Visual disturbances

[cdragin]

I've read that PA can cause visual disturbances, and googling more I found that it can cause optic neuropathy. I don't have the symptoms of that, but I have realized lately that I may have another vision issue, vertical heterophoria. Long story short, I thought I was developing a phobia to driving. When I'm driving at fast speeds, especially in high traffic or on a curvy road, I feel like I'm going to pass out. And lately I've found that if I'm the first in line at a traffic light, seeing the other cars pass in front of me gives me a feeling of vertigo like I'm standing on the edge of a tall cliff looking down. I googled "feel lightheaded while driving on highways" and found out about that the problem may be my eyes.

I'm trying to schedule an appointment with an ophthalmologist, but wondered if anyone here has experienced anything like this. If there's a possible PA connection, I want to bring that info to the appointment.

More info:

nvcofny.com/eye-care/dizzin...

Here's the story of someone who experienced this condition:

newsobserver.com/news/local...

[spacey1]

One evening, just before I was diagnosed, I had a very frightening hour long commute home, during which I kept losing the sense of how fast I was driving and had to keep checking the speedo. I felt like I was driving waaaaay too fast, but actually I was slow. The other traffic on the road felt really scary too, and I had to pull over several times and compose myself before I could carry on. That afternoon I had been feeling 'not quite real' at work (good thing I was just in the office and not doing anything vital!)

I had my eyes checked and they're absolutely fine. And it's never happened again since I started B12 jabs.

[JanD236]

I have some sight loss due to glaucoma. In fact my specialist is surprised by how much I can see given the poor state of my optic nerve.

The damage to my optic nerve was caused by the pressure in my eyes being at the top end of the normal range. At that pressure 20% would suffer damage,as I did, but 80% of people would not suffer damage to the nerve.

I asked my (Moorfields) specialist if PA/B12d could have had any impact but she thought not.

[terrybraden]

Hi cdragin,

Yes, a B12 deficiency can affect your vision. It did mine. It's much better now since the problem has been corrected. As I have posted to other members, I had pretty bad neuropathy, everywhere in fact, from the top of my head to the souls of my feet. So, common sense would tell me that would affect my eyes too. I saw an ophthalmologist, and an optometrist. I have new glasses. Hope you get well too.

[SuSan78]

I had this same experience before I began SI. Its actually one of the main reasons I started to SI. I had a ridiculous dizzy spell while seeing a client. Apparently I went chalk white and my eyes started rolling, I made my excuses and got in my car to head home. I had to sit for a few minutes to let the worst of the dizziness pass. I had this weird numb/pins and needles feeling down my right side and still can’t remember my drive home. Stupid to have driven it, I know but luckily i was at my last call of the day only 2 minutes from home. The days following this episode, I had this vertigo sensation while I was driving. I knew then I had to do something to help myself, driving is a major part of my job. Not had anything like it since I stated SI and supplementing with Vitamins.

[cdragin in reply to SuSan78]

I've been self-injecting, weekly for the past month or so. I also got dizzy recently when doing some (unfortunately unavoidable) yard work in the heat and humidity (U.S. South, miserable place to live!). I've started tracking symptoms with jabs, and will start tracking these dizzy spells as well.

[Gambit62 Administrator]

B12 deficiency can lead to glaucoma.

To me it sounds more as if what you are experiencing is neuro-psychiatric rather than the function of the eye itself - the way your brain is struggling to cope with sensory intake. However, good to get other things ruled out.

[cdragin in reply to Gambit62]

Apparently this is considered a "neuro-visual" issue...the eyes don't line up precisely, so the brain is trying to compensate for that. I have not ruled out that I'm developing a phobia, though. I'm guessing this is unrelated to B12, but thought I'd toss it out there in case anyone else had similar experiences.

[Cherylclaire Forum Support]

I have a mild version of something similar, and believe it to be B12-related in the way Gambit62 describes above, as I have had other sensory overload problems too.

It is as if my brain cannot deal quickly with movements: a bus slowly pulling away unexpectedly from a bus-stop/ taking clothing from a rack in a shop and the entire rack sways as it is ceiling-hung/ floor-spring (upper floors in many large shops)/ lying down too quickly/ getting up too quickly/ turning head too quickly..... all these things give me vertigo and a feeling of nausea - briefly. I just wait for the feeling of falling to fade out.

I know it's not my eyesight because my optician showed me on his computer what B12-deficient eye damage looks like and he checked that I don't have it. Also, I still get it with eyes shut (eg: turning over in bed at night too quickly).

Brain, although improving, is also often too slow for competing voices, or rapid in-depth conversation, background TV or music etc. And still buying books that I can no longer read (memory, loss of concentration) in the hope that some day soon, enough of B12 repair will have taken place.

Your problem could be phobic, I suppose, but it could be your brain taking longer to make sense of peripheral movement and positioning- which to my mind (slow as it is) sounds "a bit deficient" ! Wait and see what others think. I'm sure there are many more of us.