Anybody seen a neuroptometrist?

Evidently I’ve once again proven medically interesting. In addition to the neurotologist my VRT suggested I might want to see since my BPPV is maybe actually vestibular paroxysmia (what with the prominent vascular loop shining so brightly on the MRA and my lack of satisfactory response to a couple Epley maneuvers), she also suggested I see a neuroptometrist. Apparently, not too many folks describe the sort of stuff I see. @Space_Cadet calls it static snow. Best description I’ve heard. Plus all the refractory images, halos, auras, pulsating colorful dots, stars, bars of light, after images and a whole myriad of stuff I didn’t realize wasn’t common (I assumed human eyesight was poorly evolved). I can usually see through or around it and none of it is as blinding as the true visual auras I get when migraines are happening. This is more chronic, daily stuff. It’s been going on so long I never even thought about it until my life fell back into full time patient status. Yes it’s way more obvious since this relapse got rolling, kind of a visual tinnitus. Anybody got this stuff? Have you seen a neuroptometrist?

There are two conditions vertical heterophoria and binocular vision which can cause dizziness. These are stuff the neurooptometrist can rule out.

I have not seen one.

Good try, but I don’t fit either of those. I think she’s suspecting an optic nerve problem, especially given there is always pressure behind my eyes. In the early morning my vision often looks like a tiny electrical storm, which would be pretty if it didn’t hurt. Takes a good hour for that to resolve. It usually comes about when I’m laying down, sort of like @Space_Cadet or @turnitaround, only eyes instead of ears.

Really? Am I the only one here?

I have heavy achy eyes with pressure behind at least one of them and sometimes both. I write them off as a migraine side effect and ice them when I can.

That’s how I was handling it, too, except it’s become so prevalent and like a constant aura.

Depending upon my symptoms and how heavily they’re pushing through I can get static snow during the daytime. Since my lapse 16 days ago I’ve been getting the static storm for the first 10-15 mins of being awake, then it calms down. It’s like a hazy vision when you wake up as if looking at everything is hazing / mirage like. It’s been happening less frequently as the weeks and my baseline get closer. If I go to bed too late then it’ll pick up too (I’m in bed now too late so it’s becoming much more visible and there’s a wind storm / snow storm currently happening).
Wanted to add, since my relapse I see a lot more black floaters lately now too. I’m sure that’ll start to diminish as my baseline gets closer.

Mind you, I had my eyes dilated and checked Jan 5th this year. My eyes were given the very OK!

Just my 10 cents but almost certainly unrelated. Black floaters are normal artefacts caused by aging and the breakdown of the gel structure within the eye. It’s nothing to worry about.

It’s strange tho cause I’ve never ever had them previous to this condition, ever. I’ve only had this condition for less than a year so far.

Age combined with confirmation bias or increased nervousness to symptoms?

I also had mine checked a few years ago with an eye surgeon and he told me it was all just natural and nothing to worry about.

Fair enough… Why do you feel the nervous aspect is apart of it? For me, It’s been happening whenever. I’m not much of a nervous person anymore unless my world is really imbalanced and very uncontrollable (as stated I’m now getting closer to baseline again) I could be having a good time and the floaters will happen.
Still so much more that medical technology needs to pick up to explain it.

Dark floaters are a physical real thing. It’s caused by light changing its reflection on the edges of the disturbed gel structure.

They also move about so change all the time. Your brain usually works out a way to ignore them but they are easier to detect against a blue wash like sky or in a swimming pool.

Theoretically though this could increase cognitive allostatic load and precipitate a migraine in some people?

Personally I’ve had them for years and years and never had a migraine but I guess it could cause one?

Does astigmatism have anything to do with it? I have them on my left eye. I only noticed the floaters when my anxiety was high back in november but now i just choose to ignore them and i barely notice it.

@Space_Cadet Did you have the static snow before? Any other persistent aura like visual symptoms? So far, you’re the only other person who’s described visual issues similar to mine.

Before this condition, oh no way lol. I was living life carefree like the rest of the world. In 2013 I only had 3 white auras or so that I can recall. Never had the migraine to go along with it tho.

And as of now, I don’t receive any auras or warnings of migraine.

There’s other people on the site who have seen visual snow / static snow. They’re from awhile ago tho-- so probably no longer attending the forum.

In that case (optic nerve) you might want to see a neuro-opthalmologist instead of a neuro-optometrist. Opthalmologists are MDs, but optometrists are not.

Let’s hope they got better and stopped needing us!

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You’re right. My VRT suggested two people. I’ll look at their qualifications. I wonder if that’s medical or vision insurance? I’m afraid it’s like my TMJD and the answer is neither and nobody. I met my medical deductible in January and already saw the regular optometrist. MAV needs to leave me alone long enough to make enough money to pay for MAV treatments!

Most likely it will be medical insurance.

I hope so. It feels like I’m cheating on my neurologist.

:smile:

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