Just Diagnosed with MS

[gav0704]

Hi everyone, I have been dizzy for 11 days and having double vision for 3 days. Can anyone tell me if the double vision and dizziness goes away and how long it will take please. I'm really freaked out about my vision!

[HVAC]

There are two basic processes in MS inflammation and nerve damage. If symptoms are caused by inflammation when the inflammation dies down the double vision will go away. If it is caused by nerve damage such as my case it is nerve damage and permanent. I have had double vision for 48 years.

First off I would alert my Neurologist and try steroids to see if that will knock the inflammation down. Then I would see the Neuro Othalmologsit a Neurologist who specializes in brain/vision problems. They can try prisms or eye patches.

I have learned to compensate I even worked construction and climbed three story ladders all the time with Vertigo and double vision. I am a fine art painter for a living and it is not easy but I paint animal portraits with double vision. I ride horses with double vision. Reading is my biggest challenge but I now get books for the blind. I am also a writer.

Alex



I would not drive until it improves or you see an eye doctor.

[SarahL2491]

you might contact a social security disability lawyer and see what he thinks your chances are at disability.  It's a long process I hear.

Hoping you get some answers.  Also, the spinal may not show any lesions, I have none in my spinal tap (0 bands) so have you gone to your eye doctor and have documentation, that can count as an CIS, or confirmed Isolated incident, I had 2 of those which I presented to my neuro plus my MRI.

[gav0704]

yes he did mention steroids. I think he wants to do a spinal tap next week to confirm ms before starting any treatment.

[Sidesteps]

Have you been diagnosed with MS?

The reason I asked what type of double vision is because I have had both kinds.

I have the ghost images which is more like blurred vision. This doesn't seem like a huge deal but I had LASIK and nearly 20/15 vision. It is now not that. It took a year to figure out why my vision was so different and then one day I noticed the green street light was a full image below!

I also had for about two month the double vision where your eyes are not focused. I was seeing street likes on two.

That did get better. The ghost images did not.  I have since had ON which complicated my vision issues.

Give yourself time.

[kwarendorf]

Has he mentioned IV Solumedrol (steroids)? IVSM is used to reduce the inflammation associated with a relapse more quickly than letting the relapse run its course. Reducing this inflammation may provide relief to you vision woes. It sure did in my case!

Kyle

[gav0704]

Thank you Kyle you gave me hope! The neurologist said that my DV was being caused by muscles or nerves not guiding the eyes properly also. I am wearing an eye patch just to somewhat function. I am praying everyday that my vision will clear up, this is the worst affliction I've ever dealt with.

[kwarendorf]

Now that my friends have painted the dark picture of double vision, let me paint  a brighter one :-)

As has been said, whether or not your double vision resolves depends entirely on what's causing it. When I had my most recent relapse, the one 18 months ago that lead to my diagnosis, my double vision was one of my top 3 presenting symptoms. By the time I saw a neurologist it was 24/7.

The good news was that my double vision was the result of nystagmus, which is rapid uncontrolled movement of my eyes. They move out of sync and don't know where to focus. My optics are fine. It's the muscles that control my eyes that are the problem. They get garbled messages passed from my brain along MS damaged nerves.

The good news is that my 24/7 double vision resolved after 5 days of IV steroids. Just as good as new, well almost. I still have DV for a few minutes when I wake up, even after a good nap. It resolves as I become more fully awake.

Kyle

[supermum_ms]

Hi and welcome to our little MS community,

Unfortunately, there is no predictability with MS so its not possible to say how long it could last or if your sx's will completely resolve. Relapses can last as little as 24hrs to months and months, a course of IV steroids in most cases shortens relapses but the disease modifying drugs (DMD's) can help reduce the number of relapses you have.

I suspect the vertigo (dizziness) is probably not connected to your double vision because usually when they are interconnected, the episode of double vision can often be what causes the dizzy feeling. To me it sounds like it is probably two separate issues due to two areas being attacked, because your double vision appeared a week or so afterwards, and it seems logical that its probably not one causing the other due to the time frame of them.  

I personally have double vision 24/7 now, though it didn't start off as double but episodes of blurred vision. It took many many years before an episode made my vision doubling, it became one image on top but one slightly above the other, it settled down to being like a bad photocopy. New episodes split the images even more and made it more obviously double, it doesn't go away anymore. It still splits wider sometimes depending on the angle i'm looking and its quite freaky to look at people when they've got another set of eyes on their forehead.

I have nystagmus (sp) a rapid horizontal jerky tremor, which back when it was first discovered wasn't visible outside of testing. There were glimpses of it occasionally but even that's changed over the years and its more visible to the nakid eye often now. I'm still only experiencing vertigo during relapses though, i'm not usually dizzy, but i do have an invisible gremlin that likes to shove me over for kicks and giggles, which is due to my 'where i am in space' thingy-me-bob being faulty.

