Bilateral Monocular Diplopia Help!

[larshy]

I have been experiencing a number of symptoms associated with my eyes as well as other areas of my body but more recently have been experiencing bilateral monocular diplopia. My first vision problem was an awareness of floater which started out as one black dot in my right eye then later a dot in my left eye and now many dots and lines as well as transparent dots that I can only describe as water bubbles (clear transparent circles) in both eyes. These visual floaters are most noticeable against a bright background. I am also experiencing blurred vision that comes and goes in either eye as well as a glare from light sources in either eye if I am in a dark area. I have been to see an optometrist and in his opinion my eyes were in great shape.

Since the visit with the optometrist the monocular diplopia has become more of a problem and is most noticeable when looking at light sources but I can also see ghosts images of objects if they are dark against a light background or vice versa. The diplopia is vertical; the ghost image is overtop of the real image. The only way it seems to disappear is if I tilt my head down and look upwards at the object or sometimes if I squint the ghost image will disappear. I have also tried a homemade pinhole test. When the pinhole in directly in the center of my vision the double image goes away, however when the pinhole is slightly above my center of vision the double image comes back.

Other symptoms that I have been having include tinnitus, frequent headaches, muscle spasms, pins and needles, and numbness.

I have had a CT scan done which came back normal and am now waiting to see a neurologist in 6-8 weeks.

Do these symptoms sound like it is something wrong with my eyes or is it something wrong with my brain? I am afraid that it could still be a brain tumor that didn’t show up on the CT scan, or is that even possible? I am also afraid that this could be some malignant form of MS. Please any input would be greatly appreciated.

[Nancy T]

Why did the optician think it might change after having the baby? Did s/he give any reason for thinking that?

My comment is that you should see an ophthalmologist (MD).

Odd how it seems we all have different things that make the ghosting worse--in your case low light, in my case reading looking down...who knows??

I wish one of the doctors would comment on your "ghosting is worse in low light" problem.

Nancy T.

[sixfootblonde]

I too have recently started getting ghost vision in both eyes and it is in each separately.  I am 33 years old and pregnant - so the optician said to wait and see what happens after I have had the baby.  With a pinhole mine clears up fine.  I have a slight astigmatism in my left eye so that might be the cause of that.  I obsessed about brain nasties too - but from the little I have read that seems very unlikely.  I noticed the problem in November but thought my vision had been a little odd for a month or two before then.  Mine is not very noticeable during the day or in good light, but as soon as light starts to fade in the day I start to get ghosting.  So I guess if it were a brain problem it would not be linked to light - wouldn't that be more a refractive issue?  The optician said I had good vision otherwise and did give me some glasses that have helped a little with my left eye.  Any comments gratefully received :)

[Nancy T]

Brock, I would really try to find an ophthalmologist who is willing to work on solving your problem. I know next to nothing about the eyes, but I would think that if your problem IS a refractive one, they ought to be able to do something about it with glasses.

Perhaps after your CT results the doctor will discuss all of this with you and find a solution.

I think it would drive me nuts to have double vision all the time. Tinnitus is one thing--you can tune it out--but not seeing clearly is not something I could ignore!!

I don't see my ophthalmologist again until July 1, but I'll try to remember to ask him then what is different about the glasses he gave me. I have no idea what my prescription is--I can't ever remember numbers like that--I just hand it over to the optician and forget about it.

Best of luck to you, and keep us updated.

Nancy

[larshy]

It seems to me that everyone else that has this problem only acquires it after reading or doing some sort of concentration with their eyes for an extended period of time. My diplopia lasts from 80-100% of the day after doing nothing to provoke it. I simply wake up with it and fall a sleep with it. It is very annoying for the most part but it seems that I am now getting use to it and just ignore it. It is very similar to the constant tinnitus, or ringing in my ears, it is there but my senses are just use to it and ignore it. I am very interested in the prescription that you received Nancy as my ophthalmologist had mentioned nothing about glasses at all but if it could help me I would be forever in your debt. As I have mentioned before I have tried the pinhole test and it seems to clear up the double vision so as Nancy has already stated and from what I have read it is most likely a refractive error and not neurological (fingers crossed). I am going for a CT scan of my ocular area (I forget exactly what the area is called) tomorrow and should be in contact with my ophthalmologist soon so i will post again any findings they see or not see. Thank you everyone for sharing your stories. It is a good feeling knowing im not going through this alone and others have experienced to some degree what i am going through.

Brock

[Nancy T]

Maybe I should ask my ophthalmologist at my next appointment exactly what he "put" in my special reading glasses to prevent the ghosting from occurring with reading. I do remember he said that the optician would think the prescription was for bifocals when it wasn't.

However, in my case the ghosting only occurs when I read looking down (e.g., with a book or papers in my lap or on a table). It doesn't occur when I'm reading straight ahead, as on a computer screen.

But it does occur without any previous reading if I'm very tired (sleep-deprived).

Surprised to hear so many others have this problem--the two ophthalmologists I saw, one of them a neuro-ophthalmologist, had never heard of it.

Did anyone read the article for which I posted the link? What do you think about it?

Nancy T.

[BillIsherwood]

I, too, suffer from bilateral monocular dipolia, beginning maybe 20 years ago.  It comes on when I read or work on the computer too long, and gradually goes away if I distance focus for 1/2 - 1 hr.  It starts with ghosting, but can progress to two full, essentially equal, images if I keep working/reading.  At the time I was first 'diagnosed', I was told that little was known about such conditions and no 'cure' was known -- so I've lived with it - taking 'eye breaks' as necessary.  As time goes on, the period of reading or other close work seems to decrease before the symptoms reappear.  I wear bifocal reading glasses and have needed bifocals for many years.  About 8 years ago I had Lasik surgery for my severe near-sightedness (to allow me to function in snow storms without glasses).  It seemed that the diplopia diminished somewhat after the Lasik, but has come back, now worse than ever.  (I am now 66.)

I had not heard of the pinhole test and just tried it.  My double vision does seem to go away when looking thru a pinhole -- but I can't read or work like that.  Tilting my head doesn't seem to change anything.  My eye doctors have never found any observable 'health ' problem with my eyes.

I'll now follow this thread in case anyone has found a real cure for this condition.

Bill I.