Monocular double vision... for reals!

[jensequitur]

Man, this is driving me crazy.  So I've been wearing glasses for six months because I couldn't afford contacts, and every time I wore contacts, my right eye would see double.  I thought it was just the contacts.  

I went and got more contacts, and talked to the optometrist, and he said that if I'm seeing a clear doubling of the image, then it's not the contacts, it's my eye.  And it's definitely double - two clearly defined images of the same thing.

This morning I was having the same problem without the contacts - the right eye was seeing double.  Granted, it's hard to tell, because my eyesight's so terrible!  But it was definitely double - albeit fuzzy - in the right eye.

According to Wikipedia, monocular double vision is rare, but possible.  It takes a lesion in the visual cortex to cause this problem.  I'm just looking for solutions... are there any?

[jensequitur]

I thought at first that it was just a poorly fitting contact.  For about six months I wore glasses, thinking that the contacts were the problem.  I just got new contacts two weeks ago, and noticed that after four hours, I start seeing double.  It's as if my eye is getting tired.

Even more notable, when I take the contacts out and put my glasses in, I'm still seeing double out of my right eye.  That made me think there was something else going on.  Then I woke up a couple of days ago, and was seeing double before I put my contacts in.

That's why I think this is actually monocular double vision, rather than a problem with my contacts.

[michelleric]

I haven't been on the boards for a bit, stopped in for a short visit and saw your post.

My best "guesstimate" is your R contact lens is not fitting well, and affecting your cornea, causing the monocular diplopia.  Monocular diplopia has different reasons than binocular diplopia. Binocular is more of a muscle/cranial nerve involvement, where Monocular is the eye itself.

Monocular diplopia is "usually" caused by a corneal irregularity (dry eye, uncorrected astigmatism, not properly fitted Contact lens, etc.)  Those are the "outside" reasons. The "inside" reasons can be from a cataract, retinal issue etc.

I would definitely recommend you see an Ophthalmologist, rather than an Optometrist.

I just read what I wrote, and saw I was using the word Diplopia. Sorry, that just means double vision. I am too tired to correct it now...

Take care,
Michelle

[jensequitur]

I do have brain stem lesions - one in the pons, and another in the medulla!  

[HVAC]

I have never had Optic Neuritis or damage to the optic nerve according to all the Neurologists but I do have monocular double vision in both eyes and have had it for over forty years. They said something about my brain stem lesion? I do not know if it happens when you get double vision later in life but they say my brain has learned to compensate. I basically switch from eye to eye to see. My vision is never really focused.

Alex

[jensequitur]

Not yet - I should probably pursue this with the neuro, but I know his track record!  Fortunately it's only a problem when my eyes are tired - it takes about four hours for my eyesight to go bad when I'm wearing contacts.  

[doublevision1]

hmmm, that s*cks.  I don't know anything about monocular double vision.  I  know a LOT about binocular double vision, and prisms may help with it if the degree of this type of double vision remains constant.  If it comes and goes and is sometimes really severe and other times mild, prisms won't help as they are fixed at a specific measurement.  sorry, I knowq this doesn't answer your question at all.  Have you seen a neuro-ophthalmologist?