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…and that’s the technical term. 😉
I have kind of a hard time describing this and the eye doctors I’ve seen and my neurologist have no idea what it is. (But then they sort of just look at me the way you’d look at someone who just informed you that they are the true author of the magna carta and they plan to sue for copyright infringement, so I don’t think they’re trying too hard.)
I last had an eye exam last spring. I have reading glasses with some prescription that is weak enough that I’ve never felt driven to remember it (sorry Dr. D!). Aside from that the tests were all normal.
1. Sometimes my eyes shudder. That is, they move side so side really rapidly for a few seconds and I can’t control it. I haven’t really noticed any patterns aside from it happening more often when I’m reading or doing something close up. I will go for long periods of time without it happening and then it will happen very frequently for a bit. The best guess of the optometrist I saw most recently was that it’s some funky migraine aura thing. I’ll believe it, since all sorts of weird things happen with my migraines. I’m a geek though, so I’d like to know a little more than that, if possible. Also, if there’s anything I can do when it starts happening to prevent it from being a few weeks of that. It’s quite a nuisance.
2. Most of the time, for as long as I can remember, my entire field of vision is covered in spots. The only time it isn’t is when I am in the dark and sometimes when I’m outside in very bright light. I don’t think they’re floaters, from what people have described for me. It’s more like a static-y tv picture, but the dots are much smaller than that. They don’t move around, but they almost look like they’re…vibrating? (They’re not completely still, but they don’t drift through my field of vision.) I see them most clearly over things with light backgrounds. I don’t notice them most of the time (like I said, that’s just what my vision has always been like), but from what I understand that’s not typical. When I get a migraine or see a bright light for a minute (my eyes DO NOT like bright lights) the spots become more intense. Anyway, it doesn’t bother me, but I’ve always been curious. (Also, there was the time when one doctor decided it was a psychogenic visual hallucination and prescribed me antipsychotics, so maybe I’m just bitter.) Does anyone else have anything similar? Or have any idea what I’m talking about or even a suggestion of what terminology I should use when trying to describe this?
Hi,
I’ve had the eye vibration before, though only for short periods (minutes at most). I have noticed that it is dominantly in one eye (my right), and I’ve heard people theorize that it happens when you over use your eye muscles sending them into muscle fatigued spasms. But, two things (I’ve already forgotten one…) – 2nd: I just had an MRI of my brain done, and my layman’s eyes look at it and see that my brain seems to be squeezed in tight around my eyes and possibly some pressure on my right optic nerve – so, could that be why I have this issue, or just muscle fatigue? Oh, and I just remembered, my 1st thought I think was that there is a specific name for the spasming eye thing, but I don’t recall what it is.
Take care,
Christi…and that’s the technical term. 😉
I have kind of a hard time describing this and the eye doctors I’ve seen and my neurologist have no idea what it is. (But then they sort of just look at me the way you’d look at someone who just informed you that they are the true author of the magna carta and they plan to sue for copyright infringement, so I don’t think they’re trying too hard.)
I last had an eye exam last spring. I have reading glasses with some prescription that is weak enough that I’ve never felt driven to remember it (sorry Dr. D!). Aside from that the tests were all normal.
1. Sometimes my eyes shudder. That is, they move side so side really rapidly for a few seconds and I can’t control it. I haven’t really noticed any patterns aside from it happening more often when I’m reading or doing something close up. I will go for long periods of time without it happening and then it will happen very frequently for a bit. The best guess of the optometrist I saw most recently was that it’s some funky migraine aura thing. I’ll believe it, since all sorts of weird things happen with my migraines. I’m a geek though, so I’d like to know a little more than that, if possible. Also, if there’s anything I can do when it starts happening to prevent it from being a few weeks of that. It’s quite a nuisance.
2. Most of the time, for as long as I can remember, my entire field of vision is covered in spots. The only time it isn’t is when I am in the dark and sometimes when I’m outside in very bright light. I don’t think they’re floaters, from what people have described for me. It’s more like a static-y tv picture, but the dots are much smaller than that. They don’t move around, but they almost look like they’re…vibrating? (They’re not completely still, but they don’t drift through my field of vision.) I see them most clearly over things with light backgrounds. I don’t notice them most of the time (like I said, that’s just what my vision has always been like), but from what I understand that’s not typical. When I get a migraine or see a bright light for a minute (my eyes DO NOT like bright lights) the spots become more intense. Anyway, it doesn’t bother me, but I’ve always been curious. (Also, there was the time when one doctor decided it was a psychogenic visual hallucination and prescribed me antipsychotics, so maybe I’m just bitter.) Does anyone else have anything similar? Or have any idea what I’m talking about or even a suggestion of what terminology I should use when trying to describe this?
