Light/Dark vision Issue

[Fearnot2bu]

I have been having an issue with seeing when light meets dark areas. It is especially noticeable at night. When I light at the streetlights from a distance, I see two lights. The distance between them is greater the further apart I am. I see the “double” (the one that is not there) out of both eyes. During the daytime, I do not see double lights. The “double” is something that is not there. The other night an eighteen-wheeler turned in front of me at the light. The top of the truck was just below the green stoplight and I saw the “double” as being IN FRONT of the truck, even though the real light was behind the truck. I also experience this “double” vision at times when looking at black letters in a white computer screen. It looks like the black letter are doubled below the real one or shadowed below (with the letters it is not a double, but more like the black letters are duplicate and slide down from the real ones). It is not allows a complete double, but more like a shadow. The “double” is always below the actual object. Part of the problem is my inability to explain exactly what is happening or what I see. These symptoms vary from day to day. When my allergies are worse, the symptoms are worse.  At my work, we have white walls with a dark carpet border (4 inches) on the bottom. If I look at the dark carpet at the bottom of the wall from a far distance (several hundred feet) it looks like the white wall bleeds down into the dark carpet border. This produces a “grey” section on the border. The closer I get to the wall the smaller the “grey” section appears on the top of the border. Within 3 feet of the wall, the line on top of the border is 1/8 of an inch and almost appears as a bright “yellow” line. I have seen two neurologists with two MRIs and one MRA. Neither had any ideas of what might be the problem-everything is “normal.” Additionally, I have seen an ophthalmologist and he did not find any problems.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

Dr. House is a pale imitation of what real physicians have to put up. Dr. Casey, Dr. Kildare, Dr. House and most of the television pseuo-physicians usually see about one patient per hour or even one per week. With the downward spiral of more patients to see and lower insurance and medicare payments per patient many physicians are barely treading water after overhead, taxes and malpractice insurance are paid.

With the huge demands of the aging baby boomers and the declining attractiveness of Medicine to the best and brightest of our young and the crushing burden of a medical education (quarter to over a half million dollars) I have grave concerns about the future of Medical care in the USA.  Nationalization or socialization of healthcare will only make matters worse.

JCH III MD

[Fearnot2bu]

Thank you for your answer. I do have a neuro-ophthalmologist appointment scheduled. My real question is "How do I motivate the neuro-ophthalmologist to solve my case?" Both neurologists that I saw said they had no idea what the problem could be, but wanted me to schedule a follow up appointment in 3 months! How do I motivate my doctor to take my case on like they do on the television series House? What can I say or do to get them to act as if it is their problem or one of their family members?

Thanks,

Harold

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

See a neuro-ophthalmologist. Find one at www.aao.org OR ask your neurologists to refer you to one.

JCH III MD