bad eye prescription

By kary Monday, July 02, 2012

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i´ve been diagnosed with Classical Migraine two years ago. My symptoms are all those on the list plus one: one or two hours os seizures being conscious and with my legs, arms and head moving involuntarily.

My neurologist tried different medicines and now i´m only with Topamax 100mg with barely no side effects. And when i feel a migraine coming 2 or 3 pain pills.

I know now that what triggers my migraines are sounds and lights (trough the eyes).

And here comes a question because i really wish i´m not the only one in the world with this: My problem is that about five years ago i cant have a good eye prescription because my eye seem to "change" and the glasses i use today will be no good for me tomorrow or in a week.

The optometrician thinks i´m crazy, but i even carry 3 pair of glasses my purse and when i get desperate, none at all, and of course, a migraine starts to come :(

I don´t know anymore if i should visit another eye doctor (have been to 5 already), my neurologist, i´ve been searching on the web, or if it´s really just me?

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Comments (4) | Add comment

Nancy Harris Bonk

7/ 3/12 2:52pm

Hello, and welcome to HealthCentral's Migraine Community!

Glad you found us and thanks for posting. I'm not sure I understand what you mean about your eyes - but do know if you think you need another opinion, then do so. Have you seen an optometrist or an ophthalmologist -there is a difference. An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor who specializes in eye care and has gone to four years of medical school, probably a year long internship and three years of residency. An optomertrist goes to undergaduate school, then does four years in optometry school.

One of the most important things is to get an accurate diagnosis. To simplify matters and make it easier for people to get information and treatment, doctors usually go by the gold standard for diagnosis, the International Headache Society's International Classification of Headache Disorders, 2nd Edition (ICHD-II). Although people often ask what “classical” or “complicated” Migraines are, there’s no such diagnoses under ICHD-II. We do see it used, but doctors use it differently, so it really doesn't tell anyone what type of Migraine you actually have. You can read more about this Migraine with Aura and The Type of Migraine Does Matter.

Thank you for creating a SharePost. SharePosts are a form of blogging, and there are many things you can do with them. You can share an experience, suggest something that's helped you, use SharePosts as a Migraine and headache journal, and many other things.

We also have a discussion forum that you may want to check out. Especially if you have questions or are looking for information, you may find the interaction on the forum to be quite helpful. To get there, go to the Migraine home page and look on the left hand side where you'll see a row of boxes. The Forum box is at the very bottom. Click on it and scroll down to the bottom of that page, and you will see the log-in spot. Because our forums are maintained by a third party, you'll need to register for the forum. You can use the same information you used to create your community log-in if you like. If you want to go directly to the forum, you can click HERE.

Along with your personal "My Home" page and the discussion forum, you'll find links to a great deal of helpful information on the main page of our site, http://www.MyMigraineConnection.com. Under the Find, Manage, and Connect tabs on the left side each page, you’ll find a wealth of information – educational articles, tips, quizzes, workbooks, support and advocacy information, and more.

Do you have questions about Migraine? There are three ways to get answers – through our Ask the Clinician column, in our community Question and Answer Section, or through our forum. Just go to our Migraine Answers page HERE.

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Welcome again,

Nancy Bonk

Health Guide
HealthCentral's Migraine Community

PS: If you receive this message from more than one of us, please excuse the overlap. Thanks!

Teri Robert, Health Guide

7/ 5/12 11:25am

Hi, Kary,

Wow, you have a lot going on here. None of us are going to be able to really give you answers, but maybe we can give you suggestions and information to discuss with your doctors.

If you were diagnosed with "Classical Migraine" two years ago, whoever diagnosed you was someone who isn't up-to-date on Migraine information. The term "Classical Migraine" was replaced with Migraine with aura years ago.

The seizures you mention are not common with Migraine. If I were in your place, I'd be having my doctors check very thoroughly to be sure there isn't a seizure disorder involved too.

As you already know, it's very unusual for your eyes to change so quickly that your prescription for your glasses isn't adequate so soon. Are you seeing an optometrist or an ophthalmologist? If you're seeing an optometrist, you might want to consider seeing an ophthalmologist for a thorough exam to rule out problems with your eyes. Which brings me to your taking Topamax. Did your doctor tell you it has some potentially serious side effects that can impact vision? You can find some information on that in Potential Vision Issues with Topamax.

As for your neurologist, it’s important to note that neurologists aren’t necessarily Migraine and headache specialists. Take a look at the article Migraine and Headache Specialists - What's So Special? If you need help finding a Migraine specialist, check our listing of Patient Recommended Migraine and Headache Specialists.

I hope some of this information is helpful to you. Please keep us posted?

Teri

JerryW

7/10/12 8:35am

Kary,

I too take Topamax and experience eye sight problems, but not as severe as yours, just blurriness which is one of the side effects of Topamax as Teri mentioned, and severe headaches when i read too long

I also experience icepick migraines just for a few seconds when i remove my reading glasses. You should seek an eye care specialist tho as I did, just to rule out any other possible conditions you may have.

kary

7/10/12 5:58pm

Hi, thank youfor your answers. After reading what you wrote i went to the neurologist, and he wasn´t able to give me the information i needed, so i started to look around for a new doctor.

I live in Central America where there are no migraine clinics, but i found a new neurologist who told when he heard about my case he studied a bit before even seen me... He gave me the Migraine with Aura diagnosis and said i did have a Seizure disorder.

About my eyes, we will make one more exam to see how are the veins of my eyes, i really don´t remember the name of the exam. We really don´t think it´s a result of the Topamax since this started about 5 years ago but not this severe.

The best thing is that he is going to study my whole case, and even said we could try to lower the Topamax . For the moment he didn´t recomend any more ophtalmologists or optometrists since i´ve been to several of them.

so we´ll see...

bad eye prescription

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