Visual Field Test??

[Joiedecour]

Hi folks, hope you 're all thawing if you were under the deep freeze!

I had my annual eye appt. My eye doctor knows nothing of my neurological symptoms or any of history, so I decided not to tell him so he'd have fresh eyes so to speak. I told him about  seeing sepia in one eye when I look at white screen in dark eg phone.

Interestingly the same effect happened at eye exam looking at testing screen.

So he gave me Ishiwara test. I missed a few. He looked inside eye and said he saw elongation. He wants to do visual field test  to rule out anything neurological. LOL given my history. He didn't think it was 'optic atrophy' but wanted to be sure.

Have any of you had visual field test? Was it useful for a general dx? Is optic atrophy the same as optic neuritis?

The adventures continue, whether I'm actively pursuing or not!

[Joiedecour]

Ok, so I did visual field again today and got to see doc immediately after because he had to check my new lenses were ok. Once again, I saw the white screen as white with my right eye and sepia with left. He looked at printouts of first and second VFs very thoroughly with me. First VFs for both eyes listed general reduced sensitivity, so abnormal. The second showed the right eye as more or less normal but the left eye still as general reduced sensitivity with a dark spot right above the dark spot representing the normal blind spot of the optic nerve. So he was going to refer me to an opthamologist to see if there's a neurological problem.

I thought he was an opthamologist, so I guess that was wrong - he' s an OD. He said cataracts might give reduced sensitivity results but that there is nothing resembling a cataract on my left eye. I asked about ON and he said he didn't think it was but couldn't be sure. So I ended up telling him I had been seeing a neurologist and why I hadn't told him before. So upshot of all this is he doesn't think I need to see an opthamologist if I'm under the care  of a neurologist. What do you make of all that? Is general reduced sensitivity related to ON???

[Corriel]

Well, that is an odd development. I wondered at the delay for results.  They typically let me have a sneak peak while I waited for the doc appointment but I know there are always quirks when it comes to specialists.

Too bad you have to do it again and wait longer. I pretty much begged so they got used to me asking to see how it compared to the original/other tests since I did so many. :-)

[Jifr]

The results are ready immediately.  I saw my doc immediately following my test and he had a print out which essentially is a map where you missed the lights.

If you're able to get the results from the first test, you might want to do that. My doctor mentioned that people "get better" at taking the test so it will be interesting to see if there is any marked difference between your first and second test that close together.

Off topic - do they dilate your eyes every once in a while?  The puff test is NOT reliable for diagnosing glaucoma.  It really only gives them a hint.  I always test WAY low on the puff test.  I even test low on all the other IO measurement tests.

[Joiedecour]

So eye doctor's office called. They want me to take test again? Reason given: person conducting test spoke to me at beginning of test? ??? At least I don't have to wait long and it will be redone this week .

[Corriel]

I hope you hear good news and glad you did not find the test too bad.

I used to get so frustrated if I felt like I went too long without hitting that darned button and I was scared to blink. :-)

[Joiedecour]

So I took test this morning . It was conducted by opthamologist's assistant. No big deal, just push button when see light. It made my eyes hurt and water. If I haven't heard from them by Thursday I've to call for results.

[Joiedecour]

Now I am really wondering why the visual field test when no-one seems to think it he anything to do with color. Guess I'll find out! No-one has suggested OCT test.  Thanks Corrie.

[Corriel]

You will looke at a screen with one eye at a time and tiny flashing lights will go off randomly all around your visual field. When you see one you press a button and it maps where you can see and what you miss.  Not sure it will help with the sepia either.

Have they suggested an OCT? I had one of those too but it was normal. I cannot even remember what it looks for. Retinal something or other I think.

Good luck with the test!
Corrie

[Joiedecour]

Thanks, everyone, for helpful comments. It seems as if there are different kinds of visual field tests. He did tell me there would be flashing lights so I think this is the same as what Jifr describes.

This is indeed an OD, opthamologist. I've seen him for years for annual appointments to update prescriptions. He himself is doing visual field test. I'll update and let you know if anything comes of it. Probably not, but I find it interesting he wants to do this test. The eye puffer test told him I don't have glaucoma.

[Jifr]

So, this is an annual exam with a doctor that has not seen your eyes before? Optician, optometrist or ophthalmologist?

I assume this doctor scheduled you in with a specialist for the visual field?

I've had this done twice this year. (Lots of testing and retesting  for glaucoma). It pretty clearly delineates if you're missing some vision. Not sure if it would tell them anything about sepia colored vision since it just flashes lights inside the visual field box. (not sure what the apparatus is called).

There is another test they can do by taking a picture of the nerve. Are they going to do that?

Hope you get the answers you need.

[Corriel]

Hi! My first big symptom was a vision loss in the lower left quadrant of each eye.  After numerous tests they could findnothing wrong with my eyes.

They were ready to write me off when they did the field test and "saw" what I was (not) seeing.  Lol.

I had a few tests over the course of a few months until the vision was mostly restored.  It is an easy test and although I found it frustrating it was fine.

I have had no color issues with vision or anything with the optic nerve.

Final results were that a large lesion on the occipital lobe caused the vision loss so it wound up being atypical as far as MS symptoms go.

Corrie

[Kwazii]

I have visual field tests every year.  They are easy but long and you have to concentrate and not let your mind wander!  I have never shown any problems on my visual field tests but I've never failed the Ishiwara test either so it's worth trying to see if it shows anything for you.

[immisceo]

I have visual tests every time I go to the neurologists (4 x annually) as I'm on a drug study, so they do lots of tests and compare them. (One is done by the principal investigator, one is done by the EDSS scorer) I'm guessing I've had about 20 at this point.

However, I've never had one that would need a special appointment or equipment. I cover my eye, look at their nose, and I'm asked how many fingers they're holding up in my peripheral vision or if I can see movement.

I don't think they were needed for diagnosis, though one was indeed conducted on the visit I was diagnosed. I'd lost total vision in my left eye and they ran the test, somewhat needlessly! It wasn't a clincher or particularly informative and I just said, I have no vision in this eye. The Marcus Gunn response from the opthalmoscope and cloudy optic discs did more to objectively bear this out than the field test.

I think you are probably right to get his unbiased impressions. And a visual field test may get you some very useful information. So sorry you're experiencing this. Eye issues are no picnic!

[Sailorsong]

I have had many visual field tests over the last 8 years, all of which were normal. But I also have had my eye doctor telling me I have some swelling of the optic nerve. So I guess it depends on how bad the swelling of the nerve is as to if the test will help in the DX.

Optic Neuritis is a swelling (inflammation) of the optic nerve. While Optic Atrophy is that the nerve is dead. So while they are not the same thing it is the same process that causes both. It is just that the Optic Neuritis can get bad enough to actually cause the optic atrophy.  

Dennis