OT: Sudden blindness

Question:

: I’m hoping this may sound like someone’s Aunt Clara’s symptoms, or : maybe Lady Doc has dealt with a similar patient, or maybe someone has : run across a more informative website than we’ve so far encountered. : So as not to waste any more bandwidth or download time, please EMAIL me : at the address below if you have any ideas that might help. Thank you : for your time. Have they ruled out detached retina? Could also be a mini-stroke… IIRC there is a condition called macular degeneration, but I don’t think it operates that quickly… Good luck to your friend, Lori Coulson — …Or do you still wait for me, Dream Giver… Just around the riverbend? Pocahontas

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A friend of ours has gradually, over the course of 3 or 4 days, lost all vision in his left eye. He describes it more as a gradual dimmming until he couldn’t see at all (as opposed to shrinking tunnel vision). He has so far been checked to see if he has had a stroke (he hasn’t), been given a CAT scan, has been tested for RP (retinitis pigmentosa), and has been given antibiotics for a possible retinal infection, all to no avail. The doctors here and at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis are baffled – have never seen blindness caused in the exact manner (or duration) he described.

This sounds similar to my uncle Alvin’s condition. He went to the Mayo Clinic and I don’t know the name of it but the Mayo clinic determined it to be a genetic disease effecting men. He went blind as you described, one eye went before the other started being affected. This same disease can also manifest itself in extremely dry skin – especially on the hands. Hopefully they can can find out the problem. I’m sorry I don’t know the name of the disease but maybe I have provided some information to continue your search. Tami Before you buy.

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Oh, I forgot to mention it – but if it is the same disease as my uncle’s – it can be treated (possibly even partially reversed) and the progression of the damage to the eyes stopped. My uncle managed to stop the damage so he still has peripheral vision but has trouble seeing on cloudy days. Tami Before you buy.

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The "wet" kind of macular degeneration can go that quickly, but it’s relatively easy to diagnose and if he had MD, he’d be retaining the peripheral vision while losing his central vision. Hope this helps, Ericka Kammerer

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I’m no doctor but these are the things that came to mind. Detached retina is a possibility, but they’ve probably already checked for that. Also, another possibility might be pressure on the optic nerve due to either fluid pressure in the brain or a tumor. Might also consider the possibility of undiagnosed diabetes. Did a quit search on the Internet. Here are some listed potential causes: diabetes vitamin A deficiency basal cell nevus syndrome Tay-Sachs disease retinitis pigmentosa retinoblastoma lead poisoning optic glioma glaucoma trachoma (Chlamydial conjunctivitis) Other (more rare) causes: Jansky-Bielschowsky syndrome Krabbe disease retrolental fibroplasia achromatopsia Albers-Schonberg (osteopetrosis) Alpers diffuse cerebral degeneration anophthalmos Batten-Mayou Cockayne syndrome cryptophthalmia gonococcal ophthalmia Kufs’ disease Leber congenital amaurosis Niemann-Pick disease Norrie’s disease onchocerciasis (river blindness) Refsum syndrome Scholz disease Trisomy-13 Vogt-Spielmeyer Hope they find the problem soon. Let us know how things are going. Teri ~~ http://www.craftsoft.com **Announcing two new design lines and the free, downloadable CraftGrid graph paper program**

Response:

