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Original poster

Suddenly blind in one eye!

37 replies

autumnrained · 12/12/2017 11:46

Hi I'm just looking for advice as we're not sure on where to turn to now!
Dh was sweeping up last week when he stood up he suddenly went dizzy and he said his eye sight just went black but after a minute of so he regained most of it back but he was left with only a tiny bit of vision in his left eye.
Off he went to seek medical advice they took blood tests and did an eye exam and asked him to return the next day. So he did, this time they did lots of eye drops and extensive tests but all came back fine so was asked to return today for more tests and to see a doctor. He's been and they've done what they do and told him thats it we will see you in 3 months time Hmm
So he's now not able to do much as getting used to vision in only 1 eye is hard for him so he can't work now. No glasses. No answers no more tests just wait 3 months.
Surely more should be done? Does anyone know what route to take next please?

OP posts:
Bobbins43 · 12/12/2017 11:49

If he's had tests done, I'm not sure what else can be done. I'm very short sighted and I was always told to get straight down to A&E if my vision started to go as it could be a sign of my retina detaching. Have they no idea what it is?

danTDM · 12/12/2017 11:52

This is in no way medical advice or anything and I don't want to worry you. This happened to my friend one day, he closed one eye to look out of just the other (we were playing a game) and he was blind in that eye.

Went to the hospital and he had a non malignant brain tumour thing wrapped round the optic nerve or something. He had it removed and is perfectly fine now. It was complicated though.

One surgeon said he wouldn't do it, one said he would be blind in that eye and one (he pushed seeing different specialists) said he could do it, and did.

I really would go private asap to be honest.

Ofthread · 12/12/2017 11:54

What kind of doctor did he see? In my experience (as a patient) the doctors dealing with this don't always talk to each other very well. Has a brain MRI been mentioned at all? I have been through all of this, happy to offer what limited advice I can if it's helpful. I kickstarted my investigations by paying to see a neurologist privately. I was then referred back into the NHS.

Johnnycomelately1 · 12/12/2017 11:57

A stroke seems an obvious possibility. Not sure if they can test for that. My old boss had one and woke up blind in one eye. It did come back after a few months.

danTDM · 12/12/2017 11:57

Yes Ofthread, I believe that's what my friend did too. It was along time ago so my memory is hazy. Definitely I would have thought a head MRI is crucial

Original poster
autumnrained · 12/12/2017 11:59

Thanks for replying!

The pain he has been his eyes when he coughs or sneezes he describes as being very painful! (Sorry forgot to mention this)
The only doctors he has seen have been ophthalmologists.
He's had bloods and eye tests and nothing more and because the eye tests have come back clear they just want to see him again in 3 months and nothing more to be done. He has been told to wait to see if it returns in the meantime and he's not to have glasses to help Confused

OP posts:
danTDM · 12/12/2017 12:04

Ah well, my friend had NO pain. Maybe you have been given the right advice in that they feel he has strained his eyes, hence waiting to see if it gets better, plus the pain when he coughs etc all points to strain.

Let's be honest, we are not the medics on here! I am sure they know what they are talking about! It just seems rather odd doesn't it?

Coconutspongexo · 12/12/2017 12:04

He needs to go to his GP and demand further testing, don’t contact the ophthalmologists for further testing as it’s very unlikely he will be sent for an MRI which it sounds like he needs.

He may (only may) have a clot behind his eye - the pain when sneezing etc. There’s also the possibility of a tumour.

I’d speak to your GP and say you’re considering going private if there’s no further investigations but lots of GPs would be happy to help you get to the bottom of this.

3luckystars · 12/12/2017 12:05

So you haven’t been to the gp?
I would make appointments with them today and start looking for another opinion.

3luckystars · 12/12/2017 12:05

(Especially if one eye is hurting him)

Definitely go to the gp.

Coconutspongexo · 12/12/2017 12:06

I understand him not being given glasses btw I’m blind in one eye, giving glasses won’t suddenly give me sight in that eye.

danTDM · 12/12/2017 12:06

I think I would be tempted to go to hospital if anything.

