Eyesight

[frogbmth]

I have a rare condition called Pigment Dispersion Syndrome, my iris rubs against the lens of my eyes and causes pigment to flake off into my eyes. This has two effects, firstly the dusty deposits coat the inner surfaces of the eyes and build up over time, causing a gradual loss of sight. Secondly, the flakes clog the channels in the eyes obstructing pressure regulation and causing glaucoma.

I was 25 when diagnosed by my optician, referred to an eye hospital and have been under their care ever since. I am the only patient they have ever had with the condition, in my first visits the specialist was getting his colleagues in the USA and bringing every student he could find to come and take a look!

I was pretty freaked out at first, now I have just learnt to live with it.

Anybody else have eye issues?

Andy

[Sav]

Hi,

I have a condition called idiopathic intracranial hypertension. It's not an eye condition as such, but if the spinal fluid builds up around my brain to much it puts pressure on my optic nerves and I loose my sight.

I had suffered with bad headaches for years but never thought anything of it until my optician sent me straight to the hospital. 2 weeks in hospital, a MRI scan 2 CT scans and a Lumbar puncture later I had my diagnosis.

It was pretty scary at first but as you say you learn to live with it.

Take Care

Sav

[Mary Kay]

My Mom had surgery for cataracts years ago. 3 months ago after complaining about her vision blurring we saw a new Dr. he came running out of the treatment room to draw me a picture of my mom's pupils. Her right pupil looks like this () and the same thing tilted on it's side in the left eye. One cat eye and and one goat eye.
The Dr. was all excited, I was less enthused. He said the cataract surgery started failing. As she is 85 and no longer able to sit for long periods, they are just going to watch it and hope there isn't a complete colapse.
Frog and Sav, I am sorry to hear about your eyes..That is some real scary stuff.

[Starlight]

In MS, optic neuritis (often shortened to "ON") is a common symptom. I have it but only mildly compared to some people. It's an inflammation of the optic nerve. It's often the first symptom of MS, particularly in younger people.

It can cause pain in the eyes, flashes or sparks of light, blurry vision that comes and goes and varies day by day, loss of some or all colour vision, and even temporary blindness in some. Not everybody gets all of those symptoms.

First time I ever had a partial blindness from it, it scared the living daylights out me, and I hadn't yet been diagnosed so didn't know what it was. Out of the blue, I suddenly couldn't see anything but a grey sort of gauze, with a bit of sight around the outside. Luckily, it didn't last long at all for me and I only experienced it once again after that for a very brief moment.

I also have slight double vision and am slow to focus and regain focus, mainly in my left eye. This is also due to MS, something to do with the nerve from the brain not sending the right signal (which is basically what MS does to the whole body). This has been helped to some extent with a prism in my specs.

Sav, you're brave having an LP, I ran a mile from one! Luckily, I didn't need it in the end as my MRIs were enough to get me a DX (diagnosis).

Andy, what you have sounds pretty awful and definitely scary!

[1 Cute Canadian]

My son also has chronic increased intercranial pressure from chronic aseptic meningitis which is part of his condition NOMID (aka CINCA in the UK), because of that he has had uveitis and has chronic inflammation of the optic nerve, over time he will lose his sight. He wears glasses, but looks oh so cute, my little professor! The LP's are scary, he has had 6 already in 5 years of life, and will continue to get them every 6 months to monitor the issues. He is lucky so far and is sedated because of his age, I dread the time they try it without sedation. I had no idea how many things can affect your eyes and often the symptoms are misleading, what I thought was a bout of pink eye turned out to be a very scary case of plastic uveitis.

[Rexa]

Hey frog! I am curious, how do the doctors treat that? Can that buildup be removed somehow?

[frogbmth]

Laser treatment to break up the flakes is somewhat effective but being an unusual condition, there hasnt been a lot of effort put into researching treating it. I'm hoping that one day there will be something I can vape to treat it

[Jules22871]

So sorry to hear that frog. Is it very hard to deal with?

The last eye exam I had, i was told I had optic nerve swelling and the doctor was very emphatic that I tell my regular PCP. Since I don't have insurance yet a neurologist visit is just added to the long list of specialists I will need to see once it kicks in.

The meds I take for my heart have changed my vision significantly every time they change the dosage which has been about every 3 months . I have had to get new glasses 3 times this year. I wish they'd make up their minds what they want me to take so I can quit racking up optometrist bills.