Sudden Cross-eyed Vision NOT double vision

[jenej]

I've looked everywhere online and haven't found a single thing about these incidents/episodes with my vision.  FYI - I have astigmatism in both eyes, nearsighted, migraines with aura, and that's all I can think of that would be related to why this happened.  I am 31 years old, female.

About four weeks ago (3/28/09), suddenly my vision went cross-eyed.  But I was not intentionally crossing my eyes.  It felt the same as if I were intentionally crossing my eyes, but I could not control my eye movement at all.  It lasted about 45 seconds or so.  Then my vision went back to normal.  I felt the slightest bit dizzy (not even 10 minutes), and my eyes felt strained (for about an hour) afterward, but I was not in any pain, and my eyes did not hurt.  I did nothing about it at the time, because I figured it was nothing to worry about.
This happened a second time two days ago (4/20/09), exactly the same except it lasted only about 30 seconds.  And the same feeling...slightly dizzy (about 5 minutes), and eye strain (about an hour) afterward.  None of the same circumstances were present from the first time it happened.  Just out of the blue, sudden cross-eyed vision.
I immediately looked online to see who I should call/see (ophthalmologist or neurologist?) & made an appointment with an ophthalmologist.  My appointment was this morning.  My eye exams were all normal...nothing out of the ordinary.  She set me up with a blood test for possible myasthenia gravis, but she says it's most likely not the issue. She said she wasn't really sure what to tell me because she had never really heard of this before.
She told me that the next time it happens to cover up one of my eyes to see if I can see clearly.  She also said it could possibly be a TIA, but I am not in the right age group.  My main concern is if it happens while I'm driving, as it could be very dangerous!

Any ideas?  Explanations?  Suggestions?  Thank you!

[JohnHaganMD]

Thank you

[achillea]

"And  Dr Hagan, if you are going to post something, then post something Legitimate, some real link to something you want to share,  that could benefit us all,  not your name constantly, repeatedly..."

If you read back through responses on almost any lengthy discussion on this board, you will quickly see that the "equal" sign indicates that the physicisn on duty, so to speak, has read a post but has no further comments.

On many health forums, there is not even an MD who responds in any way.  

[JohnHaganMD]

The  equal sign "="  just means I've read the new posting and don't have anything further to add.  In both the community and old "expert" forum there are many dozens of postings like this one.  This particuliar thread for the most part is easy to explain and a common complaint in any optometrist or ophthalmologists office.

Almost all of these can be explained by one of these:
1. Significant uncorrected farsightedness and corrected with reading/computer glasses.  For people that wear bifocals it oftenmeans the bifocal part (called the add) is not strong enough and needs to be increased.
2. Early presbyopic symptoms corrected with reading/computer/bifocals
3. Convergence insufficiency treated with prism reading/computer glasses  or converging exercises.
4. Dry eye symptoms   When people read, use a computer, iPad, watch TV or go to a movie their blink rate decreases. This can cause blurred vision, eye discomfort and watering eyes.  Use of artifical tears and looking up every 10 minutes from reading or the computer and blinking briskly 4-5 times can help. Also don't have air blowing in your face or over your work-station.
5. There are also people who when they do close work like read or us a computer for hours on end the focus muscle (ciliary body) gets cramped and more or less stuck in the near reading position. Think being very stiff after sitting in a chair for a long time. This is also helped a great deal by looking up every 10 minutes, focusing at something 20 or more feet away and blinking 4-5 times.
6. An uncommon cause is spasm of accommodation

If you want more information you can use the search feature, there is much discussion and a lot of answers here. You can Google: presbyopia, dry eyes, computer use syndrome, symptoms of uncorrected or undercorrected hyperopia, spasm of accommodation.

I wrote a section about this in "O" Ophrah Winfrey's magazine and received hundreds and hundreds of e mails telling me how it nailed their complaints. If O is online you can probably find it also.

JCH MD

[Ophelia1220]

I just had this cross eyed, slightly dizzy / nauseous feeling for about 30 seconds.   No headache.  im 61 and have no issues, but  this happens about 2-3-4  x a year.   Just went for a Full Opthalmic exam and everything is ok.  Wear progressive glasses;  am farsighted.   From all the comments here, I gather it's from working at a computer and doing paperwork 5 days week, all day long & Stress.    Also have slight dry eye.   What surprises me is that NO doctor has heard of this ???   Hello ???  Any doctor listening ??  

And  Dr Hagan, if you are going to post something, then post something Legitimate, some real link to something you want to share,  that could benefit us all,  not your name constantly, repeatedly.   BIG Red stop sign appeared when I clicked on the word 'Feature'    As long as we all go for checkups,  this must be something 'new' associated with the new technology we deal with every day.  

[kittykat1465]

my eyes are feeling cross eyed and not focusing that well i don't know what to do, they do not hurt and i am not dizzy, no headache its been two days now i have had this. any advice  

[mnaha]

I also had this happened. It started almost a year ago. We had been traveling and was in an extended stay hotel. Like most of you it seemed like my eyes just got crossed and I couldn't straighten them but covering one eye seem to help for seeing. It lasted only 30 seconds to a minute and then was gone. The next time it happened was while we were in a rental office renting our apartment and and was very short. Then again one afternoon while out walking with my wife it happened again. I made it home ok after covering one eye. It has happened about 15 times in 8 months. I was hospitalized with tachycardia for a week and kept telling the doctors I had experienced that and their response was to see a eye doctor. Get this, Im in the hospital and telling the doctors that I had double vision or cross eyes and they tell me to see an eye doctor. No testing for brain problems or anything else other than cardiac. At least im pretty sure it isn't heart related but stroke related not sure although the doctors didn't seem concerned.
Also when getting out of the hospital I told my doctor several times about the occurring episodes and he just shrugged it off and give me B2 for ocular migraines . Also told me to see an eye doctor. My doctor is an internist with 40 years experience so Im trusting he could look at me and see if I had a stroke. I got scared and quit driving and have had several other episodes bringing the total to about 20 times.

For the last three months it hasn't happened but it has taken its toll on my life worrying that maybe I was suffering mini strokes but as I said my doctor did not seem concerned although he did urge me to see an eye doctor and finally after almost 8 months got me a referral to a good eye doctor but I have a fear of doctors and afraid that they will find something bad so im scared to go. I was wondering if anyone else found out what the problem was and was it serious? Please help..im very frightened about going to the eye doctor and I  have to go in five days.