my EYE! Pain and a white light...

The dr. said "Your eyeball is fine... it's neurological." after sitting there the for the entire morning, and missing class. BUT, he got worried after I told him my symptoms (see first post) and he said that i needed to see someone within the month and wanted me to see a opthamalneurologist(sp?).

First, are sharp eye pain, and funny lights in the eye related to MS?

Has anyone here every see an eye/neuro doc? I know a MS dr. would be best but mom isn't interested.

They are talking about CAT scans and MRI. Why both?

If this new dr. can't see anything on them, do I request a 2nd opinion?

Also, are there any specific questions I should ask? (I'll take my timeline)

Lastly, I've been reading about MS and it sounds like a lot of MSers have flareups, but I simply seem to add more symtoms (symptoms) on a regular basis and the ones i have are getting worse... for example, my tingly/prickliness get worse every time I get too hot and don't cool off, it's like it "stays" and I feel it in my back for a few hours.

Sorry, this looks like a bunch of questions.... but it seems like everyone here is so wonderful in trying to help out, I felt like it was the place to go too!
~Sunnytoday~
Oh, and sorry for any typo's (my eye's still not ok... and that dilating/numbing stuff doesn't wear off fast)

[Deb61]

I'm bumping this up for you.  I'm going to have to get myself into bed, and I would want to give my full attention and time to your post.  

I'm sure someone in this forum can give you some info about eye problems--there's a lot of us here that have it.  

Take care,
Deb

[Sunnytoday]

Thanks for the thoughts.. hope you slept well! :) I would love to hear from anyone... my dr' thought the blurriness would go away in a day, but it's still here... and I'm having other weird problems since my eye went crazy! I had a college exam both yesterday and today and It was as though i'd never seen the stuff even though i'd studied for hours and I flunked them (never happened before in my college career). Today I totally embarrassed myself with a friend while I was driving- example.. went the wrong way on the interstate and didn't really know where I was until she pretty much yelled at me. Talk about brain fog- I went the wrong way three times today while i was driving... I came home and told mom that I need prayer if I'm ever to pass my finals next week. I have an entire week of finals and these latest symptoms had better dispear! So please, anyone on this forum can PLEASE pray for me, my finals run from this Tuesday till Tuesday May 6th.
~Sunnytoday~

[Deb61]

I'm so sorry you're going through all of this while trying to go to school!  I can't help but to think of my oldest daughter who is your age and going to school.  I bet your mother is very worried about you.  I worry that my daughters may develop some kind of autoimmune disease.  My sister and I are the first to have MS, but if you look at our family history, you can trace back a long way with the women in our family with health problems--specifically autoimmune diseases.  

Your questions are difficult to answer.  Yes, I have had many of those symptoms that you have described; however, there are many diseases and problems that may cause those symptoms.  Lupus, for example may cause some of the problems that you described.  Also, lyme disease, Sjogren's, other connective tissue disorders, and even migraines may cause problems that mimic MS.  

It does concern me that your vision has been effected.  Sharp pains in the eye, blurriness, lights, and the fact that your opthamologist wants you to see neuro-opthamologist may be indicators that your optic nerve or something neurological is going wrong with your vision.  

I cannot answer your question about why a CAT scan has been ordered when you also have an MRI ordered, but I'm not a doctor.  There must be something that can be see only on a CAT scan or it's faster getting results ???????

I think if your doctor cannot find answers, I would definetly press him as to what is causing these problems.  It's not normal for a you person to get these symptoms.  Perhaps other testing like a VEP may be needed?   A colleague of mine had optic neuritis--had problems all year--and the problems with the optic nerve only showed up on the VEP (the opthamologist said that the optic nerve looked fine and nothing showed up on the MRI).  She is now unable to drive at night because she can't see.  She was just diagnosed with MS, BTW.

The tingling that you describe is what I get.  My symptoms do worsen in the heat, as well.  In fact, my vision problems area the first things that I'll notice when I'm overheated.  Many people with MS will have these pseudo-exacerbations in the heat.  

