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cotton-wool spots on retinas

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Posted 5/23/2017 9:18 PM (GMT 0)
I was previously diagnosed with cotton-wool spots on both of my retinas; I thought I was going blind at the time. The spots went away after a few months. Saw three doctors, including a retina specialist, who were baffled by it. They said there was no treatment for it, and they had no clue what caused it [the lyme, duh]. I think the spots might be coming back, as I've been having some visual problems lately. Has anyone else been diagnosed with cotton-wool spots?
Posted 5/23/2017 10:10 PM (GMT 0)
Hi hollsya -

I'm not sure if I experienced the same thing - never heard of "cotton-wool spots". But while my yeast/fungal/biofilm issues were at the height of intensity, I had all sorts of weird eye issues - blurry days when I couldn't focus or blurry spots in areas, floaters, loss of peripheral vision, stabbing eye pain. The sx would come and go and change from day-to-day. All very strange. But would always improve when I got yeast/fungal/biofilm under control.

Do you have any other yeast/fungal/biofilm issues that you are aware of? Do you know the associated symptoms?

Have you seen an opthomalogist?

-p
Posted 5/23/2017 10:12 PM (GMT 0)
I have not been diagnosed with cotton-wool spots but I have a lot of problems with my eyes. I have double and blurry vision, red eyes, floater and see black streaks race across my eyes. Every year I have extensive eye testing and nothing is out of the ordinary. Just these stupid infections settling in our eyes, I guess.

Patty
Posted 5/23/2017 10:23 PM (GMT 0)
I also have the blurry vision and floaters--some days I swear I can even see little spirals. And when I have migraines I see flashing lights and colors and all sorts of fun things. The cotton-wool spots are basically these gigantic black blobs that obscure my vision. Like I can be looking at the tv but not really seeing all of the tv because I'm seeing this huge black circle that's covering the tv. It's a little scary. I was told that the spots were due to a lack of oxygen to my eyeballs. Diabetes and HIV can cause the spots, but I don't have either of those. Apparently not many people get these spots which is why I was asking on here to see if anyone else had experienced or been diagnosed with them. I thought maybe it was a lyme thing? Haven't been to the ophthalmologist yet this year, but last year he didn't see any of the spots.
Posted 5/23/2017 11:04 PM (GMT 0)
It could be a combination of things... my only suggestion is to rule things out and progress as best you can w/ treatment. Again, I would be sure to rule out any yeast/fungal/biofilm issues. What you're experiencing could be partially caused by simple issues to solve. And as you continue treatment, hopefully the infection load is lessened, which lessens the eye symptoms.

Hopefully, others will be along with more ideas.

-p
Posted 5/23/2017 11:38 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, Sorry your having these symptoms and I hope they get resolved soon.

I did have a few episodes when I had gray. blurry spots/blotches in my lower field of vision both eyes. It was like when your windshield get big raindrops in it but gray.
It has gone away for now thankfully.

I would try to find an llmd that specializes or knows about this eye issue. Also maybe by reach out to other Lyme forums on FB or lymenet you might find a good llmd or a treatment that way.

I found a website with info on cotton wool spots and Lyme
http://flash.lymenet.org/scripts/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=073347;p=0


If you google cotton-wool spots many sites come up and mention Lyme in them.There could be helpful information on some of them.

Wishing you the best and take care, Jo
Posted 5/24/2017 5:11 AM (GMT 0)
I would ask the doctor for a short course of Terbinafine, followed by Itraconazole. If he says no I would ask another doctor until I found one that signed off on an antiungal.

This definitely sounds like a fungal infection of the eye. No treatment is an absolutely absurd response. That is like saying they aren't willing to even try. What is wrong with these doctors?!

Terbinafine is the safest of the three so it should be tried first. If it will help at all you will feel it working shortly after taking it. If you dont then move on to the 'azoles'.

These drugs are all fungistatic and work by interfering with growth of the fungus.

Fluconazole when combined with Doxycycline is fungicidal and may be your best option.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3393430/

If it persists I would ask for an extended course of Fluconazole as it has the best penetration in the CSF of the three.

Inside the eye Fluconazole and Doxy. The outer layer of the cornea Itraconazole. Behind the eye, Terbinafine.

Another possible treatment with little risk is Natamycin eye drops. There is no valid reason a doctor could come up with to deny you this GRAS food additive that doubles as an antifungal eye drop.

I am thoroughly convinced these drugs saved me from going blind in the left eye from a fungal induced retinal detachment. Contact me by email if I can be of further assistance.

/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC88956/

/academic.oup.com/cid/article/53/3/262/289881/Ocular-Manifestations-of-Candidemia
Posted 5/24/2017 2:41 PM (GMT 0)
Holsa,
I read not long ago that there are a few infections that can create 'cotton wool spots' on the retina:

"Infectious diseases, such as HIV, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, cat-scratch fever (bartonela henslae), leptospirosis, onchocerciasis, or diseases that result in a bacteremia or fungemia may also produce cotton-wool spots. Retinal microvascular occlusions may occur after the use of interferon or other chemotherapeutic agents, and/or radiation exposure, both of which share a similar mechanism of action on endothelial cells.

"

/www.reviewofophthalmology.com/article/cotton-wool-spots-may-challenge-diagnosis

Even though they misspelled Bartonella (lol!), that and RMSF should be checked for you. Treatment for those infections may help clear it up.

www.aaopt.org/ocular-bartonellosis

jamanetwork.com/journals/jamaneurology/fullarticle/802010
Posted 7/29/2017 2:25 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Hollsya,

My eye doc told me yesterday that I have cotton-wool spots, and she said that they're directly correlated with Lyme.

I'm not sure if this is the effect of the cotton-wool spots, but if I close one eye, I get this black veil over half of my vision. I can kind of see through it, but it just darkens half of my vision. Not sure if that's the result of the cotton-wool problem. I've had it for years, before anyone mentioned anything about this cotton-wool thing, so it might be due to a different problem.

Here's a pubmed article about it:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18854948
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