Deteriorating Eyesight

[Abigail]

Hi All,

I went for a contact lens check this afternoon. I've had some issues with double vision and reading long distance when wearing contacts. Its only been in the last three or four months; I thought it was to do with the quality of the lenses and to be honest, I couldn't be bothered to get it checked.

Anyhow, the optician said that my vision has significantly deteriorated since my last sight test in July 2009 and she couldn't go any further with the check up because it was pointless until I've had a sight test. I've got one booked for Wednesday but I'm really worried at how bad my sight has got recently. I'm also going to see my GP for a check up this week so obviously I'll talk to him about my worries too. There's a few things that may just be a coincidence but I wondered if anybody else has experienced anything similar. Here are the facts/possible coincidences as I see them:

1. My sight started getting worse in ~September. I also started having more migraines which I attributed to stress.
2. My GP gave me amitriptyline to prevent migraines. I take 20mg at night.
3. I had a urine infection that went to my kidneys in October. The whole painful saga lasted about two months with two courses of anti-biotics. I'm still having trouble with my kidneys now.
4. My astigmatism has significantly increased (basically my eyeballs are more rugby ball shaped than football)

My uncorrected vision is terrible, I can make out colours and blurry shapes but I can't read text at all or see detail. I've heard kidney problems can cause a deterioration in eyesight but Google isn't playing the game with my searches. Any advice or reassurance or experiences would be greatly appreciated


P.S. Sorry I always write long rambling posts!

[alan45]

I dont think much of you optician.

A good optician should be able to diagnose a lot from looking at your eyes. Its very possible that your medication is affecting both you eysight and your kidneys and live. Get an urgent appointment with your GP and demand a referral with an Opthalmic Surgeon. You eyesight is too precious to take chances with.

[Trinity]

I would go back to your GP. Are the tablet preventing migraines? The medication is more commonly prescribed for depression, I was given them once for migraine and they didn't help at all.

I have experience of several things on your list, firstly short sightedness, this generally does get significantly worse between the ages of 14 and 25, and then can settle for years. I first wore glasses for this only for T.V and school, and then by the age of 22 or so I was wearing glasses or contacts all the time. My eyesight then stablised, but I still had infrequent small changes to my prescription. I am now 46, and most changes are now due to the fact that I am also getting short-sighted (I kinda hoped that they would cancel each other out, but no such luck ;)).

I have been prescribed anti-drepressents in the past for other causes, unfortunately I had side effects that were not identified and I ended up being diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome, (which after months disappeared within two weeks of coming off the tablets). It is essential that if you have any problems you always go back to your G.P. prescribing is a guessing game, not everyone will react in exactly the same way to medication. For example, the tablets you are on can cause many side effects in some people, and, "If you have a history of seizures, bladder problems, or glaucoma, you should take special care when taking amitriptyline, as the medicine can make these conditions worse.' (Among many more).

I suffer from migraines, and did a lot more when I was at Uni. None of the preventatives worked for me, but I know that I heighten the risk if I do not get enough sleep, if I do not drink enough water and if I do not eat regularly. I take Naramig tablets and the first sign of a migraine, and for me they work - 8/10 they stop it in it's tracks. I also noted that when my eyesight got worse, so did the migraines until I got a revised prescription for my glasses. There are also days when wearing contacts can trigger the start of a migraine, if I am tired, if my eyes are dry.

I recommend keeping a diary of sorts, noting what was going on on days when you get a migraine. exams, late night before, skipped meals, what you ate etc. I didn't ever find a food trigger (other than red wine), and find most of my migraines can be attributed to hormones (monthly cycle), and the things I mentioned above.

Go back to your G.P. and ask about everything you are worried about. The only stupid question is one you do not ask. Find out if there is a migraine clinic locally, too, and ask for a referral if there is. I went to one of those at a nearby hospital, and they are much more up to date on the available drugs, the side effects etc.

Good luck

[Tori]

Could it be that your worsening sight is causing the migraines, so once your prescription has been updated, the migraines should subside? I went through a stage of terrible migraines, which in the end turned out to be because I needed a prism in my glasses!