The brain fog issue is my biggest gripe with MS (besides the fatigue).  However, do keep in mind there are many conditions other than MS that will cause this brain fog.  I will pray for you this next, my dearest.  Keep us posted and keep sharing, but do concentrate for your exams and try to put this out of your mind (just for the week) . . . I know that it's hard, though.  

It's a pleasure to "meet" you.
Deb

[Sunnytoday]

Thanks so much for your wonderful reply- it truly does mean  very much, not only to know that i'm not "weird" and these feelings do happen, but that others out there care.

For now I will just focus on school, as that's the most important thing... must pass all finals! :) School and A's came naturally until just recently... which is unnerving to me.

oh..I have previously been tested for Lupus and rhematoid, and two other  autoimmune disease due to unexplainable joint pain. they settled on simple hypermobility for my shoulders and unexplained joint pain in the rest of the joints.

My appt. is in two weeks and I will post then...
~Sunnytoday~

[santana8]

Up until two years ago I raarely ever went to the doctor for anything except for regular check ups. I was in a store when suddenely my vision went haywire. First distorted vison. I could see the prices but couldn't figure out what they said, kind of like looking at a forien language or something. Over the next week my vision became wierder and wierder with straight things looking curved and everything looking wider on the right side, kinda blown out to the right side. Photophobia( light sensitivity) flashing, flickering lights. My eyes felt completely numb. I had alot of mental status changes too but I will concentrate on the visual dysfunction for you. Next masked vision kind of like I had saran wrap over my eyes and a flashlight shinning in my eyes through the other side. Like something was blocking my vision from being clear. Then dimmed vision and a loss of all color. next  blured vision. As the feeling started to come back in my eyes, the deep eye socket pain started in both eyes. It felt like someone was digging my eye balls out of the socket. They hurt when I moved them. Then parts of my field of vision were missing. the pain lasted for the whole first year. I developed blepharitis( inflamation (inflammation) of the eye lids) and meibomian gland dysfunction.( when the glands that produce the tear film become blocked). Then sevier dry eye syndrome. After one optomatrist,  and three opthalmologist said that there was nothing wrong with my eyes or my optic nerves and that I had 20/20 vision, one of them finally done a visual field test. this was six months after the sudden onset in the store. It showed a left inferior harmonious quadrantopsia. That is a visual field defect where 1/4 of the vision field is missing, the defect showed on the left bottom corner  but I precieved the cut in vision on the right bottm corner of my field of vision. This is when I was sent to a neurologist and was given an MRI that showed the 10 white matter lesions. I had seen all of these eye doctors and a neurologist and also a neuro- opthalmologist. basically the neuro- opthalmologist said that it wasn't my two eyes that wasn't working together, that it was the two halves of my brain. Another words this vision dysfunction and vision loss was not to do with my eyes , but my brain. It is the sense of seeing that is messed up. This is complicated and I have spent many hours studying it, but basically my eyes are seeing the picture right, but the brain is injured and is not understanding the picture that the  eyes are sending to it! That is what your opthalmologist meant when  he said it is neurological! Anyway here it is two years later for me and the visual field defect has improved a lot but is not gone. I haven't been able to drive for the whole two years. The first year It made me so off balance that I could hardly stand up straight ( visual virtigo). I am going to a low vision center on April 29th to see if they can give me some glasses with a prism on them to help expand my peripheral( side vision ) on the right side. If they can then maybe I will be able to drive again, but no guarentees that they can correct this as it is damage in my brain and not my eyes. If your vision is too bad you might not want to drive for now, it could be dangerous. Ask your opthathalmologist for a visual field test and see if it shows any defects in your field of vision. If it does then he will refer you to a neurologist and he will probally do an MRI of your brain to see what is going on! Let me know what they find out. Just wanting youto know that I do understand what you are going through because I have been  there too!

Take care
Santana

[Deb61]

Please DO keep us posted but write only AFTER YOUR EXAMS.  Best wishes.  I'm praying for you like I said I would.

Deb