Amsler grids

Amsler grids are an easy way to test eyesight - especially for problems like macular degeneration and glaucoma. You look at the central black dot with one eye at a time, and note any missing areas, bent lines etc.

This is how the Amsler grid looks for me, when I look with either eye ...

ETA : This is the test that convinced me something really was wrong (in my case, neurological vision loss caused by neuro-sarcoidosis). If you have vision loss in both eyes in the same region on the Amsler grid, go to Casualty! It is neurological in origin, something happening in your brain not your eyes, and could be from a stroke. Don't muck about.

Unexpected, Part 2

So here I am. I've been in the stroke unit since Monday, and had tons of blood tests, eye tests, CT scans, ultrasounds, MRI scans and a lumbar puncture. I've definitely lost 25% of my visual field in both eyes (which is very unusual). Reading is hard. I gather it's probably optic neuritis.

I *haven't* had a stroke. But the MRI did show lesions in my brain, both in an area affecting vision, and in the middle of my brain. My neurologist thinks it could be multiple sclerosis or sarcoidosis. So here I stay until a diagnosis is confirmed and they can start me on some treatment. It's all pretty fucky.

Later on : Hubby has brought in my computer and an internet dongle thingy, so I'm ONLINE in hospital!

This image shows you what reading is like for me at the moment ... I really hope this repairs if it's caused by MS, it could repair in 4-12 weeks. I'm not allowed to drive until my field of vision is better, too.



The blank areas shift and change when I move my head and eyes, so it makes seeing fine detail (like letters) rather challenging.

Unexpected

i'm writing this on my phone's web browser with predictive text, so no pictures this time. The reason for this is I've been in hospital since Monday, and will still here into next week.

About a week ago I noticed trouble reading and that there were blank areas in my vision. I did an Amsler test (you'll have to google it yourself sorry!) which confirmed this. On Monday I went straight to my optometrist, who was concerned. He said my eyes looked perfectly healthy, but that vision loss where the same region is lost in both eyes generally indicates a neurological problem. He told me to go straight to casualty.