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MS or Astigmatism

I keep stumbling whether I am walking or standing still,  I have family history of MS but also have astigmatism.  Can astigmatism cause this stumbling or is it more likely to be neurological.  Also have monocular double vision
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1831849 tn?1383228392
Hi Tammy -

Welcome to our group. This thread is nearly 3 years old. Many of the posters an no longer participating in the forum. Perhaps you'd like to Post a Question and introduce yourself. We're a pretty nice group :-)

Kyle
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Avatar universal
I was diagonosed with Astigmatism however could this cause other issues?? For example when I get on an escilator or stand on a moving floor when I get off it feels as if the floor is still moving under me. This can last up to an hour .


Tammy
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1453990 tn?1329231426
I told my Neuro about tripping a lot an falling.  He asked worse at night in the dark  or during the day?  I told him at night, and he replied that that is pretty much neurologic.  He said that during the day I had visual queues that I was depending on.  At night, the loss of that visual data meant that my brain had to depend on proprioception and inner ear data and that was no longer working properly.

If your eyes (astigmatism) were the issue, I would think you would fall more during the day using visual queues and less at night.

Just a thought

Bob
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Avatar universal
Hallo.  Thank you for your information. MS family is second degree according to your criteria.  Also loss of balance started on and off I reckon at least 10 years ago but because it kept going away I didn't get it checked.  However, for the last 5 months it has been permanent - at least 3 occasions a day - sometimes an awful lot more especially when I am tired.  Have occasionally had to use walking stick to steady myself

Also had a one off period of double vision (1 day and side by side) in 1994 then nothing til 7 years ago and it now occurs several times a day - things jump up and down and the false image is vertical.  Feel like I'm going mad - I hold down a responsible job (lecturer) but don't want to be accused of being drunk or taking stuff (balance)

Any more info you can give would be gratefully received.  

Take care
Mathswhizz
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147426 tn?1317265632
Hi, and welcome.  I don't remember seeing you here before.  Astigmatism will not call poor balance.  Astigmatism distorts the visual image, so what you see is not sharp.  that does not cause stumbling, but will keep you from reading signs at a distance.

You need to have your balance checked.  The balance is affected by many things so you should start with a vestibular specialist who can do some simple and not so simple testing such as Computerized Posturography.  Balance can also be affected by weakness, poor position sense, vertigo, and double vision.

How close are the family members with MS?  More than 2nd degree do not affect your risk by very much.  (First degree - 1 birth away - parents, sibs and children.  Second degree - two births away = grandparents, grandchildren, aunts/uncles)

YOu also should get a thorough neurological exam to see if they can pinpoint the cause of your frequent stumbling.  What is the history of the stumbling?  Is it since childhood, or more recent?

Quix
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