A common visual symptom of MS is optic
The early signs and symptoms of MS can be the same for women and men. One of the more obvious first signs of MS is a problem with vision, known as optic neuritis. This is often because it's a more concrete symptom as opposed to vaguer neurological symptoms like numbness and tingling.
About half of people with MS at some time or other get a particular problem called optic neuritis. This is when your optic nerve becomes inflamed. Optic neuritis symptoms can include blurry vision, 'washed out' colour vision, and eye pain for a few days when you move your eyes.
Optic neuritis is a type of MS relapse that affects one or both optic nerves. The symptoms of eye pain and blurred vision may worsen over the first few days to two weeks, and then gradually improve. Some people recover within a month, others need up to a year. Most people regain normal or close-to-normal sight.
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.
A multiple sclerosis (MS) self-assessment cannot diagnose MS, but it may help a person understand their symptoms and know when to contact a doctor. An MS self-assessment may focus on energy levels, physical sensations, vision problems, and more.
Seek medical help urgently if you suddenly develop blurred vision along with: dizziness. weakness or numbness in one arm. a drooping face.
MS can appear at any age but most commonly manifests between the ages of 20 and 40. It affects women two to three times as often as men. Almost one million people in the United States have MS, making it one of the most common causes of neurological disability among young adults in North America.
FAQs about MS prognosis and life expectancy
Multiple sclerosis itself is not usually lethal, but it can increase the risk of long-term complications, such as infections or trouble swallowing, that can potentially shorten survival. On average, longevity is about five to 10 years shorter in people with MS.
Optic neuritis, or inflammation of the optic (vision) nerve, is the first symptom of MS for about 20 percent of people who have the disease, and 50 percent of people who have MS experience it at some point in their disease course, according to a review published in June 2021 in Neurology and Therapy.
Vision problems, like blurred or double vision. Dizziness and a lack of coordination. Trouble walking, feeling unsteady, a loss of balance.
MRI is particularly useful in detecting central nervous system demyelination — that is, damage of the myelin sheath in the nervous system. This makes it a powerful tool in establishing the diagnosis of MS.
These include fibromyalgia and vitamin B12 deficiency, muscular dystrophy (MD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), migraine, hypo-thyroidism, hypertension, Beçhets, Arnold-Chiari deformity, and mitochondrial disorders, although your neurologist can usually rule them out quite easily.
While there are no definitive blood tests for diagnosing MS, they can rule out other conditions that may mimic MS symptoms, including Lyme disease, collagen-vascular diseases, rare hereditary disorders, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
For many individuals diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, vision problems are often one of the first symptoms experienced. And this is because multiple sclerosis is a disease of the central nervous system.
Symptoms of Vitamin B Deficiencies
Vitamin B1 deficiency is often associated with alcoholism and may cause toxic optic neuropathy leading to blurred vision and a restricted visual field. Vitamin B2, B3, and B6 deficiencies are associated with dry eyes and eye infections in the front of the eye.
Cloudy vision in one or both eyes can be from something simple like eye irritation, an infection, or floaters. Cataracts, which cause the vision to become cloudy with age, are another common cause and can be treated with minor surgery.
Here's where MS (typically) starts
Although a number of MS symptoms can appear early on, two stand out as occurring more often than others: Optic neuritis, or inflammation of the optic nerve, is usually the most common, Shoemaker says. You may experience eye pain, blurred vision and headache.
How long can MS go undiagnosed? MS is usually diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 50, but it can go undetected for years. In fact, a 2021 study suggested that many people with MS experience disease symptoms several years before being officially diagnosed with the disease.
While symptoms vary greatly from person to person, and can get better or worse over time, more common symptoms include fatigue, walking (gait) difficulties, numbness or tingling, spasticity, weakness, vision problems, dizziness, bladder and bowel problems, sexual problems, pain, cognitive and emotional changes, and ...
Factors that may trigger MS include: Exposure to certain viruses or bacteria: Some research suggests that being exposed to certain infections (such as Epstein-Barr virus) can trigger MS later in life. Where you live: Your environment may play a role in your risk for developing MS.