New here. Have LD going on 16yrs, CDC pos., mostly un-treated until recently. Recently in the last 3-4 yrs vision sx are getting bad. Blurry, pain, wicked light sensitivity, posterior vitreous detachment with tons of floaters and junk etc..
Most troubling is night vision going and the halo's around lights have increased to the point where it's like a fog bank anywhere around lights, at night, and even in daylight. Getting to be a real challenge driving anywhere.
Seems like these are symptoms of uvetis but recent eye exam just shows elevated IOP, 21R, 22L. He claims the high IOP isn't the cause and has no idea why I'm having all these visiual problems. I'm giving up on eye DR's for a while.
I recently started seeing the ILADs Dr. in CT. Things seem to be only getting worse though after 2mo. ceftin/biaxin and now 2 weeks into mepron/zith/art. It's definately hitting the other stuff though. He seems to think the halo's, light sensitivity and fog is inflamatory from lyme and so do I.
So, I'd be interested in learning if anyone has had success in treating vision problems like this. I can deal with the cardiac and neuro sx of lyme but not seeing really sucks.
Thanks All..
Posts: 184 | From CT | Registered: Aug 2006
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
Welcome, I will send you my private message, PM, with my 13 pages of newbie sites to visit including stuff about light sensitivity, NOIR sunglasses, etc.
My online friend, ICESKATER, has severe eye problems too and has lost most of her vision during this past year.
Do a search...found at the top under NEW POST.
eye problems subject
MEDICAL
SUBJECT LINE ONLY
ANY DATE...make sure you have changed MY PROFILE to ANY DATE vs. the 30-60 days they set up...
member no.; .....check left hand side; do the search by member name.. ICESKATER
She has gone into detail about this ok.
Talked to her earlier tonight, and her vision has NOT changed for awhile; fantastic! She would be an excellent one to talk too.
Otherwise, go to GENERAL support and look for my post about BLACKBIRDSINGS NEEDS YOUR PRAYERS & ICESKATER.
You could post on there; just copy what you wrote here, and paste it to a REPLY there asking Sandi to contact you by PM. She's a RN too. Bettyg
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MagicAcorn
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8786
posted
Hi Badtick,
I have had major problems with my eyes, quite a few scary problems. I had halos big time, extreme sunlight senstitivity, etc.
With treatment my eyesight has gotten much better. It sounds to me you have made some sound decisions. Good luck.
Acorn
-------------------- Posts: 1279 | From In hiding | Registered: Feb 2006
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posted
I was having a lot of visual problems before starting treatment, and they got a bit worse for a while when I was first herxing. Now, they are all but gone -- no more phantom flashing lights in my peripheral vision, fewer floaters, my night vision is better than I ever remember it being (no more phantom fogbanks.)
Iritis/Uveitis is a symptom that can occur with lyme -- a lot of the literature states that it is quite rare, but I have my doubts about that, personally. In any case, it can be serious, so if your vision doesn't start to improve soon, I'd suggest asking your LLMD for a referral to an opthamologist who is lyme-friendly, if possible.
-------------------- "Looks like freedom but it feels like death.. It's something in between, I guess"
Leonard Cohen, from the song "Closing Time" Posts: 822 | From California | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
Thank you all for your replies. I asked my LLMD about a LLopthomologist but he didn't seem to have one he was too confident in.
Like I told my LLMD, the hardest thing with this is not knowing if worse is better or if worse is worse.
Posts: 184 | From CT | Registered: Aug 2006
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I get blurry vision on my left eye. I used to have extreme headache around the eye as well. The neurologist thought it most likely to be connected, as they couldn't find anything wrong with my eye (did an VER-test, testing the optic nerve). The optamologist couldn't find anything wrong either.
But now I haven't had headaches for several weeks, but my left eye is still acting up. I don't know what tests to ask for, as I have no idea what is wrong.
any suggestions??
Posts: 155 | From Norway | Registered: Jan 2006
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kelmo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 8797
posted
Is eye pain more associated with bart? My daughter has had eye pain for years, and she is bart specific.
At first we were worried because she had had two eye surgeries in her youth. But, I think that goes along with the bart.
