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Eyes and Neuropathy

Posted by Rachel, Volunteer Mentor @rwinney, Jun 17, 2020

I would love to hear from folks who have peripheral neuropathy and eyes problems such as worsening dry eye and photophobia (light sensitivity). Has anyone been to a neuro opthamologist for this and been advised of the correlation? What did you learn?

My eyes have mitigating circumstances.... beginning with Fuchs Dystrophy (cornea disease) requiring cataract and cornea transplants, intractable migraine and Small Fiber Polyneuropathy...all of which play off each other. Photophobia, for me, has been constant since prior to eye surgeries and increasingly worse after. Migraines create photophobia and vice versa. SFN is nerve damage/dysfunction which for me has created hyperalgesia (overactive and hyper sensitivity). The cornea contains the highest number of small fibers in your entire body. My ongoing dry eye is developing along with intense flares of light sensitivity. I feel like a vampire...it puts me down, to bed, in hiding. As I explore how to tackle worsening dry eye, I came across this link that opened my mind further and thought maybe it might help some of you who have dry eye and neuropathy.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Eye Conditions Support Group.

avmcbellar | @avmcbellar | Jul 4, 2020
In reply to @lioness "@avmcbellar I know the waters are poluted Racheal Carson has a book out The Silent Spring..." + (show)
@lioness

@avmcbellar I know the waters are poluted Racheal Carson has a book out The Silent Spring Published back in the 69,s I believe talks about the pollution from man they put in the waters The best Salmon we had a friend fished up in Alaska and gave us some but that's so expensive so I get my Omega 3-6 from good capsules or the Hemp oil

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@lioness so sad to hear about all the losses due to how the environment was treated. We lost many simple pleasures in life because of the money hungry companies.

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1 reply
lioness | @lioness | Jul 4, 2020
In reply to @avmcbellar "@lioness so sad to hear about all the losses due to how the environment was treated...." + (show)
@avmcbellar

@lioness so sad to hear about all the losses due to how the environment was treated. We lost many simple pleasures in life because of the money hungry companies.

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@avmcbellar Yes we did . Sad isn't it . Just as this virus was starting in the country I was sleeping and this book came to me to read so I bought it . Interesting and you can see how much these big companies have ruined God' planet . Have a good day stay safe

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avmcbellar | @avmcbellar | Jul 4, 2020
In reply to @lioness "@avmcbellar Yes we did . Sad isn't it . Just as this virus was starting in..." + (show)
@lioness

@avmcbellar Yes we did . Sad isn't it . Just as this virus was starting in the country I was sleeping and this book came to me to read so I bought it . Interesting and you can see how much these big companies have ruined God' planet . Have a good day stay safe

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@lioness We can help the planet by being cautious when purchasing. I always think about the later. Don’t want to add more unnecessary garbage to the already growing pile. Thanks, you too stay safe!

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tcokeefe | @tcokeefe | Jul 7, 2020

I definitely have suffered with dry eyes to the point that about 10 years ago they put plugs in my tear ducts which helped immensely. I also see a neurological ophthalmologist because about six or seven years ago I started developing double vision and they did an MRI and found that the muscles in my left eye have atrophied (this could be because of the deterioration of the nerves ) causing the left eye to turn in a little bit, giving me double vision, which is corrected by prisms in my glasses lenses. Unfortunately I am not able to wear contacts because they do not make them with prisms, and even if they did my dry eyes would make it impossible.

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Mentor
Rachel, Volunteer Mentor | @rwinney | Jul 7, 2020
In reply to @tcokeefe "I definitely have suffered with dry eyes to the point that about 10 years ago they..." + (show)
@tcokeefe

I definitely have suffered with dry eyes to the point that about 10 years ago they put plugs in my tear ducts which helped immensely. I also see a neurological ophthalmologist because about six or seven years ago I started developing double vision and they did an MRI and found that the muscles in my left eye have atrophied (this could be because of the deterioration of the nerves ) causing the left eye to turn in a little bit, giving me double vision, which is corrected by prisms in my glasses lenses. Unfortunately I am not able to wear contacts because they do not make them with prisms, and even if they did my dry eyes would make it impossible.