I’ll answer here to inform others of a possible cause. I’ll guess your friend is under 40 but hopefully older. I would check with a neurologist and have your friend ask for a 5 to 7 day course, one gram a day, of a drug called intra-solumedral(prednisone). It’s given intravenously, usually on an out patient basis at a hospital. Reason – I know many people who lost their vision due to "onset" of Multiple Sclerosis. It can often be the first symptom. Cat scans and Mri scans do not always show up the plaques on the brain caused by this disease in its early stages. All the people that I know that lost their vision in this manner (MS) got their vision back within six months after the intra-solumedral treatment. MS is usually associated with tingling, burning sensations in limbs, vision problems etc. Every case is different. Read up on it at your local library. Intra-solumedral will knock heck out of the immune system for a short period, so one has to avoid colds, flu and watch out for infections in cuts and scratches. This course of action has minor side effects and would be less intrusive than a spinal tap which would hint as to a MS problem. It’s kind of a shotgun approach, shoot and hope for the best because nothing else works. I think the Mayo clinic is also tabulating the association between frequency of sinus headaches and MS attacks. I’m not a doctor so check it out with one. I’m just an observer and one time counsellor if that’s the right spelling. Hoping all goes well…. Don’t backstitch to e-mail just stitchit. Fred Kuhn Et in Arcadia Ego.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Pardon the wildly off-topic post, but I was hoping with the great body of knowledge and experience here, this situation might sound familiar to someone who might be able to offer help or suggestions on where to *find* help. A friend of ours has gradually, over the course of 3 or 4 days, lost all vision in his left eye. He describes it more as a gradual dimmming until he couldn’t see at all (as opposed to shrinking tunnel vision). He has so far been checked to see if he has had a stroke (he hasn’t), been given a CAT scan, has been tested for RP (retinitis pigmentosa), and has been given antibiotics for a possible retinal infection, all to no avail. The doctors here and at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis are baffled – have never seen blindness caused in the exact manner (or duration) he described. I’m hoping this may sound like someone’s Aunt Clara’s symptoms, or maybe Lady Doc has dealt with a similar patient, or maybe someone has run across a more informative website than we’ve so far encountered. So as not to waste any more bandwidth or download time, please EMAIL me at the address below if you have any ideas that might help. Thank you for your time. Jill in IL

Response:

Jill, Sounds like something is happening to the optic nerve that transmits the light waves to the brain. Have they given your friend an MRI? I lost the vision in my right eye in a similar manner (gradually dimming over 3-4 days. After a battery of tests, the ophthalmologist recommended an MRI, and the results were a diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis. MS attacked the optic nerve resulting in an inability of the nerve to transmit light to vision centers of the brain. My body repaired itself by "rerouting" the impulses and my vision gradually returned over the span of 6-8 weeks. A neurological disorder attacks no one in the same manner, but knowing what I know now, it might be something to investigate. HTH. Good Luck, and my prayers go with you all. DebG WIP – Fruit Bell Pull, Simply Southern – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Pardon the wildly off-topic post, but I was hoping with the great body of knowledge and experience here, this situation might sound familiar to someone who might be able to offer help or suggestions on where to *find* help. A friend of ours has gradually, over the course of 3 or 4 days, lost all vision in his left eye. He describes it more as a gradual dimmming until he couldn’t see at all (as opposed to shrinking tunnel vision). He has so far been checked to see if he has had a stroke (he hasn’t), been given a CAT scan, has been tested for RP (retinitis pigmentosa), and has been given antibiotics for a possible retinal infection, all to no avail. The doctors here and at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis are baffled – have never seen blindness caused in the exact manner (or duration) he described. I’m hoping this may sound like someone’s Aunt Clara’s symptoms, or maybe Lady Doc has dealt with a similar patient, or maybe someone has run across a more informative website than we’ve so far encountered. So as not to waste any more bandwidth or download time, please EMAIL me at the address below if you have any ideas that might help. Thank you for your time. Jill in IL

Response:

I know many people who lost their vision due to "onset" of Multiple Sclerosis. It can often be the first symptom.

Have a dear friend who had the same thing happen. They think she has the very rudimentary beginnings of MS but are not sure. She lost the vision in one eye — totally gone, could see nothing — for several days. Not sure what the Dr. did but here eyesight is back and tests were run for MS. Still not sure if it is MS but there’s a pretty good chance of it. She can’t get overly stressed – and I mean bad stress — or her eyesight starts to get a littly funky and she panics thinking that it will go for good the next time it happens. So I would recommend that the friend mention to his doctors that several people have mentioned the MS & have them check for that. Give him a hug from all of us & tell him we hope for the best. ^;;^< CiaoMeow PAX, Tia Mary ^;;^< Angels can’t show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their WHISKERS!!

