Advice re blurred/double vision

[lisabax]

I had a major operation last year and an 8 hour anaesthetic (due to cancer). Afterwards I noticed that my vision was blurred and that I was seeing double. I hoped it would resolve itself but it didn't. Visits to optician and Eye Hospital couldn't find cause. I have hashimotos, I wondered if the anaesthetic could have set off some reaction. After badgering the eye hospital for a year, they have agreed to operate on my mild cataracts, but I'm wondering if this is the right way to go? Has anyone else had such an experience? And if so, what have you done to make it better? I'm wondering if it is some symptom of hashimotos and whether there is another form of treatment other than cataract operations which I fear may not work. Thank you, LB

[helvella Administrator]

lisabax,

You will find many references to nitrous oxide, often used in the anaesthetic mix, affecting vitamin B12. Seems it reacts with the B12 to make it unavailable to the body.

In many people, B12 levels rise again fairly quickly. In others, anyone with a B12 absorption issue of any sort, do not recover B12 levels well and should supplement.

I suggest you have a look at the Pernicious Anaemia Society forum here on HU - maybe post there.

Have you had a B12 test? Do you know if you received nitrous oxide ("gas and air", Entonox)? Can you find out?

[lisabax in reply to helvella]

I have to confess I haven't had a test. I probably should have done before and after the operation. I just took high dose B12 in the form of methylcolbamin (? spelling) patches for 6 weeks, but that may not have been enough. I will get checked now and see where I am. I will also look at the PA society forum and see what I can find. Many thanks

[Fruitandnutcase]

If you have your cataracts done have them done under local anaesthetic. An elderly friend of ours insisted on having hers done under a general anaesthetic, she was convinced she was gong blind. Ridiculously dramatic, she wasn't, but we came to the conclusion the general anaesthetic was the problem and you u were out for a long time.

Have you tried eye drops for dry eyes? Get yourself some additive free ones, Theolose Duo or Hycosan, and put them in very regularly throughout the day and see if that makes things any better.

I have Graves' disease and it played havoc with my eyes, still does if I don't keep using the eyedrops. My symptoms were similar to yours - blurred vision and double vision except I used to see an image below the one I was trying to read rather than alongside it.

Hopefully if you check out your B12 and get yourself some dry eye drops you will find things improve. I do think a general anaesthetic affects some people for a lot longer than medics are willing t admit.

[lisabax in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Hi, and thanks very much for your reply. I have the same as you, it's blurred and they call it 'shadowing', but I call it double vision, the image shows below the main image. It's particularly noticeable with text. I do use drops without preservative and regularly throughout the day, but after a year, I think it's not going to resolve itself. It's just that no-one has been able to say why it happened. I should check my B12 levels, but I did put myself on a course of high dose B12 when I'd had the operation. However, that may not have been enough. I will get a test. Thank you

[Fruitandnutcase in reply to lisabax]

Gosh, that's amazing. I've never met anyone else who has that.

Generally it's gone or at least it isn't so bad these days but I noticed when I looked at a street name after reading for ages yesterday - non stop for about two hours - on a train journey - that there were two images one above the other but I know I haven't been using eye drops as regularly as I probably should recently.

I just put it all down to very dry eyes. It's not TED though.I've had eye tests, my optician has an OCT machine which gives you scan of a cross section of the retina and I know that's all ok so I just go with it now and don't worry about it.

I use Blue Horizons home fingerprick tests, i useThyroid 11 which does all the usual thyroid tests plus thyroid antibodies and vitamins D and B12, ferritin and folates. It's very easy to do at home then post it off.

[lisabax in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

Thank you very much, I will check out Blue Horizon for that test. Yes, my 'shadowing' is worse if I'm tired, or haven't used my eye drops enough, but it's there most of the time and every evening when I'm watching TV in low light.