starbursts, glare, halos

[phelyne]

Hello. I've always had a hard time with light. When I go from a dark to bright area, its hard to see/adjust, my eyeballs get sore, sometimes disorientation and headaches result. Have always had very very mild night vision, starting with halo around the moon, but that was all.

For the past 6 years I've been going through menopausal changes. I'm 31 now and they've finally confirmed this after years of dismising me. Last year I became very ill and was hospitalized after a very bad flu. A few months prior, my eyes were gritty, itchy, sore and I was getting headaches behind my eye balls.

The glare has become much much more pronounced. It looks like starbursts with halos, sometimes a little bit of blurryness. But I see the glare on all lights, even in the daytime now.

I was told not cataracts by an opthamologist. Told me to see a nuerologist as he thinks its deeper in my eye or brain related. He diagnosed me with Visual Disturbances. Not sure I understood but im going to a retinologist soon.

Also being checked for lupus, even tho blood tests are normal, because of several other symptoms. I also have low adrenal levels. Especially progesterone and iga. Does ayone have a clue what else this could be if not cataracts? I'm finding limited info online about glare and halos besides cataracts.

[Joy507]

Maybe an ocular migraine?

[JohnHaganMD]

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[phelyne]

Well, the visual static, has completely gone away. I attribute that to having an adrenal problem which was leaving me dehydrated. I was hypovolemic, my kidney hormone renin was high, so my endocrinologist said I had primary mineralcorticoid deficiency. I was salt wasting. I've been on a steroid for it since 2012.

I still have the bad photophobia. Actually its worse now. Only in unavoidable situations do I go out at night. I hardly ever watch TV anymore. I don't see the static but the lights hurt my eyes. I also have a more difficult time driving and avoid it. Of course all the eye drs say it's migraines. But that doesn't make sense. Migraines aren't day in day out for years.

I did see a couple of neurologists. I showed them the mri report of an enlarged area of spinal fluid in basal ganglia and my endocrinologist found a small pituitary tumor. Neurologists were dismissive. Ran no tests whatsoever. Tried me on topamax which put me in metabolic acidosis and caused me to go unconscious with a possible seizure. So naturally the neurologist said my symptoms were psychosomatic. I'm really pissed off about it, actually. I've got systemic symptoms including neurological such as radiculopathy and left sided nerve pain, squeezing pressure sensation in a band around my head, my eyeballs feel like they're being squeezed, my pupils are rapidly and getting bigger smaller and its screwing up my depth perception. Like when u go to take a pic on your phone and the focus cannot lock. I've developed, as an adult, my right eye veers down and right. I have double vision sometimes. When I look down to the ground my vision hops up and down, but only then. I also just had ANOTHER allergic reaction to an antibiotic. I didn't realize I was having an allergic reaction to the sulfa med. When I had the squeezing pressure that day, with the swollen and brown tongue, I saw my pupils were doing that fluctuating thing, bigger smaller, but this time they were oval. Anyway, I ended up at er where my mom thinks I was having seizures. It really scared her. Ever since she's been asking me if ive been tested for epilepsy or ms.

Umm no mom. The drs say I'm imagining my symptoms or making them out to be worse then they are. / :

Lately my vision

[JohnHaganMD]

I don't see a question there.

[Mitomoya]

I don't know how you are doing today. But I came across this looking for some for my son. But I am not sure if you have ever had a MRA or angio done of your brain but what you describe sounds like Moyamoya.

[phelyne]

Johnhaganmd, it wasnt a question because I was responding to the question if my issue resolved.

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

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[phelyne]

I don't understand what = means?

[phelyne]

