Re: sudden partial blindness

[Guest guest]

I actually have that all the time, or I used to. I have occular

migraines and that what causes mine. The first time was when I was 15,

out on a skating rink, and suddenly......NOTHING. It usually only

lasts about 15-30 mins then I get the headache. I actually haven't had

it in about 5 years though. I know this probably doesn't help since it

isn't related to the Gleevec. But maybe you had a headache and didn't

know it?

Amy <smile>

[Guest guest]

Hi Amy,

Thanks for your response. My eye doctor asked me if I had a headache

because she thought it might be a migraine also but I had no headache

so she didn't know what to say after that. Strange huh. Can you have

the blindness without the headache?

Tracey

> I actually have that all the time, or I used to. I have

occular

> migraines and that what causes mine. The first time was when I was

15,

> out on a skating rink, and suddenly......NOTHING. It usually only

> lasts about 15-30 mins then I get the headache. I actually haven't

had

> it in about 5 years though. I know this probably doesn't help since

it

> isn't related to the Gleevec. But maybe you had a headache and

didn't

> know it?

>

> Amy <smile>

[Guest guest]

Hi Tracey from another Tracey,

I have the partial blindness all the time, it starts off small and

then it widens and it usually has like

lighting bolts around it.

It is an ocular migraine, but I don't get the headaches afterwards.

It started with Gleevec.

It is very irritating as I could be watching TV and then I miss half

of the movie, even when I close my eyes I still see the simmering silver.

It indeed lasts for about half an hour, sometimes I get while driving.

My hematologist give me migraine pills for it but it does not help as

I don't get the headache afterwards.

I have been taking Gleevec for 5 and a half years and I have so long.

I hope the frequency that you get it would not be often.

Cheers, Tracey

dxd 12/1998

The Netherlands

[Guest guest]

Wow, I didn't expect so many great responses, thanks so much to Amy,

Barb, Tracey, , Ellen and MJ for taking the time to answer!

Many of you described the shimmering light or aura that is typically

associated with those occular migraines but I didn't have that which

is why I was questioning if it could still be a migraine. There

were no flashes, no lights, no glimmers, no zig zaggy things, no

darkness, just plain blindness. And when I closed my eyes, there

wasn't anything significant....no lights or flashes like what you've

had .

The other thing that was odd was that I had the same blind spot (the

size of an orange) from both eyes. It was slightly off to the right

side but when I covered either eye, the spot was in the same place.

In other words it didn't move to the left if I was looking just from

my left eye.

So because I didn't have the headache, or the flashing lights that

are typically associated with these migraines, and because nothing

was wrong when I closed my eyes, I questioned if it could be a

migraine. Since Barb has experienced the same thing, I'm feeling a

little bit more relaxed.

My optometrist suggested I follow up with my GP so I'm seeing him

today. I'll let you know what he says but thanks again to everyone

who responded.

Tracey

Ps--

Tracey from Holland, it's so good to hear from you. I remember you

from the old days. You've been through a lot over the years and I'm

really glad you wrote in!

Ellen, yes my counts had dropped significantly when I lost weight

but they seem to have stabalized now. Infact, my basophils have

moved in the other direction now (doubling) which has me a bit

concerned. I guess the worries never end do they?

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone,

I just got back from my GP's and he said the same thing that most of

you said....that it could have been a migraine without the headache.

He wasn't 100% convinced however so to rule out other potential

causes, he's sending me for a carotid doppler. He said it's possible

that I had a narrowing of the carotid artery which temporarily blocked

the blood flow to my retina causing the scotoma.

The thing that makes him question the migraine theory is because I had

blindness without the zig zaggy light aura thing plus the fact that

there wasn't any headache, made him want to be sure that it wasn't

from a problem with my carotid artery.

We shall see what transpires............

Thanks again for all your responses,

Tracey

[Guest guest]

Hi Tracey - I'm just catching up on emails after a couple of weeks happily

away from the computer.

> Date: Wed, 27 Jul 2005 20:23:19 -0000

> From: " Tracey " <traceyincanada@...>

> Subject: Re: sudden partial blindness

> I just got back from my GP's and he said the same thing that most of

> you said....that it could have been a migraine without the headache.

>

> He wasn't 100% convinced however so to rule out other potential

> causes, he's sending me for a carotid doppler. He said it's possible

> that I had a narrowing of the carotid artery which temporarily blocked

> the blood flow to my retina causing the scotoma.

This isn't possible if you experienced the same vision loss in both eyes,

which I believe you said you did. When it's in both eyes, the problem HAS

to be in the visual cortex of the brain, which is where images from 2 eyes

become integrated into one.

>

> The thing that makes him question the migraine theory is because I had

> blindness without the zig zaggy light aura thing plus the fact that

> there wasn't any headache, made him want to be sure that it wasn't

> from a problem with my carotid artery.

I agree with his reasoning on this: best to be safe.

BTW, like others on the list, I had an occular migraine without headache

once in the first year of using IM - never before nor since though - and it

did occur with zig-zag lines along with the scotoma (hole in the visual

field - from Webster's: " New Latin, from Medieval Latin, dimness of vision,

from Greek skotOmat-, skotOma, from skotoun to darken, from skotos

: a blind or dark spot in the visual field "

Cheers,

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

It's good to see you back and thanks for your input.

I have the apointement for the carotid dopplar at the end of the

month, along with an echocardiogram (that's another issue, separate

from the blindness). Seems when it rains, it pours.

So far I haven't had any other blindness episoides so I'm leaning

towards the theory that it was an unusual ocular migraine but I'll

have the dopplar anyway to be sure.

Take care,

Tracey

> Hi Tracey - I'm just catching up on emails after a couple of weeks

happily

> away from the computer.