1. < Post-COVID Recovery & COVID-19

Any longhaulers noticing vision changes?

Posted by holly1972 @holly197205, Aug 24, 2022

Has anyone noticed vision changes who are long haulers ? I have astigmatism and have worn contacts for probably 25 years,however I was just beginnig to need a weak OTC reading lense to read, I was 48 at the time I had covid. In OTC readers I wore a +1.50 my eye doctor had told me not to buy anything stronger than a +1.75 until I seen him again the following year. About 6 months after having covid in a period of about 2 months my reading vision began rapidly deteriorating. I had to buy a +2.75 ! I went to my eye doctor and began explaining to him what happened & the first thing he asked me was if I'd had covid & if I was sick longer than a couple of weeks (I will sick for 4 months). He said it had happened with other patients. He dialated my eyes & checked them out & said he couldn't see any damage to my eyes. However, now it seems as if my fat away vision isn't exactly as it should be. It's only been 4 months since I went to the eye doctor but I'm thinking I may have to go back before April of 2023 for my next visit.
Has anyone else had this happen to them & if so what were you told by your doctor? This is just one of the slew of problems I have from covid. Any information would be greatly appreciated! Thank you in advance and God bless us all and may we all get thru this together.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Post-COVID Recovery & COVID-19 Support Group.

wisfamily | @wisfamily | Sep 7, 2022

I had Covid in Dec 2020 and Sept 2021 and have lung kidney scarring and had myocarditis for almost 18 mos as a result of the infection. I am still taking medications for this but at least off steroids.
I am also a nurse so have a pretty good understanding of most medical related conditions.

Having said all of that... YES vision changes. I had a recent eye exam due to one of the medications I am on and the exam didnt show any damage but it did not check my prescription . that will be a separate appt. But my vision is awful and changes or seems to change day to day sometimes. Hoping its inflammation related and will eventually improve .

Most long hauler physical symptoms driven by Covid are due to an inflammatory process. Use some moisturizing eye drops , read up on ways to reduce inflammation in the body with diet exercise, supplements , medications for chronic conditions etc.. and do what you can to reduce the inflammatory processes in your body and see if that helps at all.

For certain follow with your ophthalmologist and stay with it to rule out other causes or changes . Make sure whatever provider sees you for this knows you are post covid too.

Best wishes!

REPLY
jimmerz26 | @jimmerz26 | Sep 8, 2022

Yes, my vision has gone from bad to worse. I've had long covid 11 months now. Just had a new eye exam. Dr couldn't believe how worse my vision has gotten in a year.

REPLY
1 reply
Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Sep 8, 2022
In reply to @jimmerz26 "Yes, my vision has gone from bad to worse. I've had long covid 11 months now...." + (show)
@jimmerz26

Yes, my vision has gone from bad to worse. I've had long covid 11 months now. Just had a new eye exam. Dr couldn't believe how worse my vision has gotten in a year.

Jump to this post

Welcome, @jimmerz26. As you can see from this discussion, you're not alone with dealing with worsening vision. Was your doctor able to determine if there was any damage or a specific cause?

REPLY
lalo22 | @lalo22 | Sep 9, 2022

I’ve noticed a change in my vision after I had covid in Feb 2022.

Approx 2-3 months I was at both of my boys’ football games. This is about 8-9am. And noticed the sun was extremely bright and became very uncomfortable. I started to look for shade. Didn’t think too much of the first time but then the following week …Same thing.
Maybe another 112 months go by and I notice my prescription eyeglasses weren’t working for me anymore. As if I needed a stronger prescription.
Now recently when I do wear them I feel more dizzy than I normally do. So I just take them off.
Also when I drive especially in the daytime I always lower my visor and passengers to minimize the brightness of the day.
At work I can only tolerate so many hours of working under Fluorescent lighting where as before having covid the artificial lighting was not a problem for me.

REPLY
1 reply
daviddennis123 | @daviddennis123 | Sep 9, 2022
In reply to @lalo22 "I’ve noticed a change in my vision after I had covid in Feb 2022. Approx 2-3..." + (show)
@lalo22

I’ve noticed a change in my vision after I had covid in Feb 2022.

Approx 2-3 months I was at both of my boys’ football games. This is about 8-9am. And noticed the sun was extremely bright and became very uncomfortable. I started to look for shade. Didn’t think too much of the first time but then the following week …Same thing.
Maybe another 112 months go by and I notice my prescription eyeglasses weren’t working for me anymore. As if I needed a stronger prescription.
Now recently when I do wear them I feel more dizzy than I normally do. So I just take them off.
Also when I drive especially in the daytime I always lower my visor and passengers to minimize the brightness of the day.
At work I can only tolerate so many hours of working under Fluorescent lighting where as before having covid the artificial lighting was not a problem for me.

