Appointment for visual evoked potential test has come.

That was quick, only three months from a GP referral to The Walton Centre in Liverpool.

Visual issues were the worst thing after my BI. Patterns moved, colors emanated like waves, letters and numbers broke up and moved about, the visual field was all pixelated with areas missing etc, the list goes on.

A short history may help others experiencing visual problems and are struggling to get a diagnosis and treatment.

A week after my injury in 2017 my GP referred me to Specsavers for a vision assessment. My health authority used Specsavers because they had shut down the eye clinic at the hospital.

Specsavers found non eye related visual issues and referred me back to the GP with a recommendation that I should have MRI scans of the optic nerves.

I was referred to the hospital for MRI scans of the optic nerves.

At the hospital I was given a simple eye examination and a few tests and ophthalmologist said there was nothing wrong with my eyes so the visual issues were psychological or psychiatric (in other words a mental health problem). They refused to do the MRI scans and sent me back to the GP.

My GP insisted my visual problems were caused by depression and I should take antidepressants. I disagreed and did not take any medication.

A year later I went privately to see a behavioral optometrist who specialized in visual processing problems after a BI. I was inspired by the book 'The Ghost in My Brain.' The NHS don't have or recognize this area of specialty.

The optometrist did the same tests as Specsavers and what was done at the hospital and said my eyes were fine. Then she did a whole load of other tests that tracked back from the eye, along the different paths of the optic nerve and the brain regions that process the visual information in the occipital lobes. she found multiple visual processing issues.

I responded to tinted lenses, they stopped most of the pattern movement and color wave emanations instantly. The were still other issues.

I had 3 different sets of colored lenses and each improved my vision.

I also went for an Irlens syndrome test, they say I have visual processing issues but it was not Irlens syndrome.

I learned to live with the rest of the visual symptoms by limiting my screen time, avoiding bright sunlight and building with LED lights as much as possible (ironically hospitals have the worst lighting).

I have experience a lot of temporary blindness in LED lit environments.

In a recent visit to Specsavers for a standard NHS assessment my left eye went half blind then fully blind after a few seconds.

I was referred to my GP who arranged the referral to Walton for a visual evoked potential test.

These are standard tests for MS to see if there is demyelination in the optic nerves. These tests can also find neurosis along the optic nerves.

Here's a couple of videos showing what this test does. More can be tested for than what is shown in the videos.

youtu.be/DttdmivruP4?si=-qE...(Not working as expected?)

youtu.be/YctzfiBqUiU?si=3dB...(Not working as expected?)

If you are interested in knowing more about vision here's a video that breaks down the components of visual signaling. The eye test that you usually get are only a tiny part of this system.

youtu.be/hJz5MqR9K18?si=emU...(Not working as expected?)

When you see an ophthalmologist they are only looking at the eye and first part of the optic nerve.

When you see an optometrist specializing in brain injury they are looking at those and all the other parts of the visual processing network.

[Teazymaid]

wow !!! Very interesting … you had very bad problems with your eyes . Hence you know so much about eyes .. thank you for all the details .. I am in touch with John but haven’t down the form filling in yet as I don’t have the money to pay for it .. totally fascinating thank you .. up date in mine eyes stayed the same over a couple of months got new glasses all good then the blurry distance started agin but fluctuating .. did r new exercises with balance physio and vision altered after a few minutes doing these exercises but settled down when I sat .. making me think my eyes are being affected from the balance problem 🤔 Sue

[Hidden in reply to Teazymaid]

Ah, no, Teazy, I have nothing wrong with my eyes at all. I have problems with visual processing in the brain.

This blindness thing I'm having is new and still there is nothing wrong with my eyes.

The visual evoked potential test is to find out if there are issues along the optic nerve and optic tracts.

My new issue is that I go half blind then after a few seconds full blind in one eye. In the third video I shared it says this can only happen in the optic nerve before the chiasm.

As there is nothing wrong with my eyes then the evoked potential test can tell if there is a problem in the optic nerve.

My GP worded the referral to also include investigations into the other visual processing issues as well.

So there may be other tests and investigations. We'll see what happens and I'll let you all know.

[Teazymaid in reply to Hidden]

Oh yes will be nice that see how you get on .. . There is nothing wrong with my eyes either .. and you say yours has only changed recently so it also wasn’t a problem from the start .. good luck ans hope they investigate it ..Sue