Genevieva · 12/12/2017 12:09

If you can get him to Moorfield, they have an A&E / drop in clinic:

www.moorfields.nhs.uk/service/accident-emergency.

Ofthread · 12/12/2017 12:27

You need to get to see a neurologist. The ophthalmologists will have just confirmed that there is nothing structurally wrong with the eye. It's baffling that these two parts of medicine don't speak to each other. A&E can't generally order an MRI, at least not where I live. They can do a CT to rule out stroke.

underneaththeash · 12/12/2017 13:33

It sounds like a central artery occlusion - did they mention that? They have have also checked for a condition called Giant Cell Arteritis which can cause CRAO.

Central vision is sometimes spared if they have separate artery (called a cilia-retinal artery) leading to the macula which is the part of the eye that is responsible for central vision.

If it is a CRAO (central retinal artery occlusion) then there's nothing much they can do, except to check that there are no co-exisitng conditions such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol levels. No treatments have been found to have any affect as the tissue damages so quickly.

It Must be incredibly hard for him, but people do adjust to having vision in just one eye. He needs to ensure that he does as much as he can to look after the vision in the good eye; so no smoking (smoking is really bad for eyes), good diet, exercise, good control of diabetes.
Its worth getting the other eye checked to see if your husband needs to wear a correction for the good eye.

He also needs to inform the DVLA, but they allow people to drive usually after 3 months, which is when the vast majority of people have adapted. Your husband will need to learn to move his head more.

Having written all this though, I don't know for 100% certainty that it is a CRAO, but you could have a look at the discharge papers or call your GP.

SeaToSki · 12/12/2017 13:41

He needs a doctor to assess him for issues in his brain, with a proper MRI scan or the other one where they put a contrast dye into your blood and then scan it as it runs around the brain. I would get him into the A and E today if he cant see his GP today. Does he have any muscle weakness or coordination issues on one or both sides? is his speech normal? Is he thinking as clearly and logically as normal? How is his short term memory?

Ofthread · 12/12/2017 14:08

Optic neuritis should be well up there as something to check for.

underneaththeash · 12/12/2017 15:50

Ofthread - optic neuritis doesn't cause you to suddenly and completely lose the vision in the eye, its more gradual and less severe in terms of the visual loss.

Neither does a retinal detachment, again unless you have suddenly suffered a severe trauma to the eye is more gradual - a bit like a curtain coming across the vision and you usually get flashing lights and floaters.

baritonehome · 12/12/2017 16:46

I would go back to GP. A friend's mum and a colleague had one sided eyesight loss and it was for both the first symptom of MS.

There a number of much more innocent causes. But given the the ophthalmologist didn't find any wrong, he really needs to see a neurologist.

laurzj82 · 12/12/2017 17:05

I know someone this happened to and it was MS. GP first thing in the morning.

ChateauCollapso · 12/12/2017 17:54

My dad suddenly went blind in one eye many years ago. He went to the GP & his blood pressure was through the roof. He was referred to the eye hospital in Kingston & a blood clot had caused the loss of sight. As he'd left it a couple of days before going to the GP there was nothing they could do & he never regained his sight in that eye. Definitely get some medical advice.

MrsSkeletor · 12/12/2017 21:30

Investigate MS?

Ofthread · 13/12/2017 01:46

"Signs and symptoms
Major symptoms are sudden loss of vision (partial or complete).."

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optic_neuritis

underneaththeash · 13/12/2017 07:45

Ofthread - Optic Neuritis doesn't cause your vision to suddenly become completely black and then start coming back as the OP described.
Although it is described as an acute condition (i.e. translated by wiki as sudden), the autoimmune changes that occur happen more gradually that the split second loss described above.

The sort of acute vision loss the OP has described without any trauma is highly likely to be a vascular incident.

OP - I hope your husband is feeling a little better in himself today.

Twoweekcruise · 13/12/2017 09:29

Definitely go to the GP and push for more tests. My friend had this and she had had a TIA. It could be a number of things, I’m really surprised that the ophthalmologist didn’t refer on. I worked for opticians for a number of years and our opthalmologists would always refer something like this to the hospital.
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