Glasses for double vision - and who knows what else?

[NightBird]

I have rather exciting personal news . Some of you will remember that the neuro-optometrist diagnosed me with a visual processing disorder last month. His lenses helped me slightly (better focus, wider focal field, better 3D vision) but he felt a specialist in Scotland could give more help.

I'm now booked in to see this guy in Scotland on Wednesday morning. He uses a cutting-edge treatment with glasses with tinted lenses. Apparently tinted lenses are pretty common, but his version is much more precise. Not only have the lenses treated double vision like mine, but also face-blindness, dyslexia, dyspraxia and conditions we don't normally consider visual. Here's an article from 2011 about his work on face-blindness:

bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-...

If this works and I lose the double vision, that in itself would be good. I've also read that brain fog and fatigue can be caused by sensory processing disorders. The brain's cognitive pathways are tied up by dealing with confusing sensory signals. So there is a possibility that these lenses will cure everything for me.

I thought I'd let you all know in case this could help you. I'll update you next week on what happens at the appointment! It's exciting and fascinating.

Lia

[lily82]

I have a few problems with reading- one, is eye-tracking because my eyes aren't co-ordinating properly.

Another, is that my light sensitivity causes 'glare' problems when I read off white pages. And it looks all squiggly and blurry. I was told this is very similar to what those with dyslexia experience, and that those tinted overlays might help.

It sound similar to what you have? A sort of sensory issue related to light?

[NightBird in reply to lily82]

Yeah, I also have slight over-sensitivity to light, and a lot of trouble reading. My eyes can only focus on a couple of letters at a time. I've learned from my research that sensory processing pathways are interlinked, so a "visual" problem can affect hearing, balance and more.

It sounds like Ian Jordan might be worth contacting for you. He charges NHS prices - it's going to Scotland that is the expensive bit! (at least for me)

jordanseyes.com

The website is badly designed but don't let that put you off. If his lenses give me serious help, I'll offer to overhaul it.

[Hidden in reply to NightBird]

Good luck for Wednesday, do hope that it is as good as you could wish for and will solve all your problems.

Jan

[NightBird in reply to Hidden]

Thank you. I've been putting on a confident voice, but who knows if this will work!

[Hidden in reply to NightBird]

You can only try. If you don't you will always regret it. 'If only....' is a waste of time.

fingers crossed.

Jan

[Vivian-49]

Best of luck for Wednesday !

[cat3]

Best wishes for Wednesday Lia ! I'll be interested to hear how you get on. x

[sospan]

I tried some prism lenses a few years ago, boy was that a weird sensation. At the time my brain couldn't cope with them at all.

May go back and try again next year

[Silmarillion]

Hi nightbird,

I have a problem with low vision prior to my brain injury....I'm wondering whether might have something similar to your visual processing disorder. Let us know how you get on at the neuro optometrist in Scotland....I would be interested to hear what he thinks and suggests. Best of luck to you!

[NightBird in reply to Silmarillion]

I'll definitely keep you informed

[sospan]

Hillary Clinton has a pair of prism lenses for a while after her accident. She doesn't wear them now. So I wonder if she was "cured" or it doesn't need them anymore ?

[NightBird in reply to sospan]

Maybe she's using less obvious techniques since her political opponents started making a meal of her health issues.

[sospan in reply to NightBird]

It was quite a while ago when she was secretary for state. It was at the time of her real bad hair phase so not sure what was going on. Allegedly she had some sort of fall but the details were never made clear.

Just like to know what "cured" her - maybe they amongst the secret services cocktail of drugs they have one that cure head injuries

[RogerCMerriman]

sounds very interesting, just a minor point, Dyslexia has or rather some types of it are very much visual and has been for as along as I can remember i.e. 30+ years hence for some tinted glasses.

Doesn't work for all since Dyslexia and Dyspraxia are a collection of symptoms rather than a root cause it's self.

[NightBird in reply to RogerCMerriman]

True. I was referring to the fact that most people perceive dyslexia as a learning disorder. It takes a while for popular perception to catch up with the science.

[RogerCMerriman in reply to NightBird]

A learning disorder is about right, it's a broad church with number of different, causes and things that help etc.

[NightBird in reply to RogerCMerriman]

Yeah. Maybe I was a bit inarticulate earlier. I know it's a learning disorder. I just meant that the average person has a limited understanding - "Dyslexic people can't read" is pretty much the sum total of it.

[NightBird]

This will be a long post. If you want the basic gist: pinhole glasses helped somewhat. They're very cheap and you can buy them on Ebay. They helped for my double vision, but also in surprising areas (I was observed to be "more alert", and my lip sync problem was diminished while wearing them). I've been told to buy a pair and practice looking through them. They are perhaps worth trying out for some of you. Even if you don't feel your vision is affected, visual processing extends to areas most people don't consider visual.

The optician investigating me was very caring and ensured I was well supplied with cups of tea . We focused on the double vision, because an improvement there would be immediately obvious. His initial idea was that specific colours of light (his actual technique) would eliminate it, but they didn't. He tried me next with a pinhole occluder - a piece of black plastic with tiny holes in, which I had to cover my eye with for ten minutes. At first there was no effect, but then I started noticing a change. Normally, my double vision is completely double; both images are as strong as each other. Within ten minutes one of the images had begun to fade away, so there was definitely a "primary" and a "secondary". When I took the pinholes away the double vision returned to full strength.

He observed a Pulfrich effect, which means my eyes are slightly out of sync with each other. That could explain some of the spaced-out weirdness. He also said that I seemed more awake and alert when looking through the pinholes. I didn't notice a change, but if there was one, that's promising: it supports the idea that my problems are all visually linked. He told me to buy a cheap pair of pinhole glasses and practice looking through them. Hopefully, the second image will fade to nothing, my 3D vision will return and my brain fog will go. He confirmed that the MMR vaccine could have triggered the problem, and supported my use of the term "brain injury" (which I've had so much conflicting advice on). I'm still waiting for him to email the full report.

I should clarify that nothing has been promised. Brains are unique and mine has been playing up for ten whole years. But this seems like a useful avenue to explore. And the glasses do look quite cool and sci-fi

Thank you to everyone who is following my journey. Hopefully it's relevant to some of you!

Lia

[RogerCMerriman in reply to NightBird]

Cool stuff, one of the folks at my local headway group was reading up on this, and think trying this?

For my self I'd be supprised if they helped me, my vision I use hugely to companstate the loss of my Vistula system. Anything that reduced brightness and peripheral vision is likely to cause me balance problems, I can get stuck in city parks if I wander away from the light, etc. And commuting by bike, I need good wide beam light or I can start to get vertigo etc.

[NightBird in reply to RogerCMerriman]

Maybe it's not for you. It's worth a shot for your friend, considering that they're only £3 on Ebay. Tell them to leave the glasses on for ten minutes or longer. My effects took that long to show up. Also get them to walk around and try complex movements and thinking/speaking (whatever that means for them) while wearing the glasses. Basically, try everything they've been having trouble with. That will pick up on any of the "not blatantly visual" neurological improvements. See if another person can observe the effects - that should help minimise any placebo effect.

I think I'm the reverse of you. I use my balance system to compensate for my visual problems, and it feels like being on autopilot at times.

Lia