Really worried, dd 12 is complaining of intermittant double vision

[Kaylasmum49]

Hi, my 12 yo dd told me the other day that she is having the occasional episode of double vision. I should explain that I have health anxiety which has been under control mostly but this has sent me into a downward spiral of fear and obsessive googling.

She says it happens maybe once a week or so and lasts for a few minutes. She told me when it happened yesterday at school she closed one eye and it was'nt really noticeable with the other eye, she also said that it's only on certain objects, she can look around and not notice it on other things.

Her dad has a squint that he had since early childhood, she had that checked out when she was little and there was no evidence of one. I certainly don't notice one when looking at her, can a squint suddenly occur at this age? I'm focussing on a brain tumour and I'm driving myself to the brink of insanity.

My eldest dd has taken her for an eye test so I'm anxiously waiting to hear from her.

Can anyone help to calm me down, please. Please don't tell me any scary stuff

Kaylas, the more I read about your situation, the more I am comfortable that this isn't serious. The type of diplopia (double vision) you are describing does not sound anything like the serious ones I've encountered in practice. And those instances are very rare. Nevertheless, it's important you get this checked.

I've never suffered from HA so I don't know what you are going through but I'll keep an eye out for this thread in case you have any questions.

Kaylas - I finally went to the opticians about DS's wonky vision.

Going on Wednesday, optician not overly concerned from my description of his symptoms or the video of him going "oooh, oooh, it's baaaaack, yes, I can see two of you, oooooh. Oh, it's gone again"

Hope that helps to reassure you that there's little here for being overly concerned about. Though, I really should have been there last week, am just protecting my hard won Slightly Less Than Average Mum Status.

Hope you are feeling a bit less anxious this week.

JerryFerry - thanks for taking the time to explain that to me. Did it take a while to get a diagnosis for your ds? I don't get enough exercise tbh, I have a problem with my legs called lipodema which hinders my mobility a little, although I love cycling.

Bayworld- you've been a great support to me and I appreciate it greatly. HA has blighted my life for the past 12 years since my amazing dad died.

Stealth- thanks for updating me. Did the optician say what he thinks the problem is? Are they going to give him another eye test?

My anxiety is up and down at the moment, but I think the diazepam is helping. I would be interested to hear how it goes when you take your ds back to the optician, if that's ok. I really don't want be a nuisance.

Jerry Ferry, good post. Over the years I've realised that when I sort out the visual issue, this takes away all the effort a child has been putting in to overcome these issues and frees up attention for things (in your case listening skills). Not weird at all!

Kaylas, good on you for keeping going while all this is going on!

We're going back on Wednesday, Kaylasmum.

Optician didn't say what he thought it was, but, nor did he sound worried. Hang in there xx

Thanks for the continued support, it's helping so much.

Stealth - I hope your appointment goes well. Would you mind letting me know how it goes? Just wondering if you stay in Scotland. xx

Yep, in Edinburgh. Think you're in Perth?

Of course I'll let you know how we get on. Am assuming he needs specs and that the problem is that he has his dad's eyeballs. Rubbish sire

xx

Hi Op, yes my double vision was mainly when there was light shining on things. I still get affected a bit by glare nowadays. I always get the anti glare coating put on my glasses. I'm in Scotland too funnily enough, Aberdeen!

OP - no the optometrist explained it all at the appointment (which was a good hour), did the script and made a referral to Irlens diagnostician, the glasses went between the two labs and that was it. He had other testing too with specialists for audio and sensory issues but I am guessing that isn't relevant to you.

Sorry to hear that your mobility is limited, that is tough. Do you find that you feel a little better when you've been able to cycle? I notice that I sleep better and function much better on days I've had a run.

Take a flash photo of the child - you will soon see if there is a squint as the flash points in the photo will be in a different place in each eye. You have to turn off the red-eye reduction.

Back from the opticians.

He listened to the history, saw the video of the wonky eye and said it was probably long sightedness - that kids can compensate better than adults and when the eye is tired then the symptoms show up.

But, he's not long sighted. So, it's all a bit odd.

Optician reckons there's something wrong with his eyeball's tracking. He's referred to the eye hospital, which is a couple of months waiting list.

