Do prisms help nystagmus and balance?

[margaretm]

Hi,

I would be very grateful if anyone who has any form of prism in their glasses would let me know whether this has helped their nystagmus and balance.

Many thanks,

Margaret

[wobblybee]

Hi Margaret😊

Prisms work wonderfully well, as long as you're sitting down, and looking straight ahead. They cut out double vision but don't change nystagmus.

In my experience, when walking, glancing from side to side combined with nystagmus brings on disorientation. Movement causes my eyes to bounce against the prisms.

But, I've tried lots of combinations, bifocal, variofocal,occlusal and partial occlusal contact lenses. This is something you need to try out for yourself really😊

Currently, I have distance and separate reading glasses. I prefer the occlusal contact lens because there's no prism involved. But my hand is becoming unsteady when putting the lens in.

😊xB

[margaretm in reply to wobblybee]

Thanks for such a detailed and really helpful reply.

[Cazlyo65]

Hi Margaret

I had to have my prisms removed as they proved very difficult as my SCA has progressed. I have an advantage that I was born with a slight squint in my left eye so don't get double vision as my brain is programmed for my eyes to work independently. I had 2 unsuccessful squint surgeries on left eye in 2006 then successful bilateral squint surgery in 2009. Little did my eye consultant know it was the onset of my SCA and was at a loss why my eyes had started playing up. Since then my eyes have deteriorated and am now stuck with Internuclear ophthalmoplegia, gaze-evoked nystagmus and diverted vertical association.

[margaretm in reply to Cazlyo65]

Thanks for the reply, which confirmed what T had suspected: just how complex the problem is.

x