Back with my eyes!

[ker92ri]

Hello, so I have seen numerous optometrists and opthamologists about my continuing eye symptoms. These include, halos, glare and the most stressing for me, ghosting/monocular double vision and hazy/blurred vision (almost like some one has put cream in my eye, it is alleviated by blinking). I have also been experiencing a lot more floaters. I also appear to have a patch of raised/inflamed conjuctiva (doc thinks it is due to the blepharitis).

I have had a lot of tests and the most recent, an Oct of macula. They couldn't find anything apart from blepharitis, which I have started to treat with a daily cleaning routine. My glasses have almost become unbearable to wear because they make glares and halos worse. My doc said he thinks it is all caused from an uncorrected astigmatism. However, I have never had a problem with my astigmatism before and I could get away with not wearing glasses. So I'm assuming there must have been some change in my astigmatism, which leads me to believe it might be keratoconus. Does anyone know whether an OCT of macula would detect this condition.

I really do not know why my eyes have changed so much in the past couple of months.

[countrygirl]

I've been doing some investigating for you as you are so obsessed with this disease and it is not something I am worried about so can read objectively.

First question is, initially how did you find out about this disease , was it because you were worrying about eye symptoms and googled and google brought up this disease as a possible?? The reason I am asking is that you are describing the symptoms of this disease in yourself with unbelievable accuracy which could explain why you are so worried you have it.

As you have probably already read it is not the easiest to diagnose by high street optician but I believe you have seen a consultant opthalmologist as well. Did you specifically ask this consultant about you having this disease?

The test that would give a definite answer is corneal topography scan, did you have one of these in your past investigations?

I am at a loss on how to offer any reassurance, eye symptoms like yours can also be caused by extreme anxiety as well as physical eye disease.

My only suggestion is to explain your intense fears to your Dr asking if you can be referred to someone who specialises in the disease you fear so you can get an answer once and for all.

The questions you are asking on here are the ones you need to discuss with your GP.

[swajj]

As we get older our eyes change. Eyes become more sensitive to light and glare becomes more noticeable. Astigmation can also get worse. When we are younger even if we have astigmation our eyes are young too and they can adjust and more or less overcome the astigmation. It is all part of aging. I don't know how old you are so can't say that any of this applies to you. If you are younger than 40 then it probably doesn't.

[ker92ri]

Thanks country girl I asked for the tonography but they didn't have that equipment at my local hospital, so had the OCT instead. Doctor thinks it could be an uncorrected astigmatism, but again why would it happen so suddenly? I think my eyes have become misaligned and this is causing all my problems. I had a childhood squint. Thanks sajjj. I am under 40 hoping my astigmatism will stabilise. My doc also mentioned that my eyes are prone to getting tired a lot because I am far sighted. Just another grin and bear it operation I guess.

[swajj]

I have astigmatism in both eyes. I never needed glasses for reading until I was about 40. A few years later I needed glasses for distance as well. I don't wear glasses all the time but I wear them anytime I need to read something both near and far. I also wear them for driving and watching tele. It's funny you should say that you are farsighted. Late last year or the beginning of this year I went to the opthamologist about an increase in floaters. He told me that it is perfectly normal to get more floaters as we get older. The interesting part is that while I was there I asked him why my distance vision was getting worse. He said that I had always had the astigmatism but when I was younger my vision was excellent for viewing things at a distance because I was far sighted. The astigmatism had no effect on my distance vision because my farsightedness was able to overcome its effects. When we get older this changes. I have had the ghosting, haloes, blurry vision and floaters. I am absolutely paranoid abot my vision and after many many visits to the optometrist and 3 or 4 to the opthamologist in the last 2 years I have finally accepted that my vision problems ate normal and part and parcel of getting older. Actually since I began accepting this (about 6 months ago) my vision has improved. Anxiety over it made it worse. The floaters, haloes etc are real but I barely notice them now that I am not focusing on them.