Hi Hon, Oh boy, another evaluation via the internet! I’ll do my best.
1) When your eyes shudder to they go back and forth horizontally? If so, do they go quickly to one side, then go back just a hair slower (“nystagmus”)? So you have any other symptoms when this happens? Have you had any pain upon eye movement?
2) Spots — it doesn’t really sound like floaters, from what you’ve said, but I could be wrong. Did your doctor mention “asteroid hyalosis”? (If your doc doesn’t know what it is, it’s time to go doctor shopping!) Do you have low blood pressure sometimes? Finally, are you on any mast cell therapy? Migraines are often a histamine reaction, that can be HORRIBLE. Lots of info here on mast cell disorders. Will you look into it? Let us know if you get “stuck”, OK? Big hug, DianaMy son loses vision in one eye frequently throughout the day. All his eye exams, including the retinal test, comes back negative. Although the neuroophthalmologist said the area where his nerves come together has a smaller opening so he feels this is pinching on the nerves. I feel that yes, this may be contributing, but this came on suddenly (about years ago now, when he was about 16) which tells me that it may be something more? I was just diagnosed with EDS – Classic and Hypermobility. I am also sure (still working toward getting to docs) that I have POTS and Mastocytosis (or MCAD). My son exhibits many signs of EDS but not POTS or Masto. Does it seem like there are eye issues with EDS? Could this be what’s causing his issue? He’s learned to live with it, and that was the docs suggestion, instead of pursuing it further (I think he didn’t want to admit he was stumped…he was one of THOSE). Are there any other tests I should have him go through and which kind of doc would do them? He’s had MRI’s in the past for sinus issues (nosebleeds), migraines, and narcolepsy (all of which he has), but all tests always come back negative. I appreciate everyone’s ideas/thoughts on this. Maybe we’ll touch on something that I can bring to my docs. Thanks!
My son loses vision in one eye frequently throughout the day. All his eye exams, including the retinal test, comes back negative. Although the neuroophthalmologist said the area where his nerves come together has a smaller opening so he feels this is pinching on the nerves. I feel that yes, this may be contributing, but this came on suddenly (about years ago now, when he was about 16) which tells me that it may be something more? I was just diagnosed with EDS – Classic and Hypermobility. I am also sure (still working toward getting to docs) that I have POTS and Mastocytosis (or MCAD). My son exhibits many signs of EDS but not POTS or Masto. Does it seem like there are eye issues with EDS? Could this be what’s causing his issue? He’s learned to live with it, and that was the docs suggestion, instead of pursuing it further (I think he didn’t want to admit he was stumped…he was one of THOSE). Are there any other tests I should have him go through and which kind of doc would do them? He’s had MRI’s in the past for sinus issues (nosebleeds), migraines, and narcolepsy (all of which he has), but all tests always come back negative. I appreciate everyone’s ideas/thoughts on this. Maybe we’ll touch on something that I can bring to my docs. Thanks!
Hi samiamisme, This is a tough one. I agree with you that something isn’t right, and as you’re thinking, if it came on a year ago, something is getting missed. If he has narcolepsy and migraines, I DO wonder about hydrocephalus (it can be worse on one side) and mast cells (degranulation can contribute to migraines). Something is going on neurologically, don’t you think? I can’t tell you how many of us have MRI’s that were called “normal” or “FINE”, but they were anything but normal or “FINE”. I like to look at those myself. If your son has some external communicating hydrocephalus, it usually isn’t reported (or if seen it is often called “brain atrophy”). Eeks. I have spoken with one other patient whose son had narcolepsy and cataplexy, and it was secondary to hydrocephalus that was missed. OH – Do you have his head circumferences for approximately the first 15 months of his life?! That may tell you what you need to know! I’m happy to graph those out for you, if you do. Gosh, I hope that is what it is, because it is so easily treated, and may prevent POTS if taken care of early. Can you let me know? And if all else fails, another opinion from a neurologist may be in order. 🙂 Diana
Hi Dr. D,
I couldn’t find my son’s medical records, not all of them anyway. I called his old pediatrician and they will look for them but it’s difficult since they’re archived. I don’t ever remember the doctors measuring head circumference. Do you think this was routine in the early ’90’s? If hydrocephalus was an issue, would he have had a larger head (noticeably)? I’ve never noticed that he was anything other than average (well, really I think he’s exceptional, but there may be some bias there :).
