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Original poster

Terrified after opticians appointment, advice needed!

25 replies

SaunteringDownwards · 22/03/2024 15:55

I saw the optician today as my right eyelid has been twitching for three weeks and its been driving me mad. I have a lazy left eye but today the optician said my prescription has changed hugely since 2022 and as a result is referring me to the hospital to have it checked out. Due to the traumatic death of a family member of glioblastoma (aggressive brain cancer) I am TERRIFIED of brain tumors to the point I can't even watch films/tv shows that even mention it so I have spent the entire day in a terrified state convinced that the twitching and change in vision is related. She said it could be caused by something pressing on the eye or even that it's something I've had a long time that's only just now been detected. On the plus side the eye I went in about looks bloody fine! I've managed to convince myself this is definitely a tumor nonetheless and just feel sick to my stomach.

I guess I'm just desperately seeking some reassurance or any advice re lazy and twitching eyes as I'm really very scared Sad.

OP posts:
Whatevershallidowithmylife · 22/03/2024 15:59

A lazy eye is actually a squint so likely its that as opposed to anything else, however it's natural to be worried,but unlikely to be a tumour

ForNaiceHiker · 22/03/2024 16:00

what had your prescription changed by out of interest?

Original poster
SaunteringDownwards · 22/03/2024 16:02

So I know nothing about eyes but the optician said it changed from plus one to plus four?

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General health
BoohooWoohoo · 22/03/2024 16:13

+1.0 to +4.0 is a massive jump.
When I’ve gone to the opticians for new glasses for me or the kids, we’ve normally only changed 0.25 possibly 0.5.

Original poster
SaunteringDownwards · 22/03/2024 16:19

BoohooWoohoo · 22/03/2024 16:13

+1.0 to +4.0 is a massive jump.
When I’ve gone to the opticians for new glasses for me or the kids, we’ve normally only changed 0.25 possibly 0.5.

Yeah she seemed a bit perplexed by it really and I think that's the main reason I'm being sent to the hospital, though it's not an urgent referral. She said that it could have always been like this but it's been "disguised" before because my eyes weren't relaxed? I'm really not sure. I'm meant to wear glasses but never really did so a part of me wonders if I've done this to myself.

I'm really quite freaked out :(

OP posts:
Original poster
SaunteringDownwards · 22/03/2024 16:35

The change is only in the left eye though, my right eye has stayed the same.

OP posts:
WhatcomesafteraRainbow · 22/03/2024 16:50

Hello, sorry to hear of your loss of your family member to GBM. As you said it’s a horrible condition. I can understand why you are frightened.
do you have an appointment yet?
GBM is the worst type of brain tumour, it takes time to find out the type. Each step at a time & I hope the best for you. You’ll be so relieved when you learn there isn’t a tumour & especially not GBM.

Sonolanona · 22/03/2024 16:51

If it's not an urgent referral then try to relax a bit... for context my dh went for a routine check and they spotted something on his fundus and he was literally seen at the eye hospital the next day ( a melanoma on his eyeball... he has to wear dark glasses and get checked regualrly but 3 years on still fine)

-1 to -4 is a big jump..but if you haven't gone regularly it may simply have been missed. Mine have deteriorated with monotonous regularity for years.

I do hope you aren't driving though as that defo can't be safe!

dementedpixie · 22/03/2024 16:56

Whatevershallidowithmylife · 22/03/2024 15:59

A lazy eye is actually a squint so likely its that as opposed to anything else, however it's natural to be worried,but unlikely to be a tumour

This is untrue. Lazy eye refers to the sight in the eye. It may lead to a squint but isn't the squint itself

Original poster
SaunteringDownwards · 22/03/2024 16:59

Sonolanona · 22/03/2024 16:51

If it's not an urgent referral then try to relax a bit... for context my dh went for a routine check and they spotted something on his fundus and he was literally seen at the eye hospital the next day ( a melanoma on his eyeball... he has to wear dark glasses and get checked regualrly but 3 years on still fine)

-1 to -4 is a big jump..but if you haven't gone regularly it may simply have been missed. Mine have deteriorated with monotonous regularity for years.

I do hope you aren't driving though as that defo can't be safe!

No not driving luckily bit honestly when I'm going about my day my vision doesn't seem that bad? It's only when I cover my right eye I seem to suddenly go bloody blind! I had my vision tested in 2022 at which point they said my vision was the same so it's changed this much in less than two years in my left eye. I was diagnosed with a weak left eye in childhood but my mum wasn't very good at taking us ro appointments etc and as a result I didn't get treatment and have been neglectful of myself even into adulthood. I think this could all possibly be due to my own bloody idiotic tendency to never wear my glasses. My right eye is pretty good but I'm wondering if the twitch might be due to it having to work twice as hard?

OP posts:
Original poster
SaunteringDownwards · 22/03/2024 17:00

Its plus vision too not minus, which seems to have less info online.

OP posts:
Original poster
SaunteringDownwards · 22/03/2024 17:00

dementedpixie · 22/03/2024 16:56

This is untrue. Lazy eye refers to the sight in the eye. It may lead to a squint but isn't the squint itself

Show quote history

I definitely don't have an observable squint or anything visually different in my left eye.

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 22/03/2024 17:01

@Sonolanona the OP is long sighted not short sighted so has gone from +1 to +4. I'm not sure at what point glasses are required for driving with long sight.

