I've only recently got blurred vision as a symptom. Once in January, during my hospital stay, I couldn't see people's faces, watch tv, read, or do anything, really except talk to the kids in my ward, who were blurs. The doctors weren't concerned until I mentioned it for the 100th time, then they looked at my eyes. Couldn't see anything wrong. Turns out, it's a symptom of ME/CFS. Funny, no doctors knew about it.
Anyway, it's back again. It's a side effect of the pain medication along with fatigue, sleepiness, (not getting that, unfortunately) confusion, blurred or double vision, changes in weight, nausea, back pain, muscle pain, dizziness, unsteadiness, disorientation, forgetfulness, headache, sore throat, fever/chills and a runny nose. I've had all of those except the sleepiness, so I'll probably go off it. The first time I was on it, it was just weight gain and the blurred vision for one day, and then another half day. Now, it's two days running of blurred vision, with brief moments of reprieve, and I don't think a medication that causes or can worsen symptoms I've already got is a brilliant idea. But, hey, at least I didn't get jaundice or hallucinations, right?
It sucks, because I can't use my laptop, I can't read, all I can do is watch tv, and even that's blurry. If I miss dialogue, I have to rewind it, because I can't read the damn subtitles. And I tried my reading glasses. (Yes, I needed them from age 9 - 12.) They didn't help, and they always gave me headaches, the whole three years.
I'm really stressed about how I'll cope with Methods CAS this year. And what if the blurred vision happens on a day when I have tutoring, or a test, or worst of all, an exam? I won't be able to see the exam!! At least I can tell my tutor I'm sick, and apologise like hell, but that doesn't work with Year 12. I'm so exhausted, and my doctor thought I'd be doing 3 subjects this year, and full time uni next year, plus a part time job, when I saw her in November last year. No one knows what to do, and very few people will admit it. I'm just so sick of never knowing what will happen in the next hour, day, month or year. It's the unpredictability that's awful.
Anyway, I don't want to push my eyesight, not while it's still here, so that's all for the moment, I guess. Anyone else get blurred vision with ME/CFS, or know how to help it? 'Cause "time" isn't the most convenient or practical answer. Also, if there are any typos, it's the eyesight. Not used to the laptop.
I have blurry vision from CFS/ME. Apparently my hypopituitarism contributes to it, the adrenal insufficiency and possibly the dehydration I get from antidiuretic hormone deficiency. Recently it has occasionally got quite a bit worse than usual. It also prevented me from getting an Rx for new glasses (!). Apparently it's illegal in Finland for an optometrist to prescribe glasses for someone whose vision is as fucked up as mine. I can, however, always read and watch things, sometimes it's just annoyingly blurry.
ReplyDeleteSome people with CFS/ME have very severe vision disturbances. My friend hasn't been able to read, watch TV or anything since she got ill some 15 years ago. I think her problem is quite different from mine, though, mostly about her eye muscles. Eye strain makes it much worse and causes her severe vertigo. Eye strain doesn't seem to worsen my blurriness. She sometimes has nystagmus. In general you will notice that she can't see properly. There's just something "wrong" with the way she looks at you, a bit similar to blind people (even though she's nowhere near blind). Problems of this kind of severity are fortunately rare. I've only heard of one other case and she didn't have a CFS/ME diagnosis (but I think that's what she had).
I'm in the process of writing an article about vision disturbances and other eye problems in CFS/ME. It is quite well documented in the medical literature, but very few doctors know about it.
As for treatments, baclofen might be helpful for the kind of eye problems caused by muscle dysfunction. My friend hasn't been able to try it yet. I'm not aware of any other treatments, unless the cause is hypopituitarism, in which case hydrocortisone and/or desmopressin or even just better hydration can help.
I've got Fibromyalgia (FM) and Chronic Myofascial Pain (CMP), but not CFS. I have problems with blurry vision sometimes, especially shortly after the concussion that started all this FM stuff. My contact lens Rx actually improved 1.00 after the concussion, which is unheard of and stumped my optometrist.
ReplyDeleteI remember having double vision just one time, with Lyrica, and it was only in one eye, so I knew it wasn't a focusing problem. It was odd, but went away after an hour or so. I went off Lyrica for other reasons.
I get blurry vision from time to time, including today, but I can still function, mostly. It's distracting and annoying, since I work on the computer full time, so most of the time I'm reading my screen.
I also have floaters in my vision and frequently see distracting black dots, bright dots and streaks, and movements that appear in my peripheral vision. I get migraine auras sometimes, which are similar to these effects, so I pass them off as normal for me, I guess, or part of FM. I don't really know if it's normal, but nothing ever shows up in MRIs or eye tests as problematic.
I understand your fears about being struck with vision problems at inopportune moments. I've gotten auras while driving, while taking a test at school, and plenty of times during work. I've always come up with a worst-case scenario and have an alternate plan if I need to use it. Sometimes, I had very few options (like during that test) so I just did the best I could under the circumstances.