At 19, he has a larger frame, but seems proportional to me. He thankfully doesn’t have cataplexy but he does have morning paralysis which has been controlled by meds, which also have reduced his headaches significantly.
I asked my mom about my head circumference and she also said she doesn’t remember anyone measuring me (must run in the family). She did say that she suspects they did because the doctor commented the first time he saw me that he was surprised that my head was so perfect since I was a preemie (2 months). I guess preemies have higher foreheads and I do not. I can’t find my records either. We were military and lost many boxes of things over the years and I suspect they were among them.
I’m not really sure where to go from here. Do I ask for more tests for his eyes? What kind would they be as it seems he’s had all the ‘special’ eye tests that a neuroophthalmologist did.
Thank you for your information.
Sherri
Well what a big bummer. I sent for my son’s pediatric records and they only had a few pages from when he was two and hospitalized. No head circumferences, so I don’t know about the hydrocephalus. One interesting thing I read in his records is that the nurse said “no one in family with connective tissue disorders”. Of course that was 17 years ago when we didn’t know we had anything wrong. I wonder what they would have diagnosed if I had said yes we have EDS! He was hospitalized with terrible, screaming (literally) pain when he was two. They chocked it up to toxic transitory synovitis because they couldn’t ever figure out what it was. Hind sight….
As for his eyes, I still don’t know what to do, or who to take him to see since he’s apparently seen all the experts and have shown all normal tests. Yet, losing vision in one eye intermittently cannot be normal and I don’t really buy the theory that he has narrowing of the optic nerve. If that were the case, he’d have had this problem from birth (I would guess).
The original post is a year old now, but this may help new visitors with similar problems. I have 20/20 vision and despite having some sort of translucent floater in my right eye, there’s “nothing wrong” on clinical exam.
1) I have found that doing ‘eye exercises’ for a few days, specifically looking at and focusing on objects in the far edges of the visual field, reduces this problem for me. I generally focus on something, then slowly turn my head right (for instance) until experiencing some nystagmus. I then try to focus without my eyes shaking, which works for a short time (~20s) until my eyes are exhausted, then repeat the process in the other directions (left, up, down, etc). This causes significant exhaustion, nausia, and an overall uncomfortable feeling, so I would only do this at night before going to sleep. Over-doing it will make for a bad morning, too. It seems to increase the visual area available before nystagmus starts, and after doing this for about 3 days my eyes stop shaking for no reason during the day. I have to repeat the process once every few months when the random shaking returns and gets in the way of my life. This may or may not work for you as we all have different problems. As for cause, Dr. Diana would have to comment on that!
2) See “visual snow”. I have also had this for as long as I can remember, and have never noticed seeing anything in perfect clarity in my life. In extremely dark or bright environments, these “spots” take on a primarily red colour, whereas the rest of the time one could say they’re black or otherwise “not coloured”.
I was gonna say nystagmus too.
As for the snow, I have that too. I chalk mine up to my dysautonomia. When it is worse so is the snow. When I’m about to pass out the snow (black snow) gets bigger. My theory for me is based on my symptoms I experienced in my tilt table test where I passed out for first acknowledged time in my life. I had the same snow effect as I left the conscious world.
I get both of these, the very short bursts of rapid nystagmus (my poor Siamese kitty has this too, but hers is much slower! lol) usually occurs when I’m either very tired, on the verge of an intense migraine, or WAY past my level of stimulants.. I take 70mg of Vyvanse daily and thanks to my brain fog have definitely taken a double dose on multiple occasions! (I believe that this is also a common occurrence for abusers of stimulant drugs, so I wonder if there is a correlation between dysautonomia, a flooding of adrenaline and bouts of nystagmus?)
I have also had visual snow as long as I can remember, in exactly the same way as Maffin mentioned.. I also have photophobia and it is much more noticeable after flashes of bright light or staring at a computer screen before bed. (I remember watching the tiny red dots as a kid and trying to make them fly across the room when trying to fall asleep at night.. lol)
I always assumed these were normal things, I’m starting to realize just how abnormal I might have been, haha 🙂
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