Coping with Vision Issues in MS

Visual symptoms and sight loss within Multiple Sclerosis is all too common and perhaps one of the most difficult things to cope with in life with MS. Our vision forms a huge component of our every day life, including our communication with others and our perception of everything around us. In this video I discuss some typical vision symptoms within MS and some suggestions for coping with them.

Please see the following resources referred to in this video below, and remember YOU ARE NOT ALONE!

MS Trust on vision loss:

MS Society on vision loss:

Web MD on MS related vision loss:

Web MD Coping with vision loss:

Dr Weatherspoon with Healthline on coping with vision loss:

RNIB Coming to Terms with Sight Loss:

NHS on vision loss:

Please do leave a comment below if you'd like to share your thoughts, comments or experiences of MS Vision loss - it may help others to know they're not alone. :-)

[mypinkrabbit]

MS, many symptoms, crazy disease, had it, 40 years, in the beginning felt like somebody was sticking their fingers in my eyes, lasted for a long time, Now at 66, it’s been years and I haven’t had any eye problem, crazy disease anyway, so true if there’s a will, there’s a way and life can still be Amazing
thank you for your honest insightful, caring, positive and inspiring presentation! Just for today, I will take care and be well, one day at a time 💕🎶😔🤜🏽🤛🏻Jorge from California Namaste.
☮️

[drbyers]

Hello. Thanks for the video.

I have vision loss in the central vision of my left eye. My neuro ophthalmologist mentioned the possibility of NMO. After several MRIs she diagnosed MS.

To my point, I have been learning more everyday. Through the countless hours of trying to figure out how to beat this, I stumbled upon red light therapy. I’m using 850 nm light, 3 minutes per week. One 3 minute session on Saturday. Within 3 hours of waking is a must. I stare at it with the affected eye. I’ve been at this since November when I was diagnosed.

My vision is coming back. Not back to where it was before, but not 100% blotted out spot in my central vision anymore. It is improving! I can’t read with my left eye only yet, but i can tell that there are words. Visual acuity has improved according to my optometrist, as i can now make out letters on the chart, prior to this was futile.

Sharing my experience. There is hope. Have a good and blessed day. Thank you.

[SproutingHealth]

This was such a great, helpful, and encouraging video. Thank you so much for sharing your journey and encouraging others who may be on a path thru which they can relate to yours. Hearing about how you lost your vision entirely and then gained it back it's quite encouraging. Thank you.
I was diagnosed with MS in 2016 years after an optic neuritis diagnosis(that came out of the blue and left just as quickly.)

Things have gotten tough while the vision has declined traumatically, and I've been in a wheelchair for several years now.

I am super confident that this is temporary and will turn around completely. It's hearing stories like this that are encouraging beyond words to help keep the faith that things will return bk to full function- that it's happened for someone else/others. I am confident that my Creator is allowing this for reasons that only He knows fully. Thank you again for your encouragement thru sharing the details of your situation.

[iMori]

Omg I have 4 different glasses and sitting ing in the dark helps and reading books becomes crazy!!!! People make fun of me for needing audio books it’s absolutely sad a lot of the law books are not audio smh thank you for getting to the point. Oh your dog is so cute I miss my Lola her person won’t give her back she was given to her by mistake! After 9 years Maltese she is still my dog we love each other so much… I miss her very much when going through this ms hug and anything she was the best companion to for some reason she made the episodes not so devastating.

[Piikki]

Thank you for this video, it was very helpful and comforting! I was diagnosed with MS after two attacks of optic neuritis - first in my left eye and then in my right eye. I still remember the fear and frustration of not being able to see properly so I can only imagine how difficult it must have been for you to completely lose your eyesight. I had pain when moving my eyeballs, it felt like it was 'stretching' the nerves, headache, faded colours (red especially) and blurred vision. It also got worse when my body was warm (the Uhthoff's symptom you mentioned) It still happens, also when I'm stressing. Since my eyes were very sensitive I also found wearing sunglasses, even in the house, very helpful. Also lowering the brightness of my computer screen to the minimum helped

[theholleringhuffs]

Vision auras is something i contend with daily.

[lexzuna]

For anyone with visual issues and MA, please see a neuro ophthalmologist and not only your neurologist. Also, ask them to do an OCT scan of the eye to measure retinal ganglion cells as well as never fibers. This was a great summary, but there’s more visual issues that MS causes including side vision loss due to lesions on the optic tracts.