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I pray that your friend does not have MS, as a sufferer myself, I would not wish it on my worst enemy! How old is your friend? Has he ever had unexplainable numbness in any of his limbs? Any problems with vision prior to this? I will be thinking of him, and hoping it turns out to be a temporary, one of episode. Give him my best. MishaP – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I know many people who lost their vision due to "onset" of Multiple Sclerosis. It can often be the first symptom. Have a dear friend who had the same thing happen. They think she has the very rudimentary beginnings of MS but are not sure. She lost the vision in one eye — totally gone, could see nothing — for several days. Not sure what the Dr. did but here eyesight is back and tests were run for MS. Still not sure if it is MS but there’s a pretty good chance of it. She can’t get overly stressed – and I mean bad stress — or her eyesight starts to get a littly funky and she panics thinking that it will go for good the next time it happens. So I would recommend that the friend mention to his doctors that several people have mentioned the MS & have them check for that. Give him a hug from all of us & tell him we hope for the best. ^;;^< CiaoMeow PAX, Tia Mary ^;;^< Angels can’t show their wings on earth but nothing was ever said about their WHISKERS!!

– Misha Silla-Pearson Technical Support Engineer Progress Software Asia Pacific Support Centre PH: (03) 9805 8618

Response:

Hi Jill, Has your friend had any chemo or radiation recently? A friend of mine lost his sight over a period of a few days a few weeks after finishing radiation for a brain tumor. It seems they damaged a portion of the optical portion of the brain. I wish your friend good luck. Tobie

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – A friend of ours has gradually, over the course of 3 or 4 days, lost all vision in his left eye. He describes it more as a gradual dimmming until he couldn’t see at all (as opposed to shrinking tunnel vision). He has so far been checked to see if he has had a stroke (he hasn’t), been given a CAT scan, has been tested for RP (retinitis pigmentosa), and has been given antibiotics for a possible retinal infection, all to no avail. The doctors here and at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis are baffled – have never seen blindness caused in the exact manner (or duration) he described. Jill in IL

Well, at least he should have confidence in his doctors. My brother has a very rare illness that kills most people within a month of developing it. He was admitted to Barnes Hospital on the verge of death and they pulled him out of it after 4 major operations and 3 months in ICU. I work in the medical field here in Florida and when I spent 2 weeks sleeping on the floor of the ICU waiting room at Barnes I saw first hand their expertise. There were never less than 5 doctors a day seeing him and they were very forthcoming with all information. I hope your friend gets a diagnosis soon. Kim in SW Fl

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I guess I might not have been quite clear enough about the MRI scans. This is a very good scanning device for detecting MS but it is also very expensive. With or without an injection of contrast an MRI might or might not show plaques. A person can have loads of MS symptoms and no plaques will show up and vs, load of plaques and no symptoms. The results of an MRI must be added to other tests and a good investigation carried out. An MRI will not indicate what part of the body will be affected next so that the person can be aware of what might be coming next. While it’s a devastating disease it can usually be managed. Managed a lot better than the people around the affected person. I once knew a male (a poor specimen at that) whose wife walked with the aid of canes. This entity made his wife walk behind him because he didn’t want the public to see them together. For better or worse – oh yeh. I told his wife that some women have to walk arm in arm with jerks all their lives and at least she was lucky that she could keep her distance in a shopping mall. Often wondered how ashamed he was being close to her in bed. MS hits women three times more than men. However a fair number of women have given birth with no worsening of symptoms. Their children only have about a 1% greater chance of contacting the disease than the normal pop. Stress, accidental body trama – falling, headaches, excess heat usually just aggravates the affected persons "present" feelings. I know of no study that indicates that any of the above makes the affected person permanently worse. IE. one diagnostic tool used to be having the person take a shower or bath with the water as hot as possible. This usually makes the numness, tingling symptoms feel worse. When the skin temp cools down and after a bit of a rest the person’s condition returns to what it was before the bath or shower. In other words a hot bath, headache, or other body trauma is probably not the cause of worsening conditions. Some women that I know can experience a worsing of MS symptoms during the menstration period but when the cycle is over, the MS symptoms are no worse than before. A check with the Mayo clinic might reveil if the worsening MS symptoms are caused by the period or by the increase in body temp. during the period. A person suffering the symtoms of unbalance, unable to walk, grasp objects, are usually recognized by the general public. What is not recognized is chronic fatique. This individual has just as hard a time as the rest because those around them often say, "You look ok to me". "Why can’t you go to work or look after your children". One thing for sure the affected person has to take real control over their lives. They have to do what ever is necessary to take that control. IE. Company wants to come over for a visit, fine, but company must be told that if the affected person starts to feel exhausted, she/he is going to lay down and rest a bit. It should not come as an insult to the company, just common sense. Having said that, a lot of affected people’s phones stop ringing and time between visits gets longer. MS means a different lifestyle must be undertaken. Hard a lot of the time, but not impossible. It might be the end of many wonerful things but it can also be the begining of many wonderful things. I used to say, that if the MS sufferer believes that they were born in the image of their creator, they had two choices, curse their creator or look in the mirror and change the image to one they can love. May a butterfly land on your shoulder.. Don’t backstitch to e-mail just stitchit. Fred Kuhn Et in Arcadia Ego.