Posts: 2903 | From AZ | Registered: Feb 2006
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You probably are just not noticing the floaters now. They don't get better on their own. Once the vitreous gel pulls away from the eye wall it is a floater. The floaters do not reattach themselves or disintegrate.
Posts: 649 | From United States | Registered: Dec 2003
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groovy2
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6304
posted
Hi Bad
Yep I had real bad hailos -lazer beams - and tons of floaters--
With treatment they have all gotten much better--
took about 14 months--
The floaters dissapered compleatly for a few months --then I stoped taking doxi and they came back--
this happened 3 times so Im perty sure the doxi is what cleared up my floater problem--
To fix my night vision I juiced a 5 lbs bag of carrots every day for 3 months--
I was Amazied how much it helped- and the good effect started happening quickly-- Made my night vision perty good again-- --Jay--
Posts: 2999 | From Austin tx USA | Registered: Oct 2004
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Am at work, but when I read I had to reply. I had the exact same problems and for 2 years before I knew I had Lyme, optomologist insisted there was nothing wrong with my eyes, just stress, migraine, menopause.
Well it got worse up to the stage where you are at and I was diagnosed with closed angle glaucoma, I had had advanced low angle glaucoma for quite some time. I had been on steroid shots in knees, back and hip, also steroid puffer for supposedly a sinus infection for about a year, thus masking symptoms of lyme and I was very very ill.
The type of low-angle glaucoma I have is very rare, some of my symptoms are opposite to what should be happening. My very good glaucoma specialist says that maybe lyme is behind the inflammation but doesn't disagree. By the time I got to Van Gen Hosp and saw one of the best in the West, I had to have major eye surgery and more surgery after that. I can see and still drive, thank God, but only with a lot of hard work and reading on my part.
I had been on abx for 6 months, eyes were better, then went off to see if I was 'cured', that's when eyes went crazy. Since restarting abx in Jan my eyes and eyesight are actually better. Ask your opthomologist if he/she can refer you to a glaucoma specialist. Uveitis (sp?) and glaucoma are definately connected.
Wear yellow paned glasses for night time driving, you will be amazed how much better you can see. I actually wear them in the daytime, outline of everything is so much clearer, takes the fuzziness away. I have a prism in implanted new lens in right eye which allows me to read, read 1st at Christmas in over 2 years, and a prism in reading glasses in left eye. That too has glaucoma and a cataract, but is behaving well.
I never thought I would be at this stage, am so thankful that I have a good LLMD and a good glaucoma specialist, who doesn't hesitate to send me to other specialists if he doesn't know the answer or can't treat.
Take care
Corinne
Posts: 461 | From Abbotsford, BC, Canada | Registered: Oct 2003
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Would anyone care to allude to the type of treatment that has worked best for their visual sx? From reading the archive it seems like the "cyclines" keep coming up. That's what my LLMD wants to try next, along with diflucan.
Duke77, I understand where your coming from w- the floaters not actually going away. However, some floaters are from cells in the vitreous and aqueous humor as a result of inflammation. I have been told that they typically resolve over time.
It appears I have both. Clumped up nasty vitreous and lots of cells floating around. In any case I'm not betting on any of them going anywhere in the near future.
Posts: 184 | From CT | Registered: Aug 2006
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Thanks for the feedback re:floaters. I may have something different going on that the broken-off matter you reference, because I know for sure a lot of it has actually gone away. I still have the "cell" or "worm" looking clear things in bright light -- those are here to stay I think, but they don't bother me much. I used to get black, moving-pulsing spots in bright sun -- I'd had those since I was a kid, and they are completely gone now. Perhaps floater is the wrong term to use for them -- they were clearly not actually "there" physically but some kind of interference in my visual field.
My visual symptoms got *a lot* better after 3 very painful and symptom-laden weeks on doxycycline 400/day -- that herx was horrendous. They resolved even more after going off doxy and on bicillin LA shots and ketek 800/day, which I am still taking.