SavetheNHS · 22/03/2024 17:04

Hi OP and sorry to hear you are feeling so worried. It's very unlikely to be a brain tumour and here's why. A tumour would take up space in the brain and so would increase the pressure inside the skull. This, in turn, puts pressure on the optic nerve which can be seen at the back of the eye (optic disc). Your optometrist will have looked at the back of your eye and they didn't see any sign of raised pressure when they looked at your optic disc. Therefore, it is probably not a brain tumour.
Also, anything that could shift your prescription would have to be pressing on your eyeball, and therefore it would not be inside your brain. Most likely is that the full prescription was not detected initially.
Eye signs that are associated most commonly with brain tumours are: optic disc swelling, 6th nerve palsy (eye suddenly turning in with double vision) and nystagmus (eyeballs jumping from side to side - not related to eyelids twitching at all).
Lid twitching is often due to stress and/or exhaustion.
It's good to get referred though so they can do a thorough check up and answer all your questions.

Original poster
SaunteringDownwards · 22/03/2024 17:09

SavetheNHS · 22/03/2024 17:04

Hi OP and sorry to hear you are feeling so worried. It's very unlikely to be a brain tumour and here's why. A tumour would take up space in the brain and so would increase the pressure inside the skull. This, in turn, puts pressure on the optic nerve which can be seen at the back of the eye (optic disc). Your optometrist will have looked at the back of your eye and they didn't see any sign of raised pressure when they looked at your optic disc. Therefore, it is probably not a brain tumour.
Also, anything that could shift your prescription would have to be pressing on your eyeball, and therefore it would not be inside your brain. Most likely is that the full prescription was not detected initially.
Eye signs that are associated most commonly with brain tumours are: optic disc swelling, 6th nerve palsy (eye suddenly turning in with double vision) and nystagmus (eyeballs jumping from side to side - not related to eyelids twitching at all).
Lid twitching is often due to stress and/or exhaustion.
It's good to get referred though so they can do a thorough check up and answer all your questions.

Thanks so much I find this really reassuring as I think this was what the optician was trying to say but I was panicking and they didn't make it as clear! She did clearly state that my optic nerves looked normal but that she wanted to double check there was nothing pushing on my eyeball (trying not to Google what THAT could be). I'm just confused how my full prescription could have been "disguised" as she said as I have had two or three eye tests as an adult.

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 22/03/2024 17:13

Did she put drops in your eyes? They relax the eyes to help get a prescription and are often used for child eye tests when their answers can't be relied on so much

Sweetheart7 · 22/03/2024 17:13

Did you have the in depth eye check? OTC? Sorry if that's the wrong name!

Blackcats7 · 22/03/2024 17:17

I have had the eyelid twitching thing before in times of great stress so I wouldn’t think that is anything to worry about.
As your referral has not been marked urgent I would take comfort in that. I had vision problems about 18months ago and was seen the very next day so I would try to stay calm as you can and not google the hell out of it.
In my experience google will almost always tell you something could be cancer if you look long enough so don’t drive yourself mad with what are only possibilities not probablities.

Original poster
SaunteringDownwards · 22/03/2024 17:20

I had the OTC but no drops. I do think I had the OTC last time too though and it was still somehow missed? (Or the change has been rapid for whatever reason).

OP posts:
SavetheNHS · 22/03/2024 17:26

Long sight can be missed because your focussing muscles are so tense from focussing all the time that they don't relax sufficiently during the test. In this way, the true prescription can be disguised (unless they use drops, which they wouldn't usually do in an adult).
Anything pressing on the eyeball would probably press on the optic nerve too, and that was fine, so I don't think that's likely.

SavetheNHS · 22/03/2024 17:27

The OCT is a scan of the cell layers at the back of the eye, it does not detect long or short sight. The fact that it was fine is another good sign.

justasking111 · 22/03/2024 17:40

Could be a build up of fluid. I've had that. Had a vitrectomy and other operations. It's to do with the tear ducts .

They'll do all the tests at the hospital and get to the bottom of it.

FlabMonsterIsDietingAgain · 22/03/2024 17:44

Opticians have a low threshold for referrals, I've been referred loads of times because my eyes are fucked and freak them out.

In my experience a twitching eyelid is most often the result of too much coffee, too little sleep and stress, could they be a factor for you?

I also find that when my eyelid is twitching a lot, my eyesight gets a bit blurry presumably because I'm blinking more.

Obviously see through the referral but try not to be too worried until you know if there's something to be worried about.

Original poster
SaunteringDownwards · 22/03/2024 18:38

SavetheNHS · 22/03/2024 17:26

Long sight can be missed because your focussing muscles are so tense from focussing all the time that they don't relax sufficiently during the test. In this way, the true prescription can be disguised (unless they use drops, which they wouldn't usually do in an adult).
Anything pressing on the eyeball would probably press on the optic nerve too, and that was fine, so I don't think that's likely.

Thanks for explaining this it's really so helpful. Thanks all for trying to put my mind at rest! I'll take comfort in the knowledge that I have no other symptoms and I had a clear CT in mid 2022. Just hoping the referral doesn't take too long. I've had new glasses so I'm hoping that may help with the twitch if my right eye is having to work a lot harder.

OP posts:
Sonolanona · 22/03/2024 19:10

Ah my apologies... I totally ignored the + sign (cos I'm a massive - !)

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