I’ll answer here to inform others of a possible cause.

snip to the end

Response:

I’m in mid Missouri and there was a piece on the local news last night about a grad student (I believe) diagnosed with MS of the retina and was going blind. I don’t remember if he was diagnosed at University Hospital in Columbia or not – but probably was. He is working now to bring in research money for M.S.

Judy – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – MS is usually associated with tingling, burning sensations in limbs, vision problems etc. Every case is different. Read up on it at your local library. Intra-solumedral will knock heck out of the immune system for a short period, so one has to avoid colds, flu and watch out for infections in cuts and scratches. This course of action has minor side effects and would be less intrusive than a spinal tap which would hint as to a MS problem. I think the Mayo clinic is also tabulating the association between frequency of sinus headaches and MS attacks.

Response:

My husband has "classic" MS. He lost his site his third episode and went to the Kellogg Institute in Michigan for diagnosis/prognosis. There is nothing to be done. It gradually returned but not 100%, however, he has adjusted to imperfect vision and it doesn’t hinder him in any way. He lost a good deal of his site again three years ago but the recovery was much quicker and he returned to his prior condition. There is lots on the Internet about MS. The diagnosis can *only* be confirmed through an MRI – a spinal tap is indicative, but inconclusive. The hardest part about this disease – in its "classic" form (relapsing/remission)- is for patients to understand that a remission doesn’t mean the disease is licked or stopped. You can go many years without symptoms – 15 to 20 is not unusual; disabilities, such as partial paralysis, can be totally – or almost totally – recovered. They haven’t a clue. There are newer drugs – but all have side effects, all are extremely expensive ($10,000/annually), and there are no guarantees it will work. Dianne – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m in mid Missouri and there was a piece on the local news last night about a grad student (I believe) diagnosed with MS of the retina and was going blind. I don’t remember if he was diagnosed at University Hospital in Columbia or not – but probably was. He is working now to bring in research money for M.S. Judy MS is usually associated with tingling, burning sensations in limbs, vision problems etc. Every case is different. Read up on it at your local library. Intra-solumedral will knock heck out of the immune system for a short period, so one has to avoid colds, flu and watch out for infections in cuts and scratches. This course of action has minor side effects and would be less intrusive than a spinal tap which would hint as to a MS problem. I think the Mayo clinic is also tabulating the association between frequency of sinus headaches and MS attacks.

Response:

my dad has macular degeneration– go to a doctor right now! barbara – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The "wet" kind of macular degeneration can go that quickly, but it’s relatively easy to diagnose and if he had MD, he’d be retaining the peripheral vision while losing his central vision. Hope this helps, Ericka Kammerer

Response:

Pardon the wildly off-topic post, but I was hoping with the great body of knowledge and experience here, this situation might sound familiar to someone who might be able to offer help or suggestions on where to *find* help. A friend of ours has gradually, over the course of 3 or 4 days, lost all vision in his left eye. He describes it more as a gradual dimmming until he couldn’t see at all (as opposed to shrinking tunnel vision). He has so far been checked to see if he has had a stroke (he hasn’t), been given a CAT scan, has been tested for RP (retinitis pigmentosa), and has been given antibiotics for a possible retinal infection, all to no avail. The doctors here and at Barnes Hospital in St. Louis are baffled – have never seen blindness caused in the exact manner (or duration) he described. I’m hoping this may sound like someone’s Aunt Clara’s symptoms, or maybe Lady Doc has dealt with a similar patient, or maybe someone has run across a more informative website than we’ve so far encountered. So as not to waste any more bandwidth or download time, please EMAIL me at the address below if you have any ideas that might help. Thank you for your time. Jill in IL

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