My gut feeling from the type of herxing I did is that the doxycycline really hit the neuro stuff HARD. I may ask my LLNP if I can do another run of it later on in treatment. However, that was my first abx, so it may well be that I would have herxed like the devil on any abx - who knows?
-------------------- "Looks like freedom but it feels like death.. It's something in between, I guess"
Leonard Cohen, from the song "Closing Time" Posts: 822 | From California | Registered: Jan 2006
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posted
Re floaters, etc. Mine have gotten much better, depending on whether I am herxing, the weather, cloudy day vs sunshine and whether looking at white bright objects/background.
The one thing I was told is that a lot of eye symptoms originate in the brain, e.g., if there is inflammation it is usually coming from the brain. Usually when eye docs, etc., cannot find anything visually, they need to look to see where inflammation is originating. There are lots of diseases/symdrones that have inflammation somewhere in the body and this inflammation manifests itself through the eyes, or sinus or ears.
Corinne
Posts: 461 | From Abbotsford, BC, Canada | Registered: Oct 2003
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blame it on the lymes. thats what I say to people - "Leave me alone - I got the lymes" in my strongest Boston accent. lol Posts: 58 | From boston | Registered: Apr 2006
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posted
An eye exam is the symtom that started me on my lyme journey. It took four years though for me to be properly diagnosed. I believe it to me an early symtom that most don't recognize.
I've been on treatment for 1 1/2 years now and the eye blurriness went away after about six months of treatment. It would ocassionaly act up for a day or two just before my period.
The blurriness recently returned for a few weeks when I started IV drugs. It was worse then ever for those few weeks probably due to the herxing. Now its minimal and only happens a few days out of the week. The one thing I did notice is that the blurriness changes throughout the day between eyes. It will be my left eye for awhile and then change to the right eye. Kind of strange.
Now I've been putting off having my eyes checked because I don't know if it will be a good or bad day. How can I get a prescription for contacts if its a bad day for the eyes? I haven't been able to find a lyme literate eye doctor yet so I will more then likely keep putting off a new eye exam.
Posts: 547 | From Maryland | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
There's a wonderful neuro-opthalmologist in Lancaster PA who specializes in visual problems of people with Lyme disease. I'm not sure where Dunkirk is, but the drive shouldn't be too bad. PM me for his name.
Posts: 164 | From USA | Registered: Jul 2005
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some avenues of investigation to pursue on seeing halos around street lamps.
first, some medicines, such as plaquinel are supposed to cause one to see halos. i did an extremely short course of plaquinel and did not experience this, so far as i recall,and, the time, i was to piqued by a billion symptoms to note the effect. nonetheless, at least one other lymie did experience this while on plaquinel. i vaguely recall drug lit. referring to this effect caused by plaquinel.
second cause, a vitamin a deficiency.
the late carlton fredricks gave your example of seeing halos around street lamps as being indicative of a vitamin A deficit.
FWIW in connection with lyme, i pulled up the abstract below from the medical abstracts section of this site on vit.A deficit.
perhaps extrapolation from mice to (wo-)men could be made for exacerbation of lyme arthritis.
Title: Vitamin A deficiency exacerbates murine Lyme arthritis. Authors: Cantorna MT, Hayes CE Source: J Infect Dis 1996 Oct;174(4):747-51 JID Home Page: http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/JID/home.html Organization: Department of Biochemistry, University of Wisconsin-Madison 53706, USA.
Abstract: Vitamin A deficiency predisposes the host for a strong inflammatory response, suggesting that it may foster susceptibility to diseases, such as Lyme arthritis, in which activated macrophage and inflammatory cytokine production are pathogenic. Infected mice had a rapid serum retinal decline that correlated with the onset of arthritis. The mice with the least retinol developed acute arthritis earlier and more severely than those with the highest retinol. Earlier and stronger interleukin (IL)-12, interferon-gamma (IFN)-gamma, and tumor necrosis factor responses were found in Borrelia burgdorferi-infected, vitamin A-deficient mice compared with controls. The spirochetes induced IFN-gamma secretion from unprimed cells, and retinoid addition in vitro inhibited IFN-gamma synthesis. Vitamin A deficiency may exacerbate acute Lyme arthritis by enhancing an acute arthritogenic inflammatory response initiated by spirochete-driven IFN-gamma secretion. Conversely, vitamin A may lessen acute Lyme arthritis pathology by blocking IFN-gamma and IL-12 synthesis.