Sugar or anything similar has never affected my visual or other issues, definitely over heating, infections and fatigue make it worse but i've never noticed anything else, well apart from having another relapse that is, I can't actually  understand how there could be a sugar connection, so i'll have to sit on the fence but will stay open minded on this idea.

Anyhoo i'll shut up now :o) again welcome, I'm sure you'll soon discover you've found some of the best supportive people from all over the globe :o)

Cheers..........JJ  

[doublevision1]

I'm not in the U.S. so am unfamiliar with disability benefits in your country, and I imagine programs vary from state to state.  Perhaps you have income protection as a benefit at your job.  Hopefully someone else here can help you out with this concern.

Re: double vision, mine was/is caused by a large lesion on my brain stem from MS.  Mine gradually got worse and worse to the point that it was pretty severe.  Enough to make me very dizzy and disoriented, socially uncomfortable, unable to work (due to other symptoms as well) and prevented me from driving for a year.  I realize I'm painting a grim picture for you, but it got better.  A lot better.  Now I have only mild double vision when I gaze to the left. It doesn't hinder my driving.  It does act up temporally when my body temp increases, such as I work out, have an infection, take a hot bath, as well as when I my eyes tire from reading for too long.  But it always returned to my normal.

The only thing that helped in my case was time, and patience.  IV steroids did nothing to expedite recovery of my vision.  In other cases, it can and does help.  There's no drug or surgical procedure for double vision due to MS.  

There are a special kind of eyeglasses which have prisms in the lenses.  They trick your eyes into seeing one image, and can work really well.  You need to  wait until your degree of double vision stabilizes and remains at the same point for a few months.  If your degree of double vision changes regularly, for better or worse, then prism lenses are pointless as they are prescribed for a specific measurement, ie one that has been stable for a while.

My experience was pretty extreme I think.  Most cases resolve fully or partially a long sooner than mine.  I had reached the point of acceptance that i would never recover, but in time I did.  What kept my spirits up along the way was regular visits to my ophthalmologist and neuro-ophthalmologist, who took regular measurements of my vision which at various times showed stability or improvement. Frustratingly slow improvement, but better than the alternative.  

Talk to you doc about your concerns, and hang in there.

[gav0704]

thanks for sharing. I've been eating alot of sugar lately as my appetite has been bad. I guess I need to cut the sugar out. I'm new to all of this and scared. I don't know how I can work and make a living. Do you know if there is disability financial aid if I can't work?

[Sidesteps]

What is your double vision caused by? Did they tell you?

I have double vision. They are ghost images. That hasn't improved much.

Now, three years later I have good days and bad days. Good days, I can see nearly perfect. Bad days, are stable now. I have adjusted to the issues I have which I do consider to be significant.

I started my MS journey with 8 (counted) flares in 1 1/2 years. I have been on DMDs for just over a year and am happy to say that I am nearly symptom free at the moment. I have permanent damage in my vision and a mild foot drop.

At my worst, I had vertigo and was so weak I couldn't walk 15 feet holding a folding chair. I was a MESS.  I had a multifocal attack that hit me hard for about a year and a half if you go back and read my posts.

Now, I run 5 miles 3x a week. I was terribly worried my symptoms would not get better but they did!

My point? Keep hope. Drink lots of fluids and get as much sleep as possible. Neurologically I have learned sleep is vital as we as what I eat. If I do not sleep well my chronic symptoms show their ugly head. If I don't eat we'll (too much sugar) my vision is way worse. Mostly, Give yourself time to heal. Take care of yourself. Get on DMDs if you can. I have no side affects with mine.

Best thing for me was this last paragraph. Hugs

[gav0704]

Thank you for your response. Its a very scary thing having double vision. I'm worried about losing my job and the town home I just signed a contract on. I just want my sight back to normal, that's the scariest thing.

[maxthecat43]

Hi there.  Welcome, I'm glad you found us, but I'm sorry you needed to.  There are several here who have a problem with double vision. Hopefully tonight some of them will be online, and can answer your question.

I have dizziness.  If your dizziness is caused by a new flare, in time it will improve some, and it may even go away.  Sadly, no one can tell you if any of these things will go completely away, but if your disease is fairly new- you have a better chance of things  resolving in time.  

Please take some time to read the Health Pages.  You can find links to  them in the far right column of this page.  They cover a number of useful topics, and were written by a doctor- who also happens to have MS.

This first year or so, after diagnosis rough emotionally.  There are lots of people here that want to help where they can.  Ask questions.  Read other peoples posts.  Check out the search bar, and type in topics.  There is usually a thread there to read.

Hang in there.
Tammy