vision problems

[bamyx4jc]

for the past month my vision has been getting worse when i look at signs they are blurry i normally have perfect vision. i was wondering if this is normal for pd . i have a doctor appt. in 1 week thanks

[Chicory]

Watch the talk by Dr. Pfeiffer from the Young Onset Parkinson Network Conference. He talks about vision problems in PD in his talk on Non-motor Dysfunction. Many times people with PD complain of blurry vision and their eye exam is normal. Here is the link:

http://event.netbriefings.com/event/npf/Archives/conference

Chicory

[mamafigure]

I would love to see that, but I have dial up. Can someone summarize it for me, please?
mama

[Les F]

Eye movement can be a problem as well.

[Chicory]

Here's what Dr. Pfeiffer said about vision problems in PD.
Symptoms include "tired eyes", blurred vision, double vision, and difficulty reading. This is because of rigidity in the muscles that move the eyes- to read you must bring your eyes together and then move them across the page. There also may be impaired color perception and reduced contrast sensibility or difficulty seeing faint objects, which affects driving at night.
These problems won't show up on a regular eye exam. They are caused by retinal dopamine neuron loss.

[proudest_mama]

Chicory, you are so right!! I was concerned enough that I went to a specialist to get a second opinion. He, too, declared that there was nothing wrong with me. But, darn it, at night, I can't see well enough to drive and I am actually a danger to society.

Quite by accident, I assure you, I had to wear a different pair of glasses (my old ones) and, voila', I can see ten times better. It truly is interesting and I have no logical explanation. The only thing that I can pinpoint it to is that my current glasses are progessive line bi-focals and my old pair are not bifocals at all.

I now keep that other pair of glasses in my van and switch them when I need to. I'd surely like it if someone else tries this and it works.

But I'm a little confused now because you state that my poor vision is due to having PD, but I always thought (and swear that a doctor told me) that it was due to one of my meds . I was given the impression that when I get off that, particular, med (it's either Artane or Mirapex, I can't remember), that my vision would get better.

If anyone has "proof" either way, we'd love to hear from you!

Terri

[kellz123]

My vision got blurry everytime I watched television and was forced to wear glasses and contacts. I then began researching lasik information (http://www.docshop.com/education/vision/refractive/lasik/) to decide whether I should have the surgery. I think lasik was the best thing I did for my eyes.

[BEM]

We also don't blink enough, so our eyes sting from dryness. The dryness makes the eyes blur and it becomes hard to focus. My eyes get so tired in the evening that they hurt.

When I read lying down in bed my eyes keep closing. I think that not only does the Requip I take make me sleepy, but the effort it takes to keep my eyes open is exhausting.

Terry, it is Artane that affects vision. The side effects of Artane frightened me so much that I never even opened the bottle. (I should have read up on it before I had the prescription filled!)