Keywords: Animal, Arthritis, Infectious, ETIOLOGY, Cells, Cultured, Interferon Type II, BIOSYNTHESIS, Interleukin-12, BIOSYNTHESIS, Lyme Disease, ETIOLOGY, Mice, Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S., Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S., Tumor Necrosis Factor, BIOSYNTHESIS, Vitamin A Deficiency, COMPLICATIONS
Language: Eng
Unique ID: 97000069
these are but two causes amongst myriad possibilities and a confluence of some to cause us to see halos around street lamps.
Posts: 2708 | Registered: Feb 2005
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I just had a pile of carrots for lunch. The halo's have been around for several years throughout much of that time I've supplemented w- vit. A. Maybe I'll start juicing some more carrots.
I'm thinking it's an inflammatory response to Bb or something else.
Posts: 184 | From CT | Registered: Aug 2006
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Blurry vision, mainly in my right eye. Floaters - loads of them! Halo's around lights Double vision, when I look at something light, I get a second image merge to the top right of it. I also have dry eyes, with terrible light sensitivity. I am going to get my eyes checked as soon as I can. I started Oxytetracycline 3 weeks ago and my vision problems have got worse - I think this might be a good sign though. I am definitely herxing as my old symptoms have come back, and my current ones are alot worse.
Does anyone notice with their blurry vision, if you put your finger on your top eye lid and slowly move it slighty to the right, the blurry vision becomes alot clearer? But when you let go it goes back to blurry again?
Posts: 263 | From UK | Registered: Mar 2006
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Can you send me a private message please with that docs phone number? I'd be willing to travel to see an eye doctor that is lyme literate. Thank you.
Posts: 547 | From Maryland | Registered: Mar 2005
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posted
Badtick, I had eye problems with lyme. One of the most severe was from a 2 month herx after I started minocycline. I would suggest sticking with the abx and see if they go away. Like I said, it took 2 months for me.
I still have floaters, but they are mild. Some people say they never go away, some say eventually they do. I think they will eventually...mine are smaller and less bothersome.
- Mike
Posts: 153 | From Watertown, CT USA | Registered: Feb 2004
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posted
This article has been translated from a Slavic language I can't identify into English, and so makes for slightly difficult reading.
[Vitamin A, E and C serum concentration in patients with Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies--non-symptomatic carriers]
Klinika Chorob Zakaznych i Neuroinfekcji AMB. To estimate vitamin A, E and C serum concentrations among forestry workers showing antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi presence. Vitamins A, E and C concentrations were evaluated in 117 sera of forestry workers. 78 persons aged 18-63 (x=43.07) showed antibodies against Borrelia burgdorferi presence. In this group 13 persons showed presence of IgM, 42 persons with IgG and 23 with IgM and IgG. Control group consisted of 39 persons aged 18-56 years (x=40,97), with no detectable anti-Borrelia burgdorferi antibodies in serum. Serologic diagnosis was performed with use of ELISA kit - Borrelia recombinant IgM, IgG (Biomedica, Austria). Vitamins A and E serum concentrations were detected by RP-HPLC method with spectrophotometric detection (De Leenheet and co.). Vitamin C was detected by RP-HPLS method with spectrophotometric method (Ivanovic and co). Obtains results were statistically analysed. Significantly lower of vitamin A and E serum concentration of persons with anti-borrelia antibodies presence.The lowest concentration was observed in group showing presence of IgM and IgG. No significant difference in vitamin C serum concentration in examined groups was observed.These results may suggest that low serum concentrations of vitamin A and E may have influence on Borrelia burgdorferi infection development. PMID: 16013408
Your symptoms sound very similar to mine. The floaters showed up within months of the bite, and I think the worst halo effect was in the six years before before I was diagnosed. Now, after multiple combos of oral abx, no halos, but still some floaters and blurry mornings.