[MrsKeepItCute]

I came across your video and I thank you for helping me understand what I'm dealing w/today after being diagnosed 18yrs ago. Thank you once again🥰

[ginagroom]

Ya drew a big smile out of me.😊 "Try not to punch anyone."

[AlexByrdfurnsculpt]

I keep hearing about optic neuritis and the optic nerve... It's frustrating but you are the first I have come across to describe my episodes exactly. It was like the macular degeneration examples you showed, but I have gotten new glasses and I described my previous symptoms. They said well it's not happening now and nothing particular is showing up. As far as I know nothing shows up on my optic nerve, but I also need a new neurologist.

It looked like an optical migraine with aura but went keep going and a literal gray storm cloud grew in the middle of my vision. It happened a few times potentially at least 15 minutes but would clear up. Eventually it changed to light sensitivity and light filtering or interpretation.

[carhall]

Thanks I am a painter with M.S. and I have double vision. It is been 2 months. I am very frustrated with the situation. I dont drive my car and pretty much sit alone. I have Dr. app scheduled.

[shelleythomas]

This is the only video I could identify with having a an macro Aneurysm left eye. I’ve just had a new brain MRI & Orbits MRI yesterday. I’m losing my vision. I’ve had 5 neck surgeries in 2 years and 10 procedures to my left shoulder scapular with not much use of my left arm .
One eye procedure and now I’m waiting for new diagnosis.

[paulspratt]

Four years ago I woke up from a nap and realised I couldn't see out of my left eye, it was like looking through frosted glass. After about an hour my vision started to return in patches through the opacity. I had laser scans and specialised eye photography but they could not find the cause. The sight loss occurred again last February, but in reverse, I had 5 or 6 large blotches of opacity with clear vision between them. Lasted about 6 minutes this time before clearing. Now having problems with double vision and occasional blurring in my left eye. Also my balance has been deteriorating over the past few years and I now need 2 walking sticks while out and about.

[tajhishateaspot]

Thanks for this video I’ve complained to my neurologist about my vision and he down played it along with the other new symptoms I was experiencing while I was going to have my treatments which I stopped because I didn’t feel like it was helping me. But it’s refreshing to hear that I’m not alone in what I’m experiencing still haven’t completely accepted my diagnosis because I don’t feel like I have a good support system. Ok enough rambling thanks again this video helped me understand at least this part that I’m dealing with. 😊

[patricianoel]

I have optic neuritis from MS. Having cataract surgery tomorrow. Nervous and anxious. Thanks for your info and expertise.
I also am very heat sensitive but didn’t know it had a name in ms world. Good to know.
Thanks for help as I don’t drive or live at home…assisted living.
You’re doing good things, Shirley.💋

[ED-esqv]

I wave at houses where I know people, because I can't see if they're out there waving, and I don't want to look rude. My wife and her folks laugh at me for it, and they say I'm waving at every cow I see. My vision is almost 20/20 by testing, but it's slow to recognize what I'm looking at, and I'm extremely vulnerable to optical illusions, particularly at night.
My vision was like a cartoon, and everything was there but largely blank. When it first started, I went to Fred Meyer, and I thought they were moving because it looked like all the display signs were gone and most shelves were empty. Then the face of my watch went grey, my windows snd pictures disappeared from my walls, and roads, sideways, etc. Were empty, even when I could hear cars. When a person got close enough to me, I would suddenly see them sprint into my view and immediately drop to a walk. My brain would not show me a person materializing out of the grey sidewalk and green lawns, it showed them leaping in. I was extremely strong, and a well trained combat veteran who hadn't felt fear of a person since I was 18. Suddenly I was being startled and I was afraid someone was going to hurt me. I hadn't begun to have muscle control problems yet, so it really wasn't logical. When my vision came back, it came back for certain colors first. I had my daughter's multi color birthday card she made me, and I could see more and more of the letters on it as I got each color back. I still have slow vision, and at night I don't even try to drive. I don't even like riding in a car after dark, and I rarely do. If I get an appointment offered that's late enough to keep me out after dark, I reschedule if possible and I don't drive myself if I can't.

[SatumainenOlento]

This was absolutely excellent video!!! Wow!!! So impressed with all the information in it and also the coping aspect of the video! Sending much love 💕💖💕💗💕💖💕💛💕💖💕

[angelapetersen]

I always love your explanations and your accent too 🥰❤️🥰❤️

[gabbyfranks]

Very informative thank you I have optic neuritis from Multiple Sclerosis

[macsam]

Your story is inspiring for me as an ms sufferer and I can relate to all you mentioned. Thank you, I hope you're doing much better, now.
Please, take care!

Monique.