And so my eyes don't line up

[Prefect]

I've been worse recently due to some stresses in my life, almost as bad as I was the first year (20 years ago).

And this is giving me a chance to observe my symptoms from a different (and more "seasoned" and objective) prospective.

I've noticed a lot of my dizziness and mental confusion/fog may be stemming from the fact that when I'm not well my eyes don't line up.

As in, I've noticed my left eye seems to carry out constant micro-corrections to focus on what right eyes is looking at. I may be imagining this, but some of my mental symptoms improve when I cover my left eye and only use my right eye for an hour or so.

Also when I get brain zaps due to discontinuation syndrome I get from missing my SSRI dose, if I close my left eye I get less brain zaps.

Could this be caused by optic neuritis due to inflammation? What on earth could be causing this?

 

[TigerLilea]

Have you had your eyes checked recently? It doesn't help anyone to become hyper vigilant. All you end up doing is stressing yourself out and imagining problems that aren't really there. Some things are just normal everyday occurrences that you probably haven't noticed before.

 

[Prefect]

I get them checked every year, and my optometrist hasn't said anything.

I don't think this is a problem associated with the local eye system itself, likely effect of brain inflammation by this condition exerted on optical nerve conduction to the brain.

Optic neuritis in fact can happen in Lyme disease (getting tested for this right now)

And I'm not particularly stressed about it, more excited actually. If I can figure out sources of my neurological problems and control them (say by covering one eye when my spaced out feeling is at its peak) then that's a good thing.

 

[me/cfs 27931]

I experience similar to what you describe at times. I also find my other neuro symptoms very closely match neuro Behcet's. Although it's rather improbable I could ever actually have Neuro-Behçet’s, similar disease mechanisms may be at play.

Here's a bit I read on the Behçet’s Syndrome Society website about the presentation of neuro-Behcet's . It's been useful to me in trying to understand my neuro symptoms. (emphasis mine)

Neuro-Behçet’s disease can cause inflammation of the brain/spinal tissue directly, or can cause inflammation and blockage of the blood supplying them (usually veins rather than arteries).

If there is direct inflammation of the brain tissue, people can present with one feature or a combination of features including weakness, pins and needles, loss of co-ordination, double vision, confusion, fits and meningitis.

On the other hand, if the blood vessels (veins) are inflamed and blocked, patients present with symptoms of raised intracranial pressure such as headache or blurred vision.

They usually have some other background Behçet’s disease symptoms such as mouth ulcers, genital ulcers or eye symptoms.

Patient with Behçet’s disease commonly have headaches. Headache can occur because of neuro-Behçet’s disease per se or because of other reasons such as migraines.

http://www.behcets.org.uk/information-for-patients/neuro-behcets-disease/

Below are a few more links that could assist your search for answers:

Vision-related symptoms as a clinical feature of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis? Evidence from the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire
http://www.meresearch.org.uk/our-research/completed-studies/vision-related-symptoms/

Binocular Vision in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...lar-vision-in-chronic-fatigue-syndrome.47711/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27799582

Blurry Vision Anyone?
http://forums.phoenixrising.me/index.php?threads/blurry-vision-anyone.47245/

Visual Problems with ME/CFS
http://www.fightingfatigue.org/visual-problems-with-mecfs/

Increased vulnerability to pattern-related visual stress in myalgic encephalomyelitis
http://www.meresearch.org.uk/our-research/completed-studies/visual-stress/

I hope you find some relief from your symptoms, and let us know what worked for you.

Edit: I'm going to be trying out some prism lenses to see if they might alleviate my episodic blurred vision, double vision, headaches, and eye droop.

 

[Prefect]

Webdog the ocular and neurological symptoms of Behcets seemvery severe and visible. My symptoms are more inline with CFS/ME symptoms you've posted. My ocular problems remind me more of when I was young and on occasion drank so much that I almost felt like I was getting double vision, but this form is low grade and consistent, and my observation of it is sober, but sometimes it catches me offguard and I feel like the ground under me moves as I walk. I think the inflammatory process behind CFS type conditions affects the vestibular system. I find when it's really bad I walk around with one eye covered, which I think gives my brain's vestibular centers a break.

 

[raghav]

@Prefect I would suggest that you go straight to a gastro physician and tell him you suspect that you have hypomotility of the intestines (Low motility). If he asks how you know, just tell him your friend had this symptom and on being prescribed a gut propulsid(Prokinetic) (Mozapride + MPS) symptoms vanished. In two weeks you should be all right. Try this.

 

[Forbin]

Here is a thread on a study showing that the eyes may not work well together in ME/CFS:

Godts et al: Binocular Vision in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
http://forums.phoenixrising.me/index.php?threads/godts-et-al-binocular-vision-in-chronic-fatigue-syndrome.47711/

Some time ago, I began to wonder if some of my visual symptoms, as well as my dizziness, might have something to do with "strabismus," i.e. the inability of the eyes to work together and converge at the same point. Strabismus can be "latent," meaning that you are able to compensate for it, but its latency can be revealed by a simple test.

I speculated on that thread that among the other "weaknesses" that ME induces, perhaps ME can also diminish one's ability to compensate for latent strabismus.

http://forums.phoenixrising.me/inde...n-chronic-fatigue-syndrome.47711/#post-782125