Vision disturbances after ablation

[Runcrans]

Hi all , had my ablation Monday and since being home I've had very bright squiggley lines filling my eyes for about ten /fifteen minutes at a time , only happened three times at the mo with a mild head ache , never had this before in my life , any ideas please cheers Paul

[Mazza23]

I have had theese since I had afib the optition says they are ophthalmic migraines can be with or without pain but I would check with team

[Runcrans in reply to Mazza23]

Hi Mazda , must be related to the condition then although I've not had any before the ablation ,hope they settle down ,cheers Paul

[Runcrans]

Hi Jo ,i rang the ward on Thursday after I'd had the lights flashing for the second time and they told me to go to the walk in centre which I did ,they sent me a& e three hours later blood tests, ecg , blood pressure taken and all ok so went home thinking it wouldn't happen again but did this morning ,I will c how I go over the weekend and ring a arythmia nurse up Monday morning thank you cheers Paul

[MarkS in reply to Runcrans]

The ward must be incredibly un-switched on if they don't realise it's an optical migraine and is a very common consequence of an ablation. I think at least half of people get them, I certainly did after my ablation.

Mark

[Runcrans in reply to MarkS]

Hi mark , I think the ward was very busy and the guy didn't want to get it wrong with a diagnosis over the phone so told me to go local walk in centre , I agree he could have said what it would more than likely be as a lot of people on here have had this happen to them , this is why I'm glad I'm in touch with the real experts who have been through this all before you lot 😀thanks again mark cheers Paul

[mrsg46]

Yes, I had this the day after I was discharged from my last ablation. I have had migraines in the past and the visual disturbances are a common prelude to the headache, I've always looked on them as a warning to be prepared and take painkillers.

As others have said, if this symptom persists then best to get advice from the arrhythmia nurse or someone else on the team.

[Runcrans in reply to mrsg46]

Hi mrs get, I got the first one on the way home thought it was just my eyes playing tricks on me , at the mo I get the lights then a dull fuzzy head and tiredness , I will call arythmia nurse Monday morning to see what they say thank you Paul

[dedeottie]

Hi. I had this everyday after my ablation for about 2 weeks and then it stopped. Others seemed to think it was common after the procedure so I did some research on internet and it seems to be something to do with the septal puncture and when the small hole between the left and right atria heals the visuals stop. This could all be wrong as I am only an interested patient and not medically trained. X

[Runcrans in reply to dedeottie]

Hi dedeottie, thank you I've had a look on the internet now not sure that was a good thing lol , yes it does seem to be what your saying that can cause this lets hope anyway cheers Paul

[BobD Volunteer in reply to dedeottie]

Quite right. Glad some body has been filling i for me whilst I have been at Silverstone.

Bob

[dedeottie in reply to BobD]

Hope you enjoyed Silverstone. We're you speculating or helping?

[dedeottie in reply to dedeottie]

Spectating!

[BobD Volunteer in reply to dedeottie]

Networking and keeping an eye on some of my engines. Friday was very wet, yesterday was lovely but with rain forecast again today I had run out of dry shoes so cut and run. The boys are at another event today so I may go over and watch them for a while.

[feejbee]

Yes.I had about 4 or so occasions for a month starting 2 days from the ablation lasting approx. 15 mins a time .It was a migraine aura.In my case no headaches involved. It is a rare but a known result of ablation.I never have had a migraine with or without headaches before or since.Good luck hope it passes quickly.

Fi

[Runcrans]

Hi feejbee, mine are lasting about that too had three now no pain or ache just a bit fuzzy hopefully they will pass then , thank you Paul

[DebbieBraybrook]

Hi Paul

I had this after my ablation too, think they are called silent migraines, but a recognised after effect of ablation. They will disappear, just a bit weird at the time if you haven't had migraines before. Hope all is well otherwise.

Take care.