Make sure you have someone you can rely on if you need a ride or miss a deadline due to vision problems. If you're concerned about your job or school, consider telling your instructor or supervisor about your tendency to get blurred vision. Then when an episode strikes, it's less stressful for you to have to let them know.
Good luck, and thanks for posting about this problem.
Benia
hope you are getting better… sore throat is not a lot of fun its just uncomfortable and difficult to swallow.
ReplyDeleteusually, i would take the Nim Jiom Cough Syrup (www.geocities.jp/ninjiom_hong_kong/index_e.htm ) which has a thick consistency formulation. it coats the throat and includes herbs that are particularly good for that application.
i hope it works on you as well.
I hope you're doing well now, Alex. I understand your anxiety because we all rely so much on our eyesight. Blurring gives us the feeling of uncertainty, and that can impair our functions. But don't lose hope and just hang in there, Alex! Help is widely available.
ReplyDeleteHi, My 18yr old daughter has been ill on and off now for about 7 years. For the last 9 months she has been constantly tired, achey, swollen glands, sore throat and stomach aches. She has now been diagnosed with CFS at long last. The problem at the moment is her eyes. She is struggling to cope with the blurred vision and black spots. After tests at the hospital we have been told that her eyes are healthy. I'm at a loss as what to do now, as its causing her distress. Any suggestion?
ReplyDeleteI think i really need eye check up
ReplyDeleteHello everyone I'm here to testify and enlighten you on how you can be cure from the disease/virus known as DIABETES as the FDA described that it cannot be cured or there is no cure for it, not knowing that herbal treatment is highly recommended for the treatment and cure for Diabetes its easy and it has no side effect, Doctor James herbal centre it's A1 and a powerful strong pure natural remedy that can be used in the prevention and elimination of diabetes totally. However, the single most important aspect of a diabetes control plan is adopting a wholesome lifestyle Inner Peace, Nutritious and Healthy Diet, and Regular Physical Exercise. A state of inner peace and self-contentment is essential to enjoying good physical health and overall well-being are you interested in curing Diabetes now, I am a living testimony of how Dr James herbal medicine cured me with natural herbs which I bought from him. You can cure your Herpes virus,Cancer,Hiv/Aids, Hepatitis A/B, Gonorrhea, Fibroid ,Infertility ,Epilepsy, Syphilis, Chronic infection, Copd, ,Std, Hpv, Backache,arthritis etc.........
ReplyDeletecontact Email
drjamesherbalmix@gmail.com
Most prostate cancers are adenocarcinomas, cancers that arise in glandular cells of the prostate’s epithelial tissue. Prostate cancers usually progress slowly and produce no symptoms in the initial stages. Eventually, the tumor may enlarge like mine too, the prostate gland, pressing on the urethra and causing painful or frequent urination and blood in the urine. So I was so uncomfortable with this prostate cancer diseases then I decided to do online search on how to cure cancer because I well have read a lot about herbal medicine, I came across a lot of testimony how Dr Itua cure HIV/herpes then Cancer was listed below the comment.with courage I contacted Dr Itua and he sent me his herbal medicine through Courier service then I was asked to pick it up at my post office which i quickly did. I contacted Dr Itua that I have received my herbal medicine so he instructed me on how to drink it for three weeks and that is how Dr Itua Herbal Medicine cures my prostate Cancer, The treatment takes three weeks and I was cured completely. Dr Itua is a god sent and I thank him every day of my life. Contact him now On: Email:drituaherbalcenter@gmail.com/ Whatsapp:+2348149277967.
ReplyDeleteHe listed that he can as well cure the following diseases below.... Cerebral Amides. Lung Cancer,Brain cancer,Esophageal cancer,Gallbladder cancer,Gestational trophoblastic disease,Head and neck cancer,Hodgkin lymphoma Intestinal cancer,Kidney cancer,Leukemia,Liver cancer,Melanoma,Mesothelioma,Multiple myeloma,Neuroendocrine tumors,Hodgkin lymphoma,Oral cancer,Ovarian cancer,Sinus cancer,Soft tissue sarcoma,Spinal cancer,Stomach cancer,Meniere's disease , Testicular cancer,Throat cancer,Thyroid Cancer,Uterine cancer,Vaginal cancer,Vulvar cancer. Alzheimer's disease,Autism,measles, tetanus, whooping cough, tuberculosis, polio and diphtheria Adrenocortical carcinoma. Alma, Uterine Cancer, Breast Cancer, Allergic diseases. Kidney cancer, Love Spell, Glaucoma., Cataracts,Macular degeneration,Cardiovascular disease,Lung disease.Enlarged prostate,Osteoporosis.Generalized dermatitis,Alzheimer's disease,Brain Tumor,Lupus,Endometrial Cancer, cerebrovascular diseases
Dementia.Colo rectal cancer, Lottery Spell, Bladder Cancer, Skin Cancer,Ovarian Cancer,Pancreatic Cancer, HIV /Aids,Brain Tumor, Herpes, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Inflammatory bowel disease, Copd, Diabetes, Hepatitis