I'm still not overly worried, there's nothing to suggest there's anything sinister going on. Have resisted googling so far as it'll only worry me. I'd forgotten I'd thought I'd seen some nystagmus in his eye about six months ago, but couldn't replicate it and thought "hmm, that's odd". Totally forgot. Naturally, am now constantly scrutinising DS's face for any wobbly eye shizz.

Child is ok, well, right now he can't really see because of the blurry drops, but, apart from that, he is ok.

Must. Not. Google.

Googled it.

FFS. I am so weak.

Stealth, yeah I'm in Perth

Hope it goes well today at the opticians.

Helen, when the double vision started with you were you wearing glasses? Sorry for all the questions.

Jerryferry, I don't think my dd has the same issues as your ds, she has no problems with black text on a white background. It's mainly light against dark or if light is shining on objects.

Unfortunately I've not been out on my bike recently but will try to force myself to get out for a cycle

Mishaps, I'm sure my dd doesn't have a squint

found strabismus.org....

they say it can be linked to concussion. He had a bad concussion about four months ago - a pillow fight went wrong and he damaged the socket in the bottom of his eyeball. He lost the colour vision in his eye, that's how we knew there was a problem. Landed up in A+E after a friend said "ohmaigawshthatshisoopticnervebeingcrushed". Was a weird one, consultant had never seen a child with an orbit fracture before, not even from car crashes. Pillow fights are dangerous.

Bet it's something to do with that - it's been worse since then. Though, the double vision was there before that, but, not as often - usually from a virus.

Must not google anything else.

Stealth, Google is evil! It's hard not to though.

2 months waiting list is unbelievable. Can they not try to hurry it through? I'm still nervously waiting for my dd's appointment to come through, the gp couldn't tell me how long it might take. Kinda in limbo atm. Is your ds still having the intermittent double vision? It's tough being a mum.xx

Actually, I think that 2 months is ok. If there was any evidence of something worrying we'd be up there now, so, it's good to be on a waiting list, means you're not That Family in the Daily Mail.

Yep, he's having it every day in the morning. Must be the concussion. Would fit with the history, I guess.

CAn't believe I forgot about it...third kid syndrome strikes again.

Phoned the very helpful optician with my super theory that probably explains everything.

He said probably unrelated, it's been going on for a year, so was there before the concussion. That a defect in the orbit would cause vertical symptoms and not horizontal, which is what he has. That there's nothing to suggest he needs an urgent referral, and, just to keep on keeping on.

So, not the concussion.

I'll stick with the day job.

I've had frequent double vision (both squint and vertical) for upwards of 40 years, and it only ever happens when I'm really tired and/or stressed out. Optician says it is absolutely normal and nothing to worry about, it's just the eye muscles getting a bit strained and they don't co-ordinate properly.

for you OP

Stealth, it's good that the optician isn't too concerned, very reassuring for you. Is it your local hospital that your ds has been referred to?

Dodo, I assume then that you were fairly young when it first began? Were you told what was causing it?

Just adding to experiences, my DD developed double vision and a truly spectacular squint out of the blue when she was about 12. Optician wrote to GP who arranged appointment with orthoptist at St Thomas's. They gave her an MRI because they always do, just to cover every possibility (including something like the PP's pillow-fighting incident) but they had no real anxiety that it would show anything sinister - and indeed it was completely clean. Squint was sorted out with day surgery and now you'd never know.

Yesthisisme, that must have been scary for you. Did they say why the squint suddenly occurred? I'm pretty sure my Dr doesn't have a squint.

Stealth, did the optician say what kind of tests they would do at the eye hospital?

My dd of course, not my Dr

It was a bit scary when they said they'd book her an MRI. Fortunately she didn't realise what the implication was and I managed to keep my kneejerk "They think my baby has a brain tumour!" reaction under wraps.

They never found a reason why it happened - they said it was unusual but just one of those things.

Kayla, this happened to DS2. He had a slight cast in one eye - not enough to notice most of the time, but his eye drifted when he was tired and it caused double vision. Opticians may not pick up on it. You need a hospital eye doctor to check it out. He grew out of it as his eye muscles strengthened.

I did wear glasses when it started. I've worn them since I was 10. I am short sighted, although weirdly one eye has got significantly better since my last eye test . Optician says that's very rare and odd!