Can't See Properly...

[walkthroughwalls]

Not really a question for a tinnitus forum, but I don't know where else to ask, so...

For the last months, and possibly longer, I'm having problems seeing and I can't pin down what it is.
It's like everything is in my peripheral vision, but nothing is actually in focus. Focussing takes effort and makes it a little better, but it's not how it should be.
Reading is hard because 'my eyes jump all over the sentence'. I can look at a couple of lines 'globally' and read it that way, but not 'follow the words'.

It's not the case that everything is blurry, as in looking through an out-of-focus camera lens. I have same issue regardless whether I'm trying to focus near or far either. I can still read license plates in the distance etc.. My eyes do feel tired and restless, even when closed.

Concentrating is once again nearly impossible, which is really nice with all these tests coming up...

Any ideas on what this could be?
I'll going to make an appointment with my GP soon anyway, so I may as well bring this up. Or should I take an eye exam? Can these people actually diagnose a potential underlying medical condition? Or will they just try to sell me glasses?

 

[Dana]

@walkthroughwalls

Not really a question for a tinnitus forum, but I don't know where else to ask, so...

For the last months, and possibly longer, I'm having problems seeing and I can't pin down what it is.
It's like everything is in my peripheral vision, but nothing is actually in focus. Focussing takes effort and makes it a little better, but it's not how it should be.
Reading is hard because 'my eyes jump all over the sentence'. I can look at a couple of lines 'globally' and read it that way, but not 'follow the words'.

The thing is that your question is totally suited for a tinnitus forum.
Your jumping eyes and inability to focus indicate otic nystagmus, which occurs when you have inner year disorder, so is a problem related to your other heath problem.

Go get tested, the test is called nystagmography, and the apparatus is found in ear clinics.

 

[Cheza]

I hesitantly agree with @Dana, because symptoms can mimic different disorders. Be sure to see an ophthalmologist, not an optometrist. Their training for eye disorders makes them much more apt to help you determine the cause of your eye problems.

Here's a YouTube video on nystagmus. There are many more that you can watch and see if you can identify your particular form of nystagums.

 

[walkthroughwalls]

@Dana @Cheza
Thanks for the replies!

My eyes don't move around like that, though. They just act 'normal'. I guess my description wasn't very good.
What I mean is that I can't follow the words properly when reading a sentence from left to right. I constantly have to reorient my 'focus area'.

The main thing is: everything looks like it's in my peripheral vision, reading takes a considerable amount of effort, and my eyes feel tense and restless. But I don't see things 'blurry' and I have the same problems whether my subject is far or near.

 

[Nucleo]

That'll take a trip to the eye doctor. It looks like you have presbyopia. Hopefully.

 

[walkthroughwalls]

That'll take a trip to the eye doctor. It looks like you have presbyopia. Hopefully.

Why hopefully?

A quick search tells me that people with presbyopia need to hold books at an arm's length to read properly, but for me it doesn't matter if things are far away or close by.

 

[Dana]

Here's a YouTube video on nystagmus. There are many more that you can watch and see if you can identify your particular form of nystagums.

Your presumed by me "otic nystagmus" doesn't look like that posted video, and doesn't cause blurry vision.
In otic nystagmus the eyes move to the side of the sick ear. If both ears are sick, I don't know what determines the side towards which the eyes turn unwillingly.

The main thing is: everything looks like it's in my peripheral vision, reading takes a considerable amount of effort, and my eyes feel tense and restless. But I don't see things 'blurry' and I have the same problems whether my subject is far or near.

That sounds like nystagmus to me, but I may be totally wrong and it may be a case of misunderstanding the description of your symptoms.

Only an eye doctor or a nystagmography test can clarify you.
Otic nystagmus can improve even without treatment.

 

[Fungus]

I tend to agree with Dana.
It does sound like nystagmus.
You need to get this investigated and the underlying cause established. Hopefully it will eventually settle of its own accord.

Fungus.

 

[walkthroughwalls]

Your presumed by me "otic nystagmus" doesn't look like that posted video, and doesn't cause blurry vision.
In otic nystagmus the eyes move to the side of the sick ear. If both ears are sick, I don't know what determines the side towards which the eyes turn unwillingly.

That sounds like nystagmus to me, but I may be totally wrong and it may be a case of misunderstanding the description of your symptoms.

Only an eye doctor or a nystagmography test can clarify you.
Otic nystagmus can improve even without treatment.

I tend to agree with Dana.
It does sound like nystagmus.
You need to get this investigated and the underlying cause established. Hopefully it will eventually settle of its own accord.

Fungus.

Are you all sure?

I read everywhere that nystagmus means one's eyes are involuntarily, physically moving. Yet, my eyes sit in their sockets perfectly still...

 

[Optic Axis]

I think I experience the same as you though my optician has said it's just because I am short sighted and getting older.
When I read I 'skim read' and don;t focus on individual words. None of them are ever in proper focus and there is a 'haze' to my vision. I don't notice spelling mistakes in other peoples writing as much as I used to because I don't pay attention to detail anymore. I used to spot every error and read much quicker than I do now. The odd thing is that if I put an older pair of glasses on my vision improves a bit and I can concentrate more and see things close up - still not perfectly but much better through older glasses. I have to really force myself to focus (visually and mentally) if I read something important now. I don't have any other suggestions as to what it is though but I just put it down to my brain using all its capacity to produce the tinnitus so all my senses suffer.

Do you happen to find your typing has suffered as well? In that you hit the key next to the one you meant to hit, quite often. Mine has and I've put that down to not focusing as hard when I type. I used to be really fast at that too

 

[Dana]

All of the above can be also explained by lack of sufficient good sleep or by the side effects of the drugs we take, and even by our bodies getting older so fast and damaged by so much suffering from T.

