Eye Problems

Sunday, 20 February 2005 14:25
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This article cannot give an in-depth coverage of a specialised subject: the following is a brief outline.

(Mostly treatments not included as this is specialised).

In the 1999 survey, 45% of respondents said they had some sort of visual problems.

Further investigation revealed that common problems included:

Less commonly:

Some arachnoiditis patients have been told that their eye problems resemble those seen in Multiple sclerosis.

One of the initial symptoms of MS may be optic neuritis, which causes episodes of blurred or double vision.

Other problems may include darkening of the vision, loss of colour perception and occasionally flashes.

Pain may occur and be aggravated by movement of the eye: this can be a dull ache or a sharp jab on eye movement.

Pain may precede visual loss or may coincide with it. Patients tend to describe the visual loss as " a curtain coming down", "blurring" or "white-out".

Paroxysmal Retrobulbar neuritis may occur, causing repeated but transitory blurred vision, which may recur several times a day or only occasionally.

The whole period of disturbed vision tends to last 3-8 weeks, the expected duration of an MS exacerbation.

Devic's syndrome is a combination of severe optic nerve involvement and spinal cord deficits; this is more common in Japanese people than in Europe.

Double vision in MS is relatively common and this arises notfrom the eyes, but from involvement of the cranial nerves. (more details on MS will be available in a separate article).