Do you have ms and vision problems?

Neurogurl said...
Hi, when I first so doctors with my symptoms the first thing they would say is, sounds like ms. But after doing an mri they say its not. But now I have it stuck in my head that I have ms. I see sparkles, trails, afterimages, and extreme floaters. I can't even drive at night sometimes because of my trails. For example, if I look at a cars headlights I get bad afterimages and if I move my eyes up and down I get really long trails of the lights at night (if im at a red light I could sit there move my eyes up and down and get a red trail from the light, or green if light turns green)

Anyways, I have sensitivity to light especially at night also. I was wondering if anyone here has ms with similar vision problems or knows someone with ms with this problem. Im scared I have it because Ive read that maybe 10% of people with ms have normal mri's. I feel like Im the 10% because nothing else explains these vision problems. Please help!!

Here is a link to the National MS Society's webpage, and an article about vision problems that are common with MS....none of which sound anything like what you're describing. 

http://www.nationalmssociety.org/Sourcebook-Visual%20Symptom.asp

Have you been diagnosed with optic neuritis?  An opthamologist would be able to easily determine that, simply by looking in to your eyes.  Have you been examined for migraine headaches, or other vision problems? It sounds like you've seen a neurologist...have you seen an opthamologist to explore further what might be happening with your vision?

My 1st symptom was optic neuritis tho my neuro-or soon to be neuro- said and mri during an attack or soon after will not show the plaques in an mri as they are not yet formed.

Sclerosis=scarring and when you cut your hand you have a cut-it takes awhile to form a scar.  Same w/ms.  Throughout my years of ms I've experianced most symptoms you are describing and have permamantly lost all pheriphal vision.  I always was light sensitive.  Isn't it fun to describe your vision problems? If I have a problem in 1 eye I wear a patch, yes, like Johnny Depp.  You can buy those patches at any drug/dept store. 

Good luck.

a picture to dry is why I kpop up online so fast!I just joined this forum last week looks like you did too!

I was diagonised 17 years ago and if you'll click onto my '1st diagonis by mri' or something like that it'll tell you what my last post said +more.

I still and always get all kinds of crazy vision problems due to the ms.  One of the hardest to describe and get my husband to believe I got double vision in 1 eye!  Every case of ms is different and I believe every case of vision problems are different too, ms or not.

My mom is 93 and lives w/us and wears glasses.  Her vision cannot any longer be correcet by glasses because her eyeballs themseles have gotten old and worn out.

Always something, isn't there!  Good luck to you and Better luck to keep your mind off unknown and uncontrollable problems.  It's still hard for me.

Neurogurl said...
thanks again for you response. I am definately following up with this hole in my heart. So don't think I'm dumb (but I guess when it comes to this stuff i kinda am) but when we say vascular is that the heart..or the veins?  Or both? Like, if the heart has a defect is that considered heart disease? And is that the same as vascular disease. I guess what I'm asking is, if someone has a heart problem does that mean they have a vascular disease? I can't thank you enough for taking time out of your day to respond to me. Its comforting to know that there are people out there (although not the same disease) that can relate.  I try to ask doctors these questions and they always rush me. I understand that you are not a doctor but I appreciate you thoughts on this.

MS does NOT "always have to run in a family". In fact, there are many folks who are the only person in their family with MS, and while there is SOME evidence that there is a genetic link, the scientists are still trying to figure that out.

There IS evidence that autoimmune disorders "run in families". For example, I have MS, my mother had lupus, my aunt had rheumatoid arthritis...all autoimmune disorders. And there are dozens of autoimmune disorders; even diabetes is one of them.

The vascular system is the system in your body that moves blood from place to place, and the heart is the "pump". So veins and arteries are part of the vascular system, as is the heart.  If you have a problems specifically and solely with your heart, it might be said you have "heart disease".  If the problem really is your veins or arteries (like the senator who had a defect from birth which caused a stroke a few days ago) then it might be said that you have a vascular disease. 

Obviously EVERYTHING in the body is connected...so if there is a vascular problem, it can affect everything else, sooner or later. Or a heart problem, and so on. 

If I were you, I'd be in front of my doctor demanding answers about the "hole in my heart" - -what does that mean, exactly; does it need repairing; if it needs to be repaired, what does THAT mean (surgery?); could that be causing the vision problems I've been experiencing; what does it mean for my overall health? and so on. 

When you next see your doctor you might take someone with you -- a spouse, a close friend -- and have them take notes, and ask questions for you.  We all get rattled when we get in front of a doctor and forget what we wanted to ask, or feel rushed.  If you have someone with you, they can help manage the things you wanted to ask, but are too intimidated to ask, or keep track of all the information the doctor is throwing at you so quickly.

Neurogurl said...
Thanks so much. I am definately going to make a list of questions for my doctor and start asking questions. Sometimes the doctors make me feel rushed and unimportant and so I forget questions or I just think nevermind I'll ask next time.