I’m having an MRI next weekend due to a couple of episodes of numbness and I also have a pale right optic disc.
Last Sunday night I was washing my face with some exfoliating face scrub, and I think I got some in my right eye.
It was so painful the next day I went to the emergency walk in clinic at a local GP. They couldn’t see anything in it but suggested I see an optician as they have better equipment.
The optician did all kinds of checks but couldn’t see anything in my eye, or any indication that I’d scratched it at all. On Monday my visual field tests were not as they should be (apparently I wasn’t seeing the dots in the top right of my right eye) and asked me to come back on Wednesday. On Wednesday my results were the same as Monday.
The optician was really uncertain. I haven’t had any vision loss although apparently I do now need glasses as I’m short sighted since my last eye exam a couple of years ago. He spoke to his colleagues and they suggested uveitis but he’s now ruled that out.
So currently my eye is improving but still uncomfortable. No vision loss, my eyes are a little pink but that’s normal for me.
The discomfort in my eye gets worse if I’m out in bright light. Its like a sharp stinging sensation in my eye. No other pain.
So I’m wondering if anyone here has experienced this type of problem with their eye. I’m hoping I have just injured it somehow and it’s just taking some time to heal, and is just coincidental, but what with everything else going on I thought I’d ask in case any of you have experienced anything similar.
Just to explain; if you have not damaged your eye; something the optician would be able to pick up it could be Optic Neuritis. This is de-myelinisation of your optic nerve that runs between your eye and brain that only an EEG and an Evoked Potential test would find. This is a test no optician could do.
Evoked Potential tests are procedures for measuring the speed of impulses along neurons. Responses can be measured using EEG readings from electrodes attached to the scalp and occasionally other areas of the skin. Although this may sound like something from Frankenstein, they are in fact completely painless and entirely harmless. Based on input signals to the particular sense being measured, the time taken for that response to register can be accurately measured and compared to normal readings. The results are then analysed on a computer and average speeds recorded.
Demyelinated neurons transmit nerve signals slower than non-demyelinated ones and this can be detected with EP tests. Although they may appear to function perfectly, even remyelinated neurons are slower than normal nerves and so historical lesions can be detected in this way.
Thank you for this, it’s really helpful. I assumed that an optician would be able to pick up optic neuritis but from what you’re saying this isn’t the case. It’s so strange that it happened all of a sudden when I was washing my face, but neither the optician nor the nurse at the emergency GP clinic could see any damage.
I’m not due to see my neurologist again until about mid May. Do you think I should notify my GP and see if he would notify the neurologist, or should I call his office myself? Or maybe let the radiologist know when I go to the hospital next weekend? Not sure of the right way to go about it!
Ring your Neurologist’s secretary; unfortunately GPs are what is said on the bottle; General. They will only deal with 6-8 possible MS patients their entire career.
Perhaps though it would be ethical to notify him first. Sod being ethical ring your Neuro’s secretary; they will need that MRI; just say your prepared to come at a moments notice.
I had this paleness of the Optic Nerve, my optician picked up on it and sent me for further tests. I done visual fields and was then sent to an eye specialist. She covered one eye and the green coloured card appeared to be washed out in the damaged eye and I could only see green on the perimeter of the card. She then gave me eye drops to relax the eye and examined the eye through a slit lamp. I had the Evoked potential test which was a horrible experience and that came back as normal.
I, too am having concerns with my eyes, except for my problem is both of my optic discs are swollen. I saw my ophthalmologist last week, and as I already had a clear MRI last year didn’t think it was worthwhile repeating it, so scheduled a follow up with the neurologist in 3 months. I’m not sure what it could mean with a pale disc, but optic neuritis often appears as a swollen disc in one eye only.
I know it’s hard waiting and not knowing, wondering. but remember 9 times out of 10 these things can be explained away and are not as sinister as they first appear.
Thank you for your replies I’m just worried about everything at the moment!
I emailed my neurologist’s office and got a nice reply from a specialist nurse, who said they were seeing the neuro on Thursday and would talk to him and call me back.
Everything crossed it isn’t anything significant and eventually goes away.
Katina, I hope you get some answers about your eyes