The headaches and "eye aches" were due to dry eyes, according to my neuro opthamologist recommended by my LLMD. I was skeptical at first, but as long as I use the eye drops BEFORE my eyes start feeling dry, I can avoid the eye aches. Why it is only one eye sometimes I do not know. But he says use them every 2 hours, whether you feel you need them or not. He said it is the cumulative effect that builds up and then it is too late for the drops to stop the pain. I have seen that happen when I was out all day and did not have my drops and had to put up with achey eyes all the next day even using the drops liberally that day!
My eyes still vary condiderably from week to week or even day to day, but are not getting worse overall anymore. My lyme is under control, but probably never will be gone. I think bicillin and zithromax was the best combo I have had for the eyes, but now am on zithro and amoxicillin and doing OK.
Good luck.
Ann
Posts: 287 | From Northern California, USA | Registered: Oct 2000
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Areneli
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6740
posted
I have possibly Bart and pain of eye muscles. It is the worse in the night or mornings and getting better during the day. Otherwise vision is OK.
Posts: 1538 | From Planet Earth | Registered: Jan 2005
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timaca
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 6911
posted
I have eye symptoms too....peripheral flashes of light, a feeling of a paper cut feeling all over the eye balls which comes and goes suddenly (this is nerve pain), and floaters. I've only had blurriness once, thank goodness.
I would highly recommend you get an eye exam by an opthamalogist....lyme literate is preferred, but if not, it is still important. vision is nothing to mess with.
Print out this thread and take it to the eye doctor that you see. If he doesn't know about lyme, he can learn. Mine is learning. In fact, I e-mailed him this thread this morning.
Timaca
Posts: 2872 | From above 7,000 ft in a pine forest | Registered: Feb 2005
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posted
Hi , I acn sypathize ith everyone and the eye problems . I have had the night vision issues for a long time so likely not connected but ,mayb. I begn flo0aters after infetcted , then halos, and especially the clear or lt. brown tint, multiple . squigly worm like objects they move,it seen even better if you close your eyes lightly in a sunlit area - its the easiest to see these , I used to suspect maybe spirocheates but not shaped correctly for that, since cheates are more spiral, Photophobia has lasted years ( had neuro-lyme since 96) but didn't get dx. till 2002. The photophobia worsened to intolerable and seem tied as well to an increase / to provoke rage at same point during long term IV treatment.
Alotof these neuro symptoms worsened for me while I was on IV Primaxin, mepron , zith.combo
The floaters appear better now and the photophobia is some improved,
BUT now my vision is becoming more nd more harder to read small print , have had trouble for years focusing on written words but this is worse , more headaches, and balance issues as well as the other 35 or more lyme symptoms , as for the eyes , halos have improve at times during treatment only to return later, but my vision is really starting to scare me.
Very hard to read anything when I had perfect 20/20 my whole life, I can increase size on some computer stuff but nothing I can do about blurred..
I tried on some low grade generic reading mag. glasses at the drugstore to see if it helped, but not too much better. I think it may be inflamation asw ell , and there has been alot of eye pain & pressure too, I am also thinking it may be more right eye than left.
I made an appt. next week with a local eye dr, but doubt he has any LL type of experience.Hopefully it will help either way ,headaches, dry eyes - yetthey water for no reason ,eyes when I try to focus and get thru reading stuff actually have pain & aggitation from trying so hard..
-------------------- Sandi ( badkitti30043) Posts: 664 | From Atlanta Ga. | Registered: Aug 2002
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Thanks for this post. I have so many ocular symptoms that I attributed for the longest time to migraines. Having taken a Rocephin break, the symptoms are flooding back worse than before. I went to a LLMD/opthamologist who has Lyme! Before abx my eyes were in the 22/24 glaucoma range; after 2 months on IV, the pressure reading went down to 12/14 -- normal! I have a feeling the pressure is back up, based on how crummy I feel during this abx break. It was enlightening to read everyone's input on this post.
So....Does it ever go away once it is behind your eyes? Is it linked with more with Lyme or one of the co-infections?
Posts: 508 | From Banks of the Hudson | Registered: Jul 2006
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