Eye problems common????

[JJJ77]

I have not been diagnosed with MS yet but have one lesion on my spinal cord.  Recently, I started having some blurred vision, mostly with lights, and floaters.  Fearing it was the start of ON, I went to the eye doctor for a full exam and he said that my eyes looked great...other than I have chronic dry eye.  Been using drops with no relief of blurriness so I am questioning the diagnosis.  My question is...Is it common for people with MS to eye problems other than ON? Thanks!  

[PastorDan]

I've been fortunate enough to not have significant bladder issues to date, but everything else you listed sounds much too familiar.  You're not getting dizzy, too?

[shawnie31]

Hi there, seeing you asked what some of my symptoms were I decided just to copy and paste from another post. These are the ones I get when my "flares" or whatever they are they last about 10 days and then I'm completely fine for 30 to 40 days.

Symptoms:

- LEAKING URINE (which I always thought was cause of my endo)-stress incontinence was rulled out, gyno said bladder looked really good when I had my hysterectomy in 08
-LEGS FEEL HEAVY, and like they don't want to cooperate at times they also feel like they have been stretched a mile and rolled over(thought I was out of shape)
- BLURRED VISION, (this is very disturbing at times but the optometrist said everything looks good)
-TINGLING.....head and face especially, my back... feet at times but mostly my scalp.
-FATIGUE- feels very different from when your just pooped out.
-MEMORY, difficulty remembering what to say, peoples name don't always come to mind when I see them (even though I know the person well it takes me a few moments then I can recall their name but I struggle hard thinking ok I know this person..it only bothers me when it happens while I'm at work I feel like an *** sometimes. I used to take pride remembering peoples names and that's why this issue here bothers me because it's out of my norm.
-DROPPING THINGS (but this doesn't happen too often)A few occasions I have dropped plates or have placed items that didn't belong in a cupboard and should have gone in the fridge, but I actually stopped myself  before doing it.
-MULTI-TASKING is difficult when my symptoms are present. Like, driving and listening to my son talk and trying to concentrate where I'm suppose to go is hard. Or when I'm preparing a meal and my son or husband is taking to me I have difficulty remembering what to do next.
-HANDWRITING, during my flare of symptoms I find that I make alot of mistakes when I'm writing simple things down..I even make spelling mistakes writing my own name..

Theirs more, but these are the ones I get mostly when my symptoms show up..

I have seen an internist a few weeks ago and he told me that if I wasn't going blind in one eye and if I don't see double then it's not possible it's MS. He is sending me for more lab work I have a follow up with him at the end of April.

Thanks for your interest I really feel helpless at this time, because I haven't shared much of this info with friends or family because theirs no Dx yet and I feel silly explaining all and what if it's nothing at all. I would rather wait, but it's making it hard at times to function at work. I work shifts so night shifts I can keep to myself alot but dayshifts are hard on me.


I have received info as to when my neuro appt will be. It's in July, I will be seeing a neuro who is a Prof of Neurology at the University of Ottawa and is the Director of the MS research unit had done alot of his specialized training in London, England. Now, if my GP doens't think their was much showing on my MRI, why do I need to see this neurologist. I am very greatful for the referral, but theirs so many other neurologist in Ottawa that maybe aren't as busy as he is.. I don't know.. just thinking out loud here, I feel like theirs something my Dr isn't telling me...He's also been on televison W5 talking about his research on MS etc..


If anyone feels like discussing their symptoms with me that would be great, I find this to be so informative!!

So there you have, a little extra info

Shawnie

[JJJ77]

First let me just say that I am so sorry that you don't have an appt until July:(  Seems like a long time to wait.  I don't have any other symptoms right now other than some crazy ringing in my ears and the residual effects in my right arm from my spinal lesion.  I have an appt with an ENT tomorrow to try to figure my ears out.  I am not sure if that is related to everything else or not.  My vision does not seem to effect objects other than lights.  I have a halo effect around them and floaters.  The best way to describe it is that there is like a film on my eyes and lights blur.  Very weird and annoying!!  What other symptoms do you have?

Thanks to all of you for the feedback!  Just another frustrating issue:(  

Pastor Dan-I hope you can get someone to figure your eye issue out for you!  I have not had a VEP either but think I may put that on my list of things to do!!!

[shawnie31]

Hi, Much like you I haven't been Dx yet. My neuro appt is in July. My third most anoying symptom is blurred vision. It only affects me when I'm having all of my symptoms. Then when my symptoms go away my vision is good. I find it difficult to drive at night with blurred vision and I also have difficulty focusing on people's faces when they are talking to me. Do you experience this??

Shawnie

[essdipity]

I've never had eye symptoms at all, but I've read about plenty here on this site. What you have sounds very much like ON, regardless of whether the doctors saw it on exam.

My first conclusive test was the VEP, which was abnormal for my right eye. My next neuro said I must have a lesion further back on the nerve, since nothing shows upon eye test or MRI. So if you haven't had a VEP, try to make it a priority.

And incidentally, I recently had a routine eye exam, involving dilation of my pupils. A couple of hours later I was walking my dog, and chatted with a neighbor. She said, "What's wrong with your eye? The right pupil is much bigger." When I went home and looked, she was right. It was creepy.

I didn't post on the recent thread about pupil sizes because it was very temporary, and I assumed the doc had just used more whatever in that eye. But maybe not.

Keep looking,
ess

[PastorDan]

No dx here, but still have eye trouble coincident with whatever this ongoing illness is.  Mine is a vague area in the upper right of my field of view, this area seeming sometimes hazy, bright, dim, washed-out, cloudy, or in some other way different from the rest of the landscape.  I describe it as being similar to the ghost images one can see after having been the subject of a flash photograph.  It's been with me at least since Thanksgiving, or thereabouts.

A very thorough opthalmological exam in December found nothing whatsoever to explain these symptoms.  A month or so after that exam, I began having intermittent pain behind my eyes, but always only one eye at a time.  When it occurs, it feels like the back side of my eyeball is bruised.  I mentioned this to the ex neuro, to the PCP, and to the neuro with all the credentials, but got more reaction from Bandit than from any of the three.

[essdipity]

Is your eye doctor an optometrist or an ophthalmologist? The first is not an MD, and is not familiar with ON issues. An ophth. is what you need, or better still a neuro-ophth. But it's quite possible to have ON without that being apparent in an eye exam. It depends on where the lesion is.

And as Quix's experience recently tells us, it's quite possible to have ON with no symptoms at all.

If this persists you should definitely let your neuro know.

As to whether MSers commonly have eye problems other than ON, I haven't heard of any, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

I hope anyone here with a different eye problem attributed to MS will let us know.

ess

[HVAC]

For me with eyes I do not play around. It probably is nothing but you should tell your Neurologist. I have floaters from normal aging and bright spots from headaches and so far do not have ON. I have a lot more blurred vision since I passed 40. When I had an abnormal VEP I was sent to a Neuro Opthamolgist by my Neurologist. Everything was normal. They do more diagnostics than an Othamologist, who does more than an optometrist.