Jump to this post

I had Covid in October,2021. My eyesight has steadily gotten worse. I am so light sensitive I must wear sunglasses not only outside but inside on bright days that allows sunlight inside. Bright lights are extremely insulting to my eyes. My eyesight becomes foggy to the point I cannot read. My ophthalmologist has no answer.
Extremely dry eyes. I use various wetting drops throughout the day and night. Finally got a new Rx drug that is sprayed into the inside of my nostrils that really helps. The name is Tyrvava. Doc gave me a sample to try and I went the whole night without waking with my lids glued shut. I have been using it over six months with great relief. I still have the sensitivity to light.
Since Covid, I am so fatigued I keep falling asleep throughout the day and can only walk short distance’s without resting.
My Cardiologist told me they are seeing a lot of this among their patients who are in their 80s and had Covid. I am almost 85.

REPLY
1 reply
pacer3702 | @pacer3702 | Sep 10, 2022
In reply to @artistandtwin "I've considered buying those glasses! I know you can buy them with or without prescription lenses...." + (show)
@artistandtwin

I've considered buying those glasses! I know you can buy them with or without prescription lenses. I'm 13 months out from my first bout with covid and I still can't go to the grocery store without feeling immediate fatigue, confusion, & incoordination. My physical therapist thinks it's the fluorescent lights and all the visual stimulation (looking up and down the shelves, turning corners to new aisles, watching out for people in the aisles, etc.)

My neurologist believes I have a migraine disorder, but I haven't had the opportunity to ask her about those special eyeglasses.

My optometrist said my prescription had changed a lot when I went to see him 6 mos post-covid. When he put letters in front of me, I couldn't read them. I told him the letters looked like heiroglyphics to me. I guess it was so much double vision or "ghosting" that was causing all the letters to be unrecognizable to me. I have a new pair of lenses, but I still struggle with whether to wear them or not wear them as I walk through the grocery store, down the hall at work, when looking at my PC monitors, TV, etc. It's like there's no perfect scenario. I can't figure out which is better: with or without my prescription eyeglasses.

Thanks to your post, I may reach out to my neurologist sooner rather than waiting until my next appt to ask about these special lenses. I need relief! It is just too much to try to walk through the store, find my items, then get up to the cashier and put my items on the checkout (the back and forth motion sets my vertigo off so bad!) By that time, I don't even want to keep my eyes open or look at anyone, much less operate the debit card machine. 🙁

Jump to this post

The sensory overload you are experiencing may be due to brain stem inflammation. I have a Covid vaccine neurological injury, which resembles Long Covid. I'm a member of the Neuro V Long-Haulers Facebook group. A Danish physician who is helping us attributes the sensory overload symptoms you describe to brain stem inflammation. He recommends anti-inflammatory supplements such as palmitoylethanolamide (PEA).

REPLY
1 reply
lynnryan | @lynnryan | Sep 10, 2022
In reply to @pacer3702 "The sensory overload you are experiencing may be due to brain stem inflammation. I have a..." + (show)
@pacer3702

The sensory overload you are experiencing may be due to brain stem inflammation. I have a Covid vaccine neurological injury, which resembles Long Covid. I'm a member of the Neuro V Long-Haulers Facebook group. A Danish physician who is helping us attributes the sensory overload symptoms you describe to brain stem inflammation. He recommends anti-inflammatory supplements such as palmitoylethanolamide (PEA).

Jump to this post

Have the supplements helped you at all?

REPLY
1 reply
pacer3702 | @pacer3702 | Sep 10, 2022
In reply to @lynnryan "Have the supplements helped you at all?" + (show)
@lynnryan

Have the supplements helped you at all?

Jump to this post

My injury is peripheral neuropathy, but, based on the advice of the Danish physician for another patient, I have been taking PEA and it seems to have accelerated my recovery. There is good research evidence that it reduces neuroinflammation. It has a good safety profile.

REPLY
jennifergillan03 | @jennifergillan03 | Sep 11, 2022

The vision changes aren’t usually anatomical. It’s most important to remember you see with your brain. I experienced this. It was only after I learned to retrain my brain at Mayo my vision was restore after 18 months. Central Sensitization Syndrome is the cause. You can look up helpful info on my Instagram #covidrecovermama it does get better when you learn how fix the actual program. Your not alone.

REPLY
View MoreView Less
Please sign in or register to post a reply.