Debbie

[Runcrans in reply to DebbieBraybrook]

Hi Debbie , I'm not too bad otherwise thank you ,heart rate seems a lot faster than it was before I went in , my wife's not let me out the bedroom yet , I got told off for venturing onto the landing lol , going to try and get out tomorrow for a walk with the dogs hopefully not sure how far I'll be able to take them, these zig zags I'm seeing sort of freaked me out a little never had them before , thanks again Debbie cheers Paul

[SuzieA]

I had the same, my GP sent me to a&e. Had a CT scan on my brain and everything was fine. Was diagnosed as having s migraine aura. Learned since that it sometimes happens following ablation. Do think that medics should 'clue up' on these things though. Good luck with your outcome hope you are Af free x

[mikeymike7]

Hi Runcrans

Having had migraines in the past, I recognised the symptoms immediately post-ablation; zigzags flashing in the corner of my eye, followed by a severe headache. Had these on and off for three weeks after my January ablation. The only difference was seeing these very weird, highly coloured "things" in my sleep. Have had none since. It would appear to be a side-effect of the trans-septal puncture already mentioned.

You may notice a few more odd things happening in the coming months, but eventually with luck these will diminish.

My main problem has been to allow my feeling of vulnerability interfere with progress as I have had the odd panic attack, causing tachycardia. This condition plays havoc with the mind!

[Runcrans in reply to mikeymike7]

Hi mikeymike, when I left hospital no one even mentioned anything about this so made me worry about it even more , I too am feeling a little anxious about leaving the house to go anywhere as I've not moved out the bedroom yet , wife's orders lol, cheers Paul

[davegm]

I agree wit the others - almost certainly a type of migraine.

I had them after the ablation and it was the same as I had experienced in the past. After the ablation I got them perhaps every two or three days for about 2 weeks then they disappeared. They lasted for about 15 to 30 minutes each then stopped without taking anything.

[Runcrans in reply to davegm]

Hi davegm, thanks Dave it's good to no others have had the same thing , hope it stops soon it freaks me out a bit , cheers Paul

[Moonstone56]

Thanks for posting this Paul. I've just had my ablation and whilst in recovery I remember seeing all sorts of lights. I didn't link it to an almighty headache I had for 24 hrs. No staff at the hospital said this was as a result. ..I Just put headache and anaesthetic together.isnt it nice to know we aren't going barmy........

[Runcrans in reply to Moonstone56]

Hi moonstone, yes I had general anesthetic no sleep so that's what I thought it was , hope you have a good recovery cheers Paul

[Moonstone56 in reply to Runcrans]

Many thanks. Good luck on your first venture out of the bedroom and out the front door....

[marverine62]

I had my ablation 2 weeks ago and I continually have the peripheral vision issues where it looks like a waterfall but reflects the pattern of whatever I am wearing. I told my cardiologist and he said he did not know what it is. i am not crazy I knew I was having problems. How long is this going to last?

[P_Ostablat]

I had a cardiac ablation pulmonary vein isolation to treat lone paroxysmal atrial fibrilllation 5 days ago. While in the recovery room I had the zigzag patterns in my field of vision. They gave me a cup of coffee and the visual disturbance went away. However, today I had them in an extreme form and I could not read the screen of my laptop. I took acetaminophen and a cup of coffee and the disturbance has subsided after about an hour. I used to have these visual disturbances 25 years ago when I was training for nordic ski racing after very long workouts. I normally needed to eat, hydrate and sleep. I am writing mostly to say thanks to everyone who participated in the conversation 7 years ago! I was worried that I was having a stroke. If I had never had these before I would have gone to the hospital and waited for five hours for a brain scan. Once I read this thread I relaxed a bit. Please tell me you are all OK. Cheers

[Asmith15674 in reply to P_Ostablat]

That goes for me as well, I had my ablation seven days ago today and a couple days afterwards I started having the blurriness out of the corners of my eyes, sometimes when I sometimes both then ended with a headache. I seriously thought I was having a stroke which was very scary. Still have a eye doctor appointment on a couple days, but this definitely makes sense and I see a pattern with everybody else that has done ablation. I’m just wondering how long it’s going to last