Double Vision

[syralia]

I feel like I am going to go crazy...

The saturday before last I woke up with double vision... it was like a lighter copy of everything just above.  I waited until my eye Dr opened and called and they told me to go to the ER.

I went to the ER and explained what was going on a few hours later... no matter what eye was covered I saw everything doubled.

I was informed that it was impossible... that you cannot have double vision in both eyes at the same time and ws told to use some artificial tears because I probably just had a dry eye.

I was so embarresed that I just nodded and left... They did no testing other than an eye chart and had me follow their finger... and I am pretty sure that they thought I was making it up.  

It got slightly better and I decided to just live with it... it makes me dizzy at times and I get motion sickness (something I never had before) but I did not want to go back because they already think I am making it up.

This morning I woke and it is worse, a complete faded copy, but this time UNDER everything I see.  I have tried covering one eye at a time... but it is the same in both eyes...

I don't know what to do... is the ER Dr correct that it is impossible to have double vision in both eyes at the same time?  I can't see how it can be impossible, because it is happening... I swear it is happening.  I don't want to go back to the ER again and I don't know what to do.

Is it something I should just ignore and try to deal with?

[Glassybubbles]

Sorry to bump this topic up but I too suffer when ghosting in both eyes. This only really becomes a problem as the sun is going down and artificial light is brought into play. In natural light things are fine. When I look trough a pinhole the ghosting goes away completely and my vision is perfect, no ghosting!

I have been having some minor heacaches every now and again, possibly a minor one every other week. I think I may have astigmatism but I am still worried I have something more sinister like a tumor of some kind.

I would like to say again, when I look through a pinhole the ghosting removes itself. Also the ghosting is present in both eyes but the ghosting in each of often varies and it not exactly the same.

This problem has been present now for about three months now, would this be considered a quick onset or is a quick onset literally in a matter of minutes this appearing?

Please I am constantly thinking its a tumor and its ruining my life as I cant stop thinking about it :'(

[Nancy T]

Thank you for the update. Sjogren's would certainly explain the dry eye. Did they feel that the dry eye was the cause of your double vision? I don't really understand how that works.

Do they also think that Ehlers-Danlos may be the cause of the double vision? How do they test for Ehlers-Danlos? Do you have other symptoms suggestive of that?

Also, who gave you the Sjogren's diagnosis? Was that the neurologist? If not, what did the neurologist make of the whole thing?

Sorry to ask so many questions... I've just had so many weird symptoms over the years and have wondered about both of those things, as well as MS and myasthenia gravis, although I've never had the huge, obvious symptoms of any of them except some pretty suspicious for MS (and was once essentially told I had MS).

Good luck getting it all figured out. Did they prescribe anything to help with the double vision and are you still having it?

Nancy T.

[syralia]

I have received a diagnosis of Sjogren's, which explains the eye issue and am awaiting testing for Scleroderma as well as Ehlers-Danlos.

[Nancy T]

So this means (just to be clear) that if a pinhole gets rid of ghosting, it is NOT a problem with the eye muscles?

Thanks, Dr. Hagan!

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

I just went to a neuro-ophthalmology meeting today and two of the lecturers emphasized again the importance of pin hole testing to determine if the problem is in the eye or in the eye muscles.

JCH MD

[Nancy T]

P.S. Did they have you look through a pinhole--a tiny opening in an instrument held before your eyes? If so, did that make your ghosting go away? In my case, that was the big clue (or proof?) that it is an eye problem and not a neurological one.

Also, does your ghosting go away or lessen if you tip your head up or down, or squint your eyes partway closed?

[Nancy T]

Thanks for the update. Please be sure to let us know what the neurologist thinks. I did see neurologists (about various other symptoms; MS was initially suspected), but that was before the ghosting began, so I never got a chance to mention this to a neurologist. My ophthalmologist did mention myasthenia gravis, but I don't have the most telling symptoms of that, such as droopy eyes or trouble breathing (though my arms and legs fatigue very quickly with continuous movement). My eye movements have apparently always been normal (one neurologist did mention a possible, "equivocal" "left INO" in her report, but she did not mention it to me and apparently it was not thought significant). I will be very interested to hear what your neurologist thinks. Good luck to you!

[syralia]

Sorry it took me so long to get back to you on this... they dilated my eyes and I ended up with a whopping migraine.

I will have to consult a Neurologist to make sure that there is nothing neurological going on.

There is no problem with my optic nerve and only very slight sign of cataracts, not enough to really worry about.

My eyes are extremely dry (they barely registered on that horrible paper test) and the Dr prescribed Restasis,  but the cause for the extreme dry eye could be from many factors. (I had sinus surgery a few years ago and they had trouble getting to my upper sinuses and left tubes in that bothered me the whole time, and when the tubes were taken out it felt like they were trying to pull my eyes out through my nose, so there might have been some damage done at that time)

My eye muscles are "lagging" and refocusing time seems to be slow... so off I go to the Neuro.

Thanks for the posts and I will keep you updated.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

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[Nancy T]

I would very much like to hear what your ophthalmologist says. I get similar vertical ghosting, although only when I'm very tired and/or when I've been reading looking down. It's in each eye separately (does not go away when I cover one eye or the other).

I saw an ophthalmologist who called in a neuro-ophthalmologist and neither of them could explain this (no wonder your ER doctor was stumped!), but my doctor did prescribe reading glasses that solved the problem.

Yours is different, however, in coming on so suddenly and being so severe. (Mine is only on a small scale, with the ghost image being maybe up to a quarter inch above the actual object, not complete doubling.)

Please let us know the doctor's opinion.

Nancy

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

good luck, let us know.  

Be sure an amsler grid test is done and perhaps ask the eye MD to check your eye muscles before your eyes are dilated.

JCH MD

[syralia]

Thank you for replying so quickly...

I have taken your advice and my husband found a practice that takes our insurance that is willing to see me today.

I have an appointment at 2pm.

I am still afraid that I will not be taken seriously, but if you can take the time to reply so quickly the least I can do is take a chance and see if I can find out what is going on.

I will post later with the Dr's findings, if any.

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

There is some truth in both statements. To see true double vision you need two eyes and one image goes away when one eye is covered. If things looked "doubled" with one eye covered that is called "ghosting" or less accurately monocular diplopia.

It is however a serious symptom that with sudden onset needs a prompt and complete exam.

Call an Eye MD ophthalmologists office and try to be seen today as an emergercy. Find one at www.aao.org

Possible causes include cornea problems, lens problems, retina/macula/optic nerve problems.

TAKE ACTION RIGHT NOW.

jch md