How and Why does MS affect your eyesight?
Before my first MS relapse or flare, I had near perfect eyesight. Ironically, before that first incident I had an eyesight test and had just missed a 20:20 score with a tiny weakness in my right eye. During that first flare a I became near blind.
Why does Multiple Sclerosis affect vision?
I am not an optometrist or a doctor so, I cannot give a definitive answer to that question but, neither am I convinced that the so-called experts can offer greater explanation. I have written a previous article entitled, Visual Impairment in Multiple Sclerosis, on this topic so, I don’t wish to go over the same ground here.
MS is a disease which affects the central nervous system (CNS) and can exhibit many symptoms because of this; mobility, balance, sensory perception AND vision.
Vision is perhaps one of the most intricate and complex senses in human development, indeed, in all mammalian development. There is a veritable labyrinth of nerves involved in controlling the eye and conveying the optical information to the brain:
- Chorda Tympani Nerve
- Cranial Nerve II (Optic Nerve)
- Cranial Nerve V (Trigeminal Nerve)
- Lacrimal Nerve
- Supraorbital Nerve
to name but a few. As MS degrades the function of these nerves so, the operation of the eyes weakens.
Am I Likely to go blind?
Again, I am no expert but, I don’t expect that I will go blind. MS symptoms can be managed by pharmaceutical medication and/or diet. I have chosen the latter route as I believe this approach tackles the cause of the problem rather than the symptoms of the disease. Fatigue is a common problem in MS and, in my experience, fatigue and impaired vision go hand-in-hand.
I have experience periods of double-vision, lack of focus and often need to switch the lights on in the house because everything appears to be dark. On a more positive note, since adopting my new dietary regime, I have had periods of noticeably good vision, where I can go out or even watch television without wearing my glasses.
The fact that I experience these periods of good vision and then the deterioration into poor vision is, for me, confirmation that my visual problems are NOT optical but are neurological.
