Hello,
Double vision or diplopia. I get it when I’m tired but seems to be getting worse. No longer allowed to drive and reading can be a struggle. Prisms in my glasses help a bit.
Do you suffer from it and what have been the consequences?
Thanks,
Patrick
May I humbly suggest a course of IV steroids.
Wb
Hiya patrick b
Ive had double vision, in fact when I take off my glasses its still there. My left eye would drift and even now its half closed because it tried to focus thus my eyelid muscle has made it droop as it still tries to focus when my glasses are off during the night . Dont think it will ever be the same again, although the nastygmus in my case was slight, usually coming on when tired or fatigued moreso.
I was fitted with prisms, twice, two different strengths, then had a pair of glasses made with them in permanently. I now have to wear my glasses all the time and eventually (via opthalmologist at local hospital) could see enough to pass all the tests to get my license back. Im now on a 3 year license, which wasnt in force when I was diagnosed (believe its compulsory now for all msers to inform DVLA of diagnosis of ms).
Nasygmus can be helped by the use of prisms as can double vision. The brain is a wonderful thing trying to focus regardless of the problem. Prisms just help realign the eyes and hold them in a position to work in sinc with the good eye. In my case all settled down and Im now able to focus and see without hindrance.
If yours becomes a very big issue please ask your gp to refer you to eye hospital where they will do their best to help you. Not all cases can be helped but their the right people. My opthalmologist thought I would continue to have issues, and I do when not wearing my glasses but with them I can drive as before and now read, whereas I couldnt without help.
take care,
bren
x
I rather doubt that a course of Steroids will make a lot of difference. The problem is more likely to be with the eye muscles than with the nervous system (indicated by it getting worse when you are tired), but there are a whole range of possible causes (and possible treatments.
Both Patrick and bren refer to prisms (plural) which suggests “binocular double vision”, whereas monocular double vision can usually be corrected by a prism fitted to (or built in to) one lens. In my case I have one lens with a degree of prism built in, while my wife has currently got a Fresnel “stick-on” on one reading segment of her bi-focal glasses. Diplopia is a lot easier to deal with when it is across the whole visual range (the prism can be cut into the reverse side of the lens) and harder when it is only when reading - leads to a need for some trickery to cut it into the reading segment on its own.
If it is mainly when reading and only a little (or not at all) at distance, “Ben Franklin” bifocals can fix the problem (at a cost). these have a pair of lenses each split horizontally - with the top and bottom halves made to two different prescriptions, and glued together. Quite often the optometrist in your high street “opticians” will not want to adress the problem (it is not cost effective for them), and will get a GP to refer to the nearest hospital with an opthalmologist and/or an opto-orthotics service.
Geoff
Hi ya Patrick
I am in the very same boat. My horizontal double vision has been getting worse for about 8 years. I finally seen an eye specialist on 1st November and she wants me to see an eye surgeon who treats a lot of MS patients with vision problems in Liverpool. Gosh! I have never seen information or have seen posts here about eye surgery to help with the double vision.
Interesting times indeed!!
Marty
Oh and I forgot to type that they mentioned about Botox. They have patients there that have botox injections into their eye(s) every few months to correct their vision. Eeeee!
Much to think about and research coming up I think! Currently just got my handy pirate’s eye patch for tired moments - like my avatar!
Marty
It seems botox is being used for medical things as well as cosmetic stuff.
Wendy x
I have double vision all the time. Take my glasses (with prisms) off and the world duplicates itself. If you look at my eyes one iris is higher than the other.
I use an eye patch to do things like blow dry my hair but on the whole accept this as yet another pain in the bum. The only time I‘m really troubled by it is when I try to reverse down a ramp in my wheelchair - looking down and backwards to check the wheel position is vomit producing, I think I’ll have to use the Long John Silver patch for this too.
Although it’s horrible to have eye problems the idea of surgery gives me the heebie-jeebies.
Jane
Hi
I got referred to an ophthalmologist a few years ago when I was getting double vision. She gave me some eye exercises to build up the strength of my eye muscles and they sorted it out for me.
The two main ones I did would be easy for you to try. The first one involved a strip of card about 9 inches long with a line down the middle and a dot on it every inch & a half or so. I had to hold the card horizontally under my nose so that it pointed away fromme, parallel to the ground. I would have to look at the dot furthest away and try and make it so that I saw just one dot. When I’d done that I’d look away for a few seconds and then do the same thing with the next nearest dot, I’d have to repeat this for each dot until I couldn’t do it any more.
The other exercise was very similar. I’d hold my my arm straight out in front of me and point my finger up. I’d look at my finger and try to make it so I only saw one finger. Then I’d look away for a few seconds, bring my finger a bit closer to me and then repeat. I’d keep doing this, bringing my finger a bit closer each time.
I’d do these a few times a day. I was warned that I might find the double vision would get worse at first, but that was perfectly normal. It’s just like starting going to the gym for the first time - because the muscles have never been exercised like this before, they’ll naturally be very tired at first. But they’ll start to build up their strength, and then you should start to see an improvement. I only needed to do them for a week or so and I found that I didn’t get the double vision any more.
I hope that helps.
Dan
Hi, I had severe diplopia on my last relapse (requiring the strongest prism they had that they could stick onto my glasses lens).
I had a course of steroids and fortunately for me my eyes gradually come back to almost normal. I can see ok everywhere except for on my extreme peripheral vision which is now impossible for me to do without a diplopia inducing incident. As a result I just turn my head more. Like yourself this gets worse when I am tired and I tend to find that I get severe headaches when my vision is starting to go a bit so to get around this I wear an eye patch.
I am still driving and find that the eye patch helps a great deal at times when my eyes are tired. I have driven with my eye patch on too which although a bit strange is allowed - after all people with one eye can drive. I have no problem in doing so being especially careful. I have told the DVLC and they are ok and I have informed my insurers who really weren’t bothered.
I do however refrain from driving at times where I feel dizzy and un-co-ordinated. I would recommend you approach your nurse for a course of steroids if this only got worse recently and recommend an eye patch to help out at times when you need some relief.
Best wishes.
Steve.