According to the MS society of Canada, Canada has one of the highest rates of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in the World. MS is an autoimmune disease that attacks the the protective covering of the nerves found in the brain and spinal cord. MS can have many unpredictable symptoms and this includes changes to your vision.
Optic Neuritis: Optic neuritis is the inflammation of the optic nerve (aka power cord to your eye) and in 20% of people with MS, optic neuritis is the initial sign of MS. People who present with optic neuritis report pain around their eyes, decreased (foggy) vision and sometimes a decrease in color vision.
Double Vision: Can also be an early sign of MS. There are many muscles and cranial nerves that are used to make sure our eyes work together. If our eyes are not working together due to MS we can get double vision. With MS the double vision that we usually see is not permanent and comes and goes just like many other symptoms associated with MS.
Diagnosis & Treatment for Ocular complications:
Many different tests are done in our office to diagnosis optic neuritis. Most common tests we will do are a computerized visual field test and an optical coherence tomography test (x-ray of the tissues of the optic nerve and retina). These test help us diagnosis and rule out other ocular concerns. If MS is not already diagnosed and is suspected we work with some great neurologists in Edmonton. We would refer you to them and they would do further testing to confirm the diagnosis.
MS can be a very difficult disease to diagnose as the early symptoms associated with the disease can be very vague. If you have any questions about how MS can affect your eyes please stop by or call our office anytime. #MS #geteyewise #optometry #tofieldeyecare #opticneuritis