"He's as blind as he can be" The Beatles
Yesterday when I was home alone, I had a scintillating fortification scotoma. Pretty scary.
What happened is that I lost vision in both eyes for about 2o minutes. Actually a shimmering jagged arch drifting in the right half of my visual field. It was like I was staring through a phantasmorgical prism so that the words on the page were blurred and unreadable. The jagged edges make it look like the top of old fort or castle. Hence the name: Fortification scotoma. The fact that it was bilateral suggested it probably originated in the brain, specifically the occipital lobes. Somewhere proximal to the optic chasm is not ruled out, but is less likely. Thank G-d I wasn't driving or operating heavy equipment. The picture above is pretty accurate.
I barely managed to call Patty to get home quick. We all know the numbers on the phone by their position, because I am not sure I could have deciphered them. By the time she got home to rescue me the bilateral light show was over. The thrills of the 60s without the drugs.
My diagnosis: An ophthalmic migraine. A migraine sans migraine. Just the aura. No headache that follows. Haven't the time for the pain. Not that usual in the over 50 crowd.
There I am treating myself again. When will I ever learn? Probably never.
The whole episode put a crimp in my writing.
I want to take a step back from the brink, and discuss the slow motion world of the wherefores and the whys but life just keeps happening.
posted by Brian Koffman at
7:42 PM
2 Comments:
Yep, an ocular migraine. I get them sometimes but not to the severity you describe. I had these for a number of years prior to being diagnosed with CLL. The only other odd eye disorder I have infrequently is the loss of binocular vision, that is a loss of sync between the eyes. I cover one eye for a few seconds and sync is restored.
Did you talk with any Mayo or U of MN CLL folks at ASH?
Yesterday, I received a diagnosis of ocular migraine from my neurologist. Everything I'm reading on the internet is scaring the daylights out of me. I'll be seeing an opthamologist in a week; is there anything I should be sure to mention other than the visual disturbances?
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