Blurry Vision

[Rachel]

One of the symptoms I have is blurry vision. It comes and goes. Sometimes I'll only have it for a couple of hours. Other times it will be blurry for a couple of weeks. This is one of those weeks. When my vision is blurry it is hard to read to my son, be on the computer, or watch tv. Because of my physical limitations, when my vision is blurry that pretty much eliminates most activity. It's not like my vision is really fuzzy, it is just very hard to focus. Anything small doesn't come into focus clearly. Then I get exhausted just from working so hard to focus.

Have any of you found anything to help this symptom other than rest and waiting for it to go away?

Rachel

[Tessa]

Hi Rachel

I?ve had this some time ago until the blurry vision stayed... Now I am wearing glasses to read...

I would rather recommend going to a specialist to check your eyes. Stressing the eyes without helping them could make it worse, whatever the reason is.

By the way, are you diabetic? Have you checked your adrenals?

Take care,

Love

Tessa

[ajw4790]

Hi!

Are your eyes dry? Would eye drops like Visine help?

I agree that it is something to discuss with a dr.

I was curious on whether or not they are dry etc., because the autonomic nervous system also plays a part in things such as this as well.

Also, could it be a medication side effect?

Hope you find answers soon!

[willows]

Hello Rachel.

I to have blurred vision that comes and goes.

I normally have to wear glasses for reading now that I'm in my 50 's , but then they found that I had problems with my sight being blurred when I once sat in a cinema and realised that the film was not in focus , so now I have 2 sets of glasses.

About 5-6 months ago I noticed that when I have a real bad 'pots' day my vision is just all over the place ..........I cannot lay in bed as I used to and watch Dvds because I cannot focus on them , I cannot read because even with glasses on I cannot focus either ..................sometimes it just comes on 'out of the blue' sometimes when I get up in the mornings for the first hour or so I'm all fuzzy and blurred.

And yes, I do have dry eyes at times , along with dry nose and dry mouth , my mouth can become so bad that I cannot swallow and thats just horrible.

So the answer to my problem has been eye drops, nose gel and a synthetic saliva ..............OMG more things to add to my never ending drugs list .

I do wish someone would tell me why I get this awful blurred vision though , by the way my eyes aren't always Dry when my vision is playing up , so that one can be knocked on the head as it isn't just the dry eye that does it .

Ami ............still alive and biting the ankles of the world .

[Kitsakatsa]

I would search around for an eye doctor with a sub-specialty in neurology. Some major medical schools have this emphasis. I just out of the luck of the draw landed a doctor with this sub-specialty. Before, I didn't even know that it existed. When I go in, he does extra tests that are designed for those with dysautonomia. Also, he knows what to look for. The funniest part is that he treats me like I am a supreme princess sent from some UFO somewhere. He spends double time with me, I get my own area when the drops are in and he watches me walk around (like this is the Miss Pots pagent?) like I am some amazing thing *, or at least so he can see how I can balance. Anyway, I think it is a great benefit than to just have some yahoo who doesn't know what to look for. We can use all the help we can get!

*I mean, I know I'm hot, but come on....!

[dino551]

Hi Rachel-

Its actually 12:30 a.m. and I'm up because of my eyes. Everytime I try to shut my eyes to go to sleep, I'm getting real dizzy. I've been having hard time watching television because I cannot focus. I also have a hard time when there is a sudden change in light. If a room goes from light to dark or really bright to dim, etc. I'm the exact same way, its not that I can't see, I'm just having a real hard time focusing.

Your not the only one with this bothersome symptom that comes along with POTS....hope things get better!!

[carinara]

I also experience them kind of symptoms. A few years ago it got that bad, that as soon as my body got under some kind of tension, i wasnt able to focus anymore. I was extremly sensitive to lights as well. Because of a great Eye doctor somebody recommended to me, i found out that i have an impaired binocular vision. He told me that it's quiet common, but because of the testing lasting a few hours, 'normal' doctors don't do them kinds of tests. I bought myself the right classes (with a prisma in it) and i felt 100% better after it. That happened about 4 years ago. After a long period of really feeling better in that department, i now get them symptoms again. I constantly put my classes on and then take them off again. I just doesent seem to find a way to get comfortable. The light sensivity is also back again.

I plan on going to the eye doctor again, I think that i might have to get new classes.

Here i found something about impaired binocular vision:

Binocular vision is the term used to describe vision in which both eyes are used together. This type of vision is advantageous as it gives a wide field of view and the ability to detect faint objects is enhanced. It can give steropsis which is parallel vision provided by the eyes' different positions on the head giving precise depth perception. Binocular vision is usually accompanied by single vision or binocular fusion which is a single image being seen despite each eye having its own particular image frame. Lack of binocular vision is normal in babies. Adults that do not have binocular vision can experience distortions in depth perception and visual measurement of distance. Double vision can also be the result of a lack of binocular vision.

Binocular vision can become impaired by any visual condition where the binocular visual skills are underdeveloped. An eye exam should include the testing of these skills. They can be tested by judging the ability to move the eyes across a sheet of paper, the ability to use both eyes together, the ability of the eyes to move and work as a team, depth perception and the ability to transform images from a vertical to horizontal plane. Binocular vision impairments can result in partial or total loss of stereoscopic vision and need to be treated. Most of these impairments are easily detected due to their obviousness.

[HoudiniCat]

I experience this as well. After numerous tests to rule out anything else and chalking this up to another wonderful POTS symptom, my eye doc suggested getting an inexpensive pair of glasses with a small magnification (+1) to help at times like these. Most times, they?ve been very helpful and I can continue reading, being on the computer, etc. Other times, if my vision is really fuzzy and the glasses are not helping, I know I?ve probably just tried to do too much and end up listening to music or an audio book, chatting with a friend on the phone, anything I can do with eyes rested or closed.

[Rachel]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the replies. I'm finally returning to my topic now! I've been chekcing in on the forum but not doing much posting due to my blurry vision lately. Thankfully, it is improving again now.

I very rarely have dry eyes. If my eyes do get dry it is just at night. I have had blurry vision in the past because of a medication side effect, but the "come and go" blurry vision that I have now is different from that. It is like it just takes too much work for my eyes to do it, so after 15 minutes I'm tired out and just can't keep up with reading and my eyes want to rest.

I've mentioned this to doctors, and I've had all sorts of tests that have come back normal. So they blurry vision has just been said to be a symptom of dysautonomia. I suppose if the ANS is having trouble regulating everything else, it can have trouble regulating vision too.

I'm glad to hear about all of your experiences. Sorry you have to suffer this symptom, but it is nice to know that there are other doctors who also believe it is just due to dysautonomia.

Kitsakatsa, I've been to eye doctors, but never one so specialized. What extra tests does he do that are for those with dysautonomia?

HoudiniCat, I've never tried glasses with a small magnification. I wasn't sure if they would help because the severity of the blurry vision varies. But next time my vision decides to be blurry for a week I think I'll head to Wal-Mart and buy some. Thanks for the suggestion. This symptom isn't a huge problem, it's just very annoying! It would be nice to have something that helps.

Rachel

[ajw4790]

Hi,

I just wanted to add that the ANS also...

Dilates pupils and relaxes the lens, allowing more light to enter the eye. (sympathetic response)

During accommodation, the parasympathetic nervous system causes constriction of the pupil and lens. (parasympathetic)

Which can cause issues with focusing and accomodating to changes of the light in the environment.

[mkoven]

Blurry vision can also be a migraine thing for me--- even without head pain. Is it ever worse in one eye?