Detecting Early Signs of Multiple Sclerosis An eye exam can detect early signs of MS. Regular eye exams are critical because what may seem like a vision-related problem might be an indication of a broader health issue, like Janna learned during her eye exam.
Multiple sclerosis (MS).
When your optometrist detects optic nerve inflammation, that can indicate a diagnosis of MS. Patients with MS often also have double vision, blurred vision, or report pain when moving their eyes.
Only a neurologist (a specialist in nerves and the nervous system) can make a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. But many people will start their journey with an optician, as eye problems are a common first symptom.
A common visual symptom of MS is optic neuritis — inflammation of the optic (vision) nerve. Optic neuritis usually occurs in one eye and may cause aching pain with eye movement, blurred vision, dim vision, or loss of color vision. For example, the color red may appear washed out or gray.
The two most common eye movement problems in MS are double vision (diplopia) and involuntary eye movements (nystagmus).
People should consider the diagnosis of MS if they have one or more of these symptoms: vision loss in one or both eyes. acute paralysis in the legs or along one side of the body. acute numbness and tingling in a limb.
Blurred or Loss of Vision
They include: Blurry, gray, or double vision. Blindness or a dark spot in one eye. Eye movements you can't control.
An eye doctor, either an ophthalmologist or optometrist, can diagnose optic neuritis. They can perform tests to check color vision, how eyes respond to light, and how well the eye can see detail, such as letters in an eye chart.
Optic neuritis often affects color perception. You might notice that colors appear less vivid than normal. Flashing lights. Some people with optic neuritis report seeing flashing or flickering lights with eye movements.
An episode of Optic Neuritis typically begins with eye pain, especially with eye movements. Within a few days, patients will notice blurred vision in the affected eye. Often this appears like a “thumb-print” or smudge that blurs the vision. Within a week, this may progress to darkening of part of the visual field.
Optic neuritis, an acute inflammatory disorder of the optic nerve, typically presents with sudden monocular visual loss and eye pain in young adults, more commonly in women. It is a common initial manifestation of multiple sclerosis (MS).
Multiple sclerosis (MS).
This demyelinating disease can lead to severe dry eye. In MS, poor corneal sensory impulse conduction can result in insufficient tear production, and lagophthalmos-associated DED can occur due to poor motor control.
Nerve pain
MS can damage the nerves that affect your muscles. This can cause acute or paroxysmal pain in the form of spasms. Your arms and legs might shoot out uncontrollably and might have pain like cramping or pulling. Nerve pain can also be chronic in the form of painful or unusual sensations on your skin.
MS can occur at any age, but onset usually occurs around 20 and 40 years of age. However, younger and older people can be affected. Sex. Women are more than 2 to 3 times as likely as men are to have relapsing-remitting MS .
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the test of choice for diagnosing MS in combination with initial blood tests. MRIs use radio waves and magnetic fields to evaluate the relative water content in tissues of the body. They can detect normal and abnormal tissues and can spot irregularities.
Here's where MS (typically) starts
Optic neuritis, or inflammation of the optic nerve, is usually the most common, Shoemaker says. You may experience eye pain, blurred vision and headache. It often occurs on one side and can eventually lead to partial or total vision loss.
MS is best detected by a neurological examination and painless imaging studies of the brain and spinal cord using magnetic resonance testing (MRI). An ophthalmologist also can use a test called an optical coherence tomography (OCT) to determine if the optic nerve has been affected by MS.
Neurological examination
Your neurologist will look for abnormalities, changes or weakness in your vision, eye movements, hand or leg strength, balance and co-ordination, speech and reflexes. These may show whether your nerves are damaged in a way that might suggest MS.
Most MS patients develop ON at some time in the course of their disease, and optic neuritis is the presenting symptom for about 20 percent of MS patients.
Multiple sclerosis can damage the nerves that lead to the eye, resulting in optic neuritis. Symptoms of optic neuritis include vision problems, painful eyes, and temporary vision loss. Multiple sclerosis (MS) can cause inflammation and damage to the myelin sheath in the optic nerve.