever doc can see you helps.

Erin :)

[Sarahsmom46]

If you have been having this pain for 2 or more days, and it does sound very similar to optic neuritis, then you need to see a doctor.  A good ophthamologis mgiht know how to check this out, but if you have a neurologist, that might be the best doc to go to.

Don't let this go on much longer because if it is neuritis then you need to be on steroids, my dear.  Get in to see someone on Monday or Tues at the latest.  Take care.

Julie

[Becky559]

Hi, I am in the middle of my opthalmalogist telling me that I have optic nerve inflammation and the MRI saying I dont, so I am going to a neuro-opth Monday. The symptoms I have experienced is blurred vision in one eye with some pressure behind my eye especially when I move it. Some people have problems with their color vision ,,,fading. I have had two bouts of this. I have not been dx with anything at this time, but these are my symptoms. My vision field test were abnormal also. Hope this helps, as I am looking for some answers also. And also, something I read about the strength of the MRI machine can certainly make a difference in what they see. Read in health pages at the top right corner.

[scaredguy309]

It may cause pain on movement of your eye, pain without movement, blurry or double vision. Can't diagnosis on symptoms only though as many other conditions can cause such.