@walkthroughwalls Go to the doctor and tell us the results, only a doctor can give you a closer to reality answer.

I personally had nystagmus for a long time without realising, I only noticed when I taped my eyes with a camera and played back the recording. Then I saw what my eyes were doing without me realising or willing.

 

[walkthroughwalls]

I think I experience the same as you though my optician has said it's just because I am short sighted and getting older.
When I read I 'skim read' and don;t focus on individual words. None of them are ever in proper focus and there is a 'haze' to my vision. I don't notice spelling mistakes in other peoples writing as much as I used to because I don't pay attention to detail anymore. I used to spot every error and read much quicker than I do now. The odd thing is that if I put an older pair of glasses on my vision improves a bit and I can concentrate more and see things close up - still not perfectly but much better through older glasses. I have to really force myself to focus (visually and mentally) if I read something important now. I don't have any other suggestions as to what it is though but I just put it down to my brain using all its capacity to produce the tinnitus so all my senses suffer.

Do you happen to find your typing has suffered as well? In that you hit the key next to the one you meant to hit, quite often. Mine has and I've put that down to not focusing as hard when I type. I used to be really fast at that too

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! This is exactly it! Right down to the skimming, not noticing spelling mistakes and having to focus visually as well as mentally.

One weird thing is... I got out my old manual focus camera today, and I could still focus the lens without too much difficulty.

My typing hasn't really suffered. I used to be slightly faster, but that's more due to brain fog than anything else. I have been typing with all ten fingers without looking at the keyboard for many years, though. That's including programming-style typing with lots of short-cuts and symbols.

Can you read like you used to when holding a book at a bit of a distance? Is it normal for this to set in when I haven't even hit thirty yet?
And I take that it can't be 'cured' by getting the right pair of glasses?

All of the above can be also explained by lack of sufficient good sleep or by the side effects of the drugs we take, and even by our bodies getting older so fast and damaged by so much suffering from T.

@walkthroughwalls Go to the doctor and tell us the results, only a doctor can give you a closer to reality answer.

I personally had nystagmus for a long time without realising, I only noticed when I taped my eyes with a camera and played back the recording. Then I saw what my eyes were doing without me realising or willing.

Well... I have been under tons of stress during my life. And I haven't had a full uninterrupted night's sleep in over a year. And I read a lot, both on screen and off screen.

Is it not possible to notice nystagmus by looking in the mirror? Otherwise, I'd have to try to record my eyes too.
I'll try to make an appointment with my GP tomorrow, the first options are probably on Friday. I'll keep you guys posted!

 

[Dana]

Is it not possible to notice nystagmus by looking in the mirror? Otherwise, I'd have to try to record my eyes too.

Absolutely not! When your eyes change focus (you said your eyes are restless and are jumping around ", they may change direction of the pupils without you realising, cause your interest remains on the page, but you see the row with the peripheral view of the eye who just turned to the side. When an eye turns to the side, you don't see the side, you don't collect information about the image of the side, cause your attention doeasn't move to the side, and you continue to see what's in front of you.

In the mirror you cannot tell when eyes are moving, they do it without you realizing.

If you agree so much with optic axis, he may be right (he sounds, with his name, like an eye specialist too) but only a doctor can confirm.

Good luck now and don't be scared. Everything is correctable.

 

[walkthroughwalls]

@Dana Thanks a lot

I managed to get an eye exam and see my GP today. The eye exam came out perfect. I could read even the smallest print, way beyond what's needed for a '100%' score. Both eyes tested at -0.25, which is negligible.
The problem could be that my eyes have difficulty coordinating or 'working together'.

My GP referred me to an optometrist, but a better one than the ones found at common opticians (eyeglass store?). He also thought it could be a coordination problem. Waiting list: 15 days.

 

[Dana]

@walkthroughwalls
The fact that you can see that well those symbols on that chart is fabulous.
Not to burst your bubble, but seeing a symbol required short time focusing, not the kind of coordination and ability to control your eyes to do exactly what you want, which is needed when you read a row or a page.
So you don't need glasses with dioptries.
Wonderful, congratulations!
The rest of the problem can be fatigue.
I recommend you to do an exercise for your eyes, named by its creator as "palming".
You close your eyes and cover your eyes with your palms of your hands.
Stay in total darkness like this and give your eyes a chance to rest.
You may notice at the beginning that your eyes are still "going all over the place". Continue to keep your eyes covered and you may see that your eyes get less and less "restless". Stay like this until all the tension in your eyes is released by letting them do whatever they want.
After a while (10 min or much less) you may notice that your eyes calmed down and they stay still.
Repeat the exercise daily for a while, as long as needed.

I leave it up to you to decide whether you want to do this exercise before or after going to the optometrist. Maybe it's better not to do it before, so the optometrist can see the problem. You see, I am afraid that the exercise is so good, that it may solve the problem.

 

[Optic Axis]

Can you read like you used to when holding a book at a bit of a distance? Is it normal for this to set in when I haven't even hit thirty yet?
And I take that it can't be 'cured' by getting the right pair of glasses?

Yes I can read like I used to when holding the book further away but I still have the 'haze'. I'm 42, very short sighted ( around -10 and -11) and my eyes have been that bad since my early twenties. I have always been able to read well with glasses. I've used computers every day for many years and had no problem until around the same time my tinnitus got much worse. You shouldn't need to hold a book away from you like this until you reach your forties, so it isn't normal for someone of your age.

This doesn't seem like a problem that glasses can correct, to me, but maybe minor surgery or retraining your eyes could do something.

I wish you well with the results from your specialist visit.

Dana, I'm not an eye specialist , I stole my username from a dance music CD, which was actually referring to the optic axis of a crystal (the point at which light can pass through and suffer no double refraction)