Sudden temporary change in vision

[Mary63]

For twenty minutes this evening I had wavy lines on the left side of my vision. No pain ... I was diagnosed with PMR in Jan 2016 after two months of symptoms.

Started on 20mg then. Reduced to 15mg in March. Followed doctors instructions...went too fast with reductions. Felt awful between 12 and 9mg. Needed to go up to 15mg again in January. Have taken it VERY slowly since then. Am now down to 10mg and had planned to start DSNS to 9.5 this week, but tore the anterior cruciate ligament in L knee on Monday, so have put any further reduction on hold for a while.

Don’t suppose any of the above is relevant to the vision change, but thought I ought to say.

I have had occasional floaters on and off for the last 10 years, which have been investigated.

I am nearly 65.

Should I see a doctor?

[SheffieldJane]

If you have a well equipped Optician you could have your eyes tested there for their all round health, Glaucoma, cataracts, peripheral vision and the back of the retina. Floaters can sometimes come before a detached retina , vitreos detachment sometimes, and other conditions. So I would seek a full examination. You don't seem to think it's GCA.

I think you are sensible to halt your reduction while you heal. I've got to have gruelling root canal work tomorrow and I want to support this battering with extra Pred. Fingers crossed they don't break my beautiful crown and the old tooth can support the work. Ain't life a peach!

[Mary63 in reply to SheffieldJane]

Thanks Jane for your quick (as usual!) reply.

You’re right it does not sound at all like GCA...no headache, jaw pain etc.

I usually go to Specsavers or Tesco every year or so to get my eyes checked. Would that be ok for a detailed check do you think? I have a GP appt in the morning....supposed to be a 6 monthly PMR check, but now need to talk about my knee and this strange visual episode. Not sure what symptom to spend the 4 minutes or so I usually get with her!

Thanks again,

Mary

[HeronNS in reply to Mary63]

For a proper evaluation you need more than someone who fits your lenses, but perhaps such a person is employed by the business? Differences in terminology. Here an optician is someone who only fits glasses, an optometrist is someone who can diagnose, and ophthalmologist the one who can also do surgery. Make sure your professional understands about GCA and has the equipment to check you.

doctorsofoptometry.ca/optom...

[SheffieldJane in reply to Mary63]

Eyes and get a referral to an Opthalmologist . I don't know about Spec Savers and Tesco. I think I saw a sign in Boots once.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Mary63]

Specsavers certainly have the equipment and staff and I imagine so do Tescos.

[1602 in reply to Mary63]

Hi there I use Specsavers myself and they have been brilliant. It was actually my local SS man - Martin - who found problems in bck of my eye and immediately referred me to eye consultant. Get em checked, please. Good luck

[Rokerman in reply to SheffieldJane]

Good luck with the root canal work Jane (had to have that recently and kept to the higher-dose Pred whilst on ‘taper’) - threatment was long-winded, rather than gruelling - presentation of the dentist’s bill was truly eye-watering............

[HeronNS]

Possibly you've had a migraine - which oddly enough does not always include headache, or the headache arrives hours after visual disturbances have come and gone. Worth having yourself checked sometime soon.

[Mary63]

Thank you Heron NS

[1Purplecrow]

I recall my mother had similar visual events, with no headache. The doctor called them ocular migraines, even though she never had any other migraine symptoms. 🤓

[Hindags]

Were the wavy lines bright, light filled? Did they start in one corner of your field of vision , both eyes, and kind of expand until the waves of light move out of the field of vision? If so, the they were probably painless migraine aura.

I used to get them from time to time. Two conditions provoked them. One was HRT. When I reduced my dosage they became less frequent. I stopped HRT altogether in 2000. The other was having my office chair face a very sunny window. When I rearranged my office furniture the aura all but disappeared.

I also had infrequent painful migraines, usually when I was finally getting a time to relax after a period of intense work or activity. The two types of migraine experiences never came together for me.

Hope this is useful and not just TMI.

[Mary63 in reply to Hindags]

These wavy lines were only in my left field of vision, though if I looked to the right, they veered to the right, but were never connected to my right eye. They were bright and light filled, as you suggest, but did not expand until they went out of field of vision. When trying to read I could not see the words properly.

I have never had a proper migraine, apart from maybe between 14 and 20 weeks of pregnancy with all four babies. I am not on HRT, and the light was not bright in the room where I was. So maybe it was an ocular migraine. I will run it past my GP this morning, and find out who to consult locally (optometrist/ ophthalmologist.

Thanks everyone!

[Hindags in reply to Mary63]

Well, from what you've said, not like the Aura I experienced.

[Skodadet]

I get ocular migraines....often coinciding with a change in the weather.

[JD4pmr]

Hi Mary,

I had been having this phenomena from time to time in my right eye since before I was diagnosed with PMR four years ago [although I probably already had PMR]. It was very very alarming first time and it was only later that I was told that these were ocular migraines [no pain]

They seem to be connected with stress and possibly also with being on too low a dose of Pred. I now recognise that I generally felt tired and brain fogged on the days before and after.

I had a bad flare at the beginning of the year with chronic exhaustion and pain, which the doctor put down to low Vit D levels, and it took weeks before he suggested going back on a higher dose of Pred [I should have known, I was down to 1mg!]

So to cut this long saga short I went back on to 15mg, am tapering even more slowly than before and so far have not had another ocular migraine.

Probably a good idea to run it past the doctor 'just in case'

Good luck!

[Mary63 in reply to JD4pmr]

Thanks JD4pmr.

Doctor wasn’t concerned, but I will take on board what you say re possibly too low a dose of prednisolone, or it being an ocular migraine. I am not considering tapering any further until my knee is much better.

Fatigue is no worse and no PMR pain, but I will be careful.

Thanks for the advice.

Mary

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I think you need to check with at the very least (and possibly more usefully) your optician/optometrist. Otherwise see your GP.

[Mary63]

Thanks PMRpro

[yogabonnie]

We call this phenomenon the Classic Migraines in the US. LIGHTs flashing in vision.. I have had a couple a year since I was in my 20's ..started having them more frequently after menopause. Flashing lights that widen..sometimes causing your vision to tunnel. they last about 15-20 minutes then you might be tired or have headache... but nothing like the "Common Migraine" which sends people to bed for days. Not sure of the cause... but they pass. Now I am thinking there might be connection to prednisone.. or PMR. will research.

[LesleY43206]

How interesting Mary. Approx. 20yrsago I had wavy lines in my right eye and was diagnosed with "Retinal vein aclusion" (bleeding behind my eyes) and spent the following 15yrs having later treatment at ST Pauls eye hospital in Liverpool. Approx 6 or 7yrs ago I was discharged and treatment was successful though I lost a small amount of sight in my right eye. In July 2015 I was diagnosed with PMR by my GP on my first visit with the symptoms. More recently I had a biopsy looking for GCA. The results were inconclusive but they emediatly increased the steroids from 5 mg to 60 mg. l slowly decreased the steroids down to 17mg and then to 10 mg but was in a lot of pain and have recently gone back up to 20 mg. I take painkillers, deep freez spray and strangely very warm baths each night. These take the edge of the pain so I only get 2 to 3 hrs sleep every night. I have also developed a right frozen foot about 10 weeks ago. I now have an appointment with both an skelekel therapist and a ruematologist in January at the local hospital in an effort to tackle the pain. I would say it is important for you to see a dr asap. Good luck.ccc

From Anastasia x

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to LesleY43206]

When is your pain worst? I'm just wondering about the lack of sleep.