Personally, I'd have the sight test, get a new prescription and see how things go. You may then no longer need the Amitrptyline, which could then in turn stop the kidney problems? (Going off what Trinity said above).

[Abigail]

Thanks for the replies and sorry for my late response.

Alan - I think you're right, the optician didn't even look in my eyes with the light magnifier thing. She did a brief "which is better, 1 or 2" check then said I need a sight test. I'm with Specsavers and I haven't been happy with their service for a long time. They don't send reminders to make an appointment, they don't phone to say I can't have my contact lenses because I haven't had a check up and when my lenses dissolved back in the summer it took a week for them to get back to me. When I find a job and get a more permanent residence then I will change to a different practitioner. Being with a national company and living in several different places and being able to use any opticians is a bonus right now.

Trinity - Amitriptyline is for preventing migraines. It works brilliantly but I've put about a stone in weight on since I started and if I forget to take them one night I have a migraine the next day. The doctor gave me a choice of Ami or another drug which I can't remember the name of. I take citalopram for depression and the two seems to work better for depression than citalopram alone. I know the dosage of Ami isn't the right level for depression but that's a whole other story.

The things that I know triggers migraines are stress, not eating and travelling (which is related to both stress and food). I've never heard of a migraine clinic, will have to look into that.

Tori - it could be that way round, I guess I'll find out when I get an updated prescription.

I've just rung the doctors to make an appointment and they're closed (yes, at 1.30pm on a Tuesday) and they haven't put the automated booking system on. Grr. I'm going to write all this down as I usually forget when I get there.

[Siobhan]

I am very surprised with what you said.. i have always found Specsavers to be really good. They send me mails, text and email a month before my appointment for eye test is due and I find their eye exams to be very through.. last time they even showed me a scan of my eyes to show me all was clear..

[Tori]

Thanks for the replies and sorry for my late response.

Alan - I think you're right, the optician didn't even look in my eyes with the light magnifier thing. She did a brief "which is better, 1 or 2" check then said I need a sight test. I'm with Specsavers and I haven't been happy with their service for a long time. They don't send reminders to make an appointment, they don't phone to say I can't have my contact lenses because I haven't had a check up and when my lenses dissolved back in the summer it took a week for them to get back to me. When I find a job and get a more permanent residence then I will change to a different practitioner. Being with a national company and living in several different places and being able to use any opticians is a bonus right now.

Trinity - Amitriptyline is for preventing migraines. It works brilliantly but I've put about a stone in weight on since I started and if I forget to take them one night I have a migraine the next day. The doctor gave me a choice of Ami or another drug which I can't remember the name of. I take citalopram for depression and the two seems to work better for depression than citalopram alone. I know the dosage of Ami isn't the right level for depression but that's a whole other story.

The things that I know triggers migraines are stress, not eating and travelling (which is related to both stress and food). I've never heard of a migraine clinic, will have to look into that.

Tori - it could be that way round, I guess I'll find out when I get an updated prescription.

I've just rung the doctors to make an appointment and they're closed (yes, at 1.30pm on a Tuesday) and they haven't put the automated booking system on. Grr. I'm going to write all this down as I usually forget when I get there.

My family has had a lot of problems with SpecSavers in the past; they even managed to put some lenses in a pair of glasses the wrong way around! Like you say about changing, I would. It's not worth risking your eyes over their incompetence!

[Trinity]

I guess it depends which Specsavers you go to? I am also a fan - I was there last week, and I have used them for at least 3 years. Didn't like Optical Express and somewhere there is a thread on my saga with laser eye surgery....

[tammyy2j]

Do you or anyone in your family have a history of diabetes?

Blueberries are suppose to be good for eyesight

[Abigail]

I've had my eyes tested today. I told the optician about what happened on Saturday. He apologised for their incompetence (his word) then said my eyesight has changed slightly but nowhere near as much as what the first optician made out. The scans of my eyes are fine too so there's no structural issues.

I've got headache after all that fiddling around with my eyes. Contact lens check is next Wednesday with the new lenses.

Thanks for all your responses. I'll definitely be changing opticians when I get more settled later in the year. She had me worrying for absolutely nothing.