Help Save My Friend's Eye...

July 23, 2011 8:39 PM

A friend of mine gradually lost sight of his right eye. He can no longer move it and doctors won't give him answers. Has anybody heard of this?

This man is around 50 years old, and in a span of about a month began to feel a stinging sensation around his right eye. Then he began having double vision on that eye alone, then one day was unable to move it. It just remains closed and he cannot see out of it. He's scared as hell because he's only been given pain medication and he's afraid his other eye might go out as well.

He's been to about 4 doctors and 3 optometrists, made a trip to Stanford and had a cat scan and nobody can give him an answer as to what's wrong.

Can I advise him to do something else? Has anybody heard or seen something like this?

posted by Zeker to health & fitness (6 answers total)

Find another doctor, keep going to doctors until you figure out what's wrong.
posted by TheBones at 8:41 PM on July 23, 2011 [2 favorites]

Sounds like something affecting the outer eye muscles. I have problems with my eye muscles due to Spastic Paraparesis, but not to that extent.

A Neuro-opthamologist and/or a Movement Disorders specialist might be able to help him out. Good luck.
posted by spinifex23 at 8:56 PM on July 23, 2011 [2 favorites]

Seconding the recommendation for a neuroopthamologist. Good luck to your friend.
posted by Maisie at 8:58 PM on July 23, 2011

It sounds like your friend's in the Bay Area. I'd give UCSF a shot - they have an excellent neurology group. I've head good things about a neuro-opthamologist there, Jonathan Horton.
posted by zippy at 9:15 PM on July 23, 2011 [1 favorite]

My husband is an ophthalmologist -- the usual disclaimers apply here (he's not your friend's dr, he's not treating your friend), and of course this is not something that can be diagnosed or treated without an actual exam, but he has this to say:

can he see out of it when he manually lifts the eyelid and closes his other eye? 

does he really see double if only that eye is opened? probably not - probably needs both opened to see double.

is he having any other symptoms? headaches? 

is the pupil large and non-reactive on that side? is the eye in a down and out position with no motion up, in, or down? if so, it is a third nerve palsy, he needs emergent (like immediate, heart attack urgency, no exaggeration) CT angiography (or equivalent study) to rule out an aneurysm pressing on his third cranial nerve. 

it's also possible to have other cause of third nerve palsy, including diabetes - does he have any other medical problems?

other possible causes include myasthenia gravis, a brain tumor, an orbital tumor; tests for these include blood tests (for myasthenia), and an MRI of brain and orbits rather than just a CT. 

a neuro-ophthalmologist is a good idea. and UCSF is a good idea. 

He has people to recommend at UCSF, so me-mail if that might be helpful.
posted by mothershock at 6:22 AM on July 24, 2011 [5 favorites]

nthing UCSF. They are awesome, and the doctors will not stop until they have an answer.
posted by guster4lovers at 3:37 PM on July 24, 2011