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@tcokeefe Thank you for sharing your neuropathy/eyes story. It does stink for sure but, sounds like you've found some help in adapting. Great! Continued success is wished for you.
Rachel

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1 reply
tcokeefe | @tcokeefe | Jul 7, 2020
In reply to @rwinney "@tcokeefe Thank you for sharing your neuropathy/eyes story. It does stink for sure but, sounds like..." + (show)
@rwinney

@tcokeefe Thank you for sharing your neuropathy/eyes story. It does stink for sure but, sounds like you've found some help in adapting. Great! Continued success is wished for you.
Rachel

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Thanks and you too!

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avmcbellar | @avmcbellar | Jul 7, 2020
In reply to @tcokeefe "I definitely have suffered with dry eyes to the point that about 10 years ago they..." + (show)
@tcokeefe

I definitely have suffered with dry eyes to the point that about 10 years ago they put plugs in my tear ducts which helped immensely. I also see a neurological ophthalmologist because about six or seven years ago I started developing double vision and they did an MRI and found that the muscles in my left eye have atrophied (this could be because of the deterioration of the nerves ) causing the left eye to turn in a little bit, giving me double vision, which is corrected by prisms in my glasses lenses. Unfortunately I am not able to wear contacts because they do not make them with prisms, and even if they did my dry eyes would make it impossible.

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Hi @tcokeefe glad you found relief with a prism in your glasses. Something as simple as double vision can be the cause of many health issues such as headaches, motion sickness, and balance. Have you been able to stop the atrophy of the eye muscle from further deterioration? Perhaps eye muscle exercises can help strengthen those muscles again. You can always have an assessment done by a certified eye therapist to determine if eye exercises can help. Your neuro ophthalmologist may not mention an eye therapist. I had a friend who was left with double vision after suffering a concussion as a result of a fall. She went to a neuro ophthalmologist and got a prism in her glasses. It helped but later went to an eye therapist. After a few months of eye exercises she started seeing double again. She was happy to learn her eyes muscles got stronger and no longer needed a prism. I hope this helps. Wish you well.

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tcokeefe | @tcokeefe | Jul 7, 2020
In reply to @avmcbellar "Hi @tcokeefe glad you found relief with a prism in your glasses. Something as simple as..." + (show)
@avmcbellar

Hi @tcokeefe glad you found relief with a prism in your glasses. Something as simple as double vision can be the cause of many health issues such as headaches, motion sickness, and balance. Have you been able to stop the atrophy of the eye muscle from further deterioration? Perhaps eye muscle exercises can help strengthen those muscles again. You can always have an assessment done by a certified eye therapist to determine if eye exercises can help. Your neuro ophthalmologist may not mention an eye therapist. I had a friend who was left with double vision after suffering a concussion as a result of a fall. She went to a neuro ophthalmologist and got a prism in her glasses. It helped but later went to an eye therapist. After a few months of eye exercises she started seeing double again. She was happy to learn her eyes muscles got stronger and no longer needed a prism. I hope this helps. Wish you well.

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I asked about that and they said that they would probably not help. Presumably the nerves that control that muscle are dead and or dying and unfortunately they haven’t quite figured out how to regenerate nerves yet!

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avmcbellar | @avmcbellar | Jul 7, 2020
In reply to @tcokeefe "I asked about that and they said that they would probably not help. Presumably the nerves..." + (show)
@tcokeefe

I asked about that and they said that they would probably not help. Presumably the nerves that control that muscle are dead and or dying and unfortunately they haven’t quite figured out how to regenerate nerves yet!

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@tcokeefe sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, having some ability to control the eye muscle is needed. The constant loss of the nerves will not allow for any progression. I keep praying for the discovery of nerve regeneration someday. Do you know the cause of the atrophy? Possibly stop the cause.

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tcokeefe | @tcokeefe | Jul 7, 2020

I do and it's not reversible. Unless and until they can regenerate dead nerves. I don't expect that to happen in my lifetime...

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