Mitomoya, thanks for the reply. I looked that up and will have to ask, even though I'm hestitant to. The last yr and a half have been better with drs trying to help me and diagnosing some important things, but it tends to aggrevate them when I ask about stuff. However, I have some interesting diagnosis and imaging which could fit that. I've been told by a few neuro opthamologists that my visual problems are primarily neurological. I forgot to mention in my original post I also have double vision. At the time of that post, it was not diagnosed. My double vision is constant altho it fluctuates. It did so during a couple eye exams. I was told prism glasses would not help because my eyes are not out of alignment in a constant place. Something about the nerve and muscles controlling the eye movement. I have also been told I've classic migraines, migraines without aura, atypical migraines, and occular migraines. That's supposed to explain why I have nearly constant migraines and vision problems. But, I was always under the impression migraines didn't last every day for years. *Shrug* the other important diagnosis are a pituitary tumor which if it's active (secreting too much hormones) is episodic as my tests have been high but not frequently. The pituitary is near the optic nerves and interior carotid arteries. I've also had an enlarged lymphnode in my left neck that was pushing against my carotid artery bifurcation. It was removed in 2015. Last year I was diagnosed with first rib syndrome because of an old car wreck which gave me a head and left shoulder injury. That caused my left shoulder to be shifty, eventually pinching the vagus nerve at the point it leaves the cervical spine into the thoracic spine. That is also a cranial nerve. Same side as the large lymphnode. The pituitary tumor is on right side. The vagus nerve compression is causing me adrenaline surges, flushing, nausea, autonomic dysfunction, slow gi, migraines, BP and hr instability, a whole slew of things. Also last year I was diagnosed with atypical trigeminal neuralgia on my left side. Classic symptoms but the pain is near constant. I'm now on high doses of two antiseizure medications which help a little. Trigeminal neuralgia is often caused by a compression of that cranial nerve. So yes, an mra was ordered. They said it was a normal scan, but left off the report that my left inferior posterior cerebral artery and vertebral artery we're not visible. When I asked the neurologist about it, he said he doesn't read those scans and fired me. So, now I have a crapton of neurological symptoms with cranial nerves 3,5,7,10,&11 affecting my left body and no neurologist. I also have hereditary high ldl cholesterol, Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH for short) requiring a high dose injection twice a month because my ldl was nearly 290, the rest of the cholesterol values perfectly normal, with my hdl ratio almost 7, putting me in high risk stroke range. And, as an aside, I have a vascular tumor inside of the c4 vertebrae, which is considered insignificant because it hasn't rapidly grown. My visual snow has improved after I was put on fludrocortisone for the adrenal problem causing me to be dehydrated easily. The migraines and visuals symptoms persist, but are reduced in severity when my shoulder is realigned taking pressure off that sympathetic vagus nerve. All in all, my vision problems seem to be neurological and correspond to all the rest of my left body nerve pain. There's also a cyst around the nerves in my tailbone which probably has nothing to do with anything except a small chance of causing a build up of cerebral spinal fluid. I hope that answered your question, replied to your suggestion, and clarified anyone who's followed this with similar vision complaints.

[phelyne]

Sorry, to clarify, the cyst around my nerves are in the spinal cord in my sacrum, the tailbone. That's causing it's own neurological problems with nerve pain, muscle spasms, bathroom problems, and problems below my waist. So not eye related specifically, but those cysts, altho common, have been known to cause csf buildup which can increase pressure in the brain. Also forgot to mention my pituitary MRIs not only showed a small right sided tumor, but also a squashed, flattened pituitary which can be caused by too much csf. Partial empty sella.

However, I'm told repeatedly all of these things that are abnormal are just "my normal". Well, okay. Exceptthis "normal" didn't start till 2011 after severe infections leading to sepsis and this new"normal" has debilitated me since then. "It's just something weird for you" is not a very productive medical opinion, but that's where I'm at with it all. I'm grateful for the help, diagnoses, and treatment, but it's just not enough. I've succumbed to that apathy and no longer try to get answers or help.

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

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[boomboom781]

this was a year ago so you probably won't see this but i was wondering what happened. was your problem solved?

[aminakhan25]

Omg I have the same problem like you for the past 6 months they have told me its mirgrane and given me mirgrane tablets.. But now ther refering me to another doctor, can you please let me know where u stand now... I can't believe am not the only one with this problem.. I see halos and glare in the daytime and night time and in the night time its even worse....please let me know if you have found out what's wrong, thank you.

[aminakhan25]

Omg I have the same problem like you for the past 6 months they have told me its mirgrane and given me mirgrane tablets.. But now ther refering me to another doctor, can you please let me know where u stand now... I can't believe am not the only one with this problem.. I see halos and glare in the daytime and night time and in the night time its even worse....please let me know if you have found out what's wrong, thank you.

[phelyne]

Thank you for your response.

I've tried the tears and no improvement. I also see it in each eye individually. And multiple drs have suggested something neurological, but most recently the opthamologist.

He did several eye tests with and without my eyes dilated. It took about 45 minutes.

I also forgot to mention that I see static. As if looking at an old analogue tv that is just slightly out of range, only see through, like non shiny, see through speckles everywhere. The floaters I've seen lately, which are different frm the speckles, have changed. When I do see them, there are more of them and now they are rainbow colored like little stringy worms instead of specs of white light. I've also been seeing flashes of light here and there.

In the past I've had fainting spells and everytime when it happens, starting from my peripheral vision inward, my vision goes completely white until all vision is gone.

You said usually corneal related. What are the unusual causes? Is it possible what I'm seeing is not eye related, but rather brain related? An eye surgeon is the one ho suggested i see a retinologist. He said I need to get uveitis and retinal detatchment ruled out. He isn't my treating eye dr, tho.

I will be getting checked for hypothalamus and pituitary problems due to adrenal issues. Is it possible the visual disturbances could be related to this?

[Ray T Oyakawa, MD]

Starbusts and halos are usually due to a corneal or lens problems.  You were told you do not have cataracts.  Try tears and see if it helps-this would suggest a corneal problem.  Starbusts and halos are not a sign of a retinal problem.

Dr. O.