Blurry vision
06-07-20, 10:28 PM
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Blurry vision
I have a question about blurry vision.
I recently returned to cycling after 9 months or so off. On about half my rides, I have been experiencing blurry vision.It is particularly bad if I try to focus on text on signs.It resolves within 30 seconds of stopping.
The blurriness only happens when I'm riding uphill about 30 or 45 minutes into a ride. It does not happen when I run or weight life.
I've seen an ophthalmologist who said my eyes look fine. He suggests the problem might be due to low blood pressure or blood sugar, but for various reasons, I doubt it is either of those things.
Anyone had a similar experience?
I recently returned to cycling after 9 months or so off. On about half my rides, I have been experiencing blurry vision.It is particularly bad if I try to focus on text on signs.It resolves within 30 seconds of stopping.
The blurriness only happens when I'm riding uphill about 30 or 45 minutes into a ride. It does not happen when I run or weight life.
I've seen an ophthalmologist who said my eyes look fine. He suggests the problem might be due to low blood pressure or blood sugar, but for various reasons, I doubt it is either of those things.
Anyone had a similar experience?
06-07-20, 10:34 PM
#2
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Are you a diabetic? I am and that makes my eyes go out of focus after biking often.
06-07-20, 10:56 PM
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(not a doctor. so please dont take me seriously)
- heart rate ok?
- watery eyes?
- sweat in eyes?
- do you hold/compress your breath when u go uphill?
- prescription glasses?
- can you swap uphill and flat in the timing of the ride?
- heart rate ok?
- watery eyes?
- sweat in eyes?
- do you hold/compress your breath when u go uphill?
- prescription glasses?
- can you swap uphill and flat in the timing of the ride?
06-07-20, 11:06 PM
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Heart Problem? I was experiencing blurred vision at times as well as dizziness and vertigo. Finally went to Doctor that knew his stuff. Found out I had a Bicuspid heart valve and was immediately sent for tests and out of no where had to have valve replacement surgery. How is your energy level throughout the day. Do you fatigue easier now that years prior? Feel like crap a lot?
Get checked!
BTW I rode 7000 miles the year prior to my diagnosis and at times really had to push myself. Anyway, they took three liters of fluid from around my heart before they even started the valve job. The Doctor told my Daughter who is in Med School this. She in turn told her Professor who told her he was amazed I was still alive!
I will always believe that cycling saved my life by making my heart strong....
Get checked!
Max Bryant
Get checked!
BTW I rode 7000 miles the year prior to my diagnosis and at times really had to push myself. Anyway, they took three liters of fluid from around my heart before they even started the valve job. The Doctor told my Daughter who is in Med School this. She in turn told her Professor who told her he was amazed I was still alive!
I will always believe that cycling saved my life by making my heart strong....
Get checked!
Max Bryant
06-08-20, 01:03 AM
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Thanks, Shrimp and MightyMax, for the replies.
My heart rate is normal for pedaling uphill. My eyes are very watery, but not from sweat. They seem, in fact, to water more when I am going uphill than when I've been in the flats. Biking in the flats does not seem to produce the problem, though I admittedly have a hard time getting up to a fast enough pace here in the flats due to traffic and the like. The steeper the worse it seems to get.
Interesting, mightymax, about the heart problem. The ophthalmologist did vaguely hint that heart issues could be the cause, though he seemed to think given that I'm 40 and in good shape that was unlikely. Maybe I should see a cardiologist.
My heart rate is normal for pedaling uphill. My eyes are very watery, but not from sweat. They seem, in fact, to water more when I am going uphill than when I've been in the flats. Biking in the flats does not seem to produce the problem, though I admittedly have a hard time getting up to a fast enough pace here in the flats due to traffic and the like. The steeper the worse it seems to get.
Interesting, mightymax, about the heart problem. The ophthalmologist did vaguely hint that heart issues could be the cause, though he seemed to think given that I'm 40 and in good shape that was unlikely. Maybe I should see a cardiologist.
06-08-20, 03:07 AM
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Did the ophthalmologist do a thorough checkup -- including the uncomfortable pulling your eyelids and skin around the orbits while you look in all directions? That's always the worst part for me. During my initial visit I thought they just used optical machines and lights to check everything. Nope, there's a lot of manual physical manipulation in a thorough exam.
I thought I had a detached retina a few weeks ago but it turned out to be a posterior vitreous detachment (PVD). Sudden onset of blurring in one eye, with graininess, huge floaters and crescent shaped lightning flashes on the exterior corner.
Doc did a checkup last week, about a month after the initial onset, same thorough exam including the uncomfortable wrassling my eyelids and skin around the orbits. He said it's better but will take awhile to heal. Then the other eye will probably have the same problem within a year.
It is better but still blurry occasionally, especially under stress including bike rides, or when I'm really tired.
I thought I had a detached retina a few weeks ago but it turned out to be a posterior vitreous detachment (PVD). Sudden onset of blurring in one eye, with graininess, huge floaters and crescent shaped lightning flashes on the exterior corner.
Doc did a checkup last week, about a month after the initial onset, same thorough exam including the uncomfortable wrassling my eyelids and skin around the orbits. He said it's better but will take awhile to heal. Then the other eye will probably have the same problem within a year.
It is better but still blurry occasionally, especially under stress including bike rides, or when I'm really tired.
06-08-20, 03:51 AM
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Unless born with one, at some point in their life, each person with a heart problem didn’t have one a few years back. Same for each diabetic.
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06-08-20, 04:45 AM
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You had the test a few years ago and you are experiencing symptoms now. Is it possible that the some medical problem started between the time you were tested and the time you experienced your first symptoms? To me it is like saying "well I haven't gotten into a car accident up until now so it will never happen in the future." Second age knows no limits when it comes to heart problems. Yes, risk goes up as we age but plenty of people die of heart attacks in their 40's. A full work up is in order. Good luck and I do hope it isn't serious.
06-08-20, 12:17 PM
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06-08-20, 12:35 PM
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Back in the day, I used to ride a motorcycle around town (small town in the boonies, so no helmets). Had wrap-around sunglasses, but the wind would still whip the eyes dry by the end of even shorter rides. I'd occasionally have somewhat blurrier vision until the eyes got moist again. Clearly, due to wind in the eyes and whatever the wind was bringing (particulates in the air).
When I was a runner, years ago, I also would notice minor dehydration would alter the eyesight for a brief period, after some particularly hard runs where we sweated so much as to get salt staining on the shirt. Mostly speed of focus, apparent "dry eye" that would hang up the lids ... a bit like dry mouth, which would clear up shortly after hydrating. When well hydrated, however, it'd never happen, as best as I can recall.
Beyond that, I can't think of anything obvious that you could tweak yourself.
Definitely speak with the eye doc generally, as well as your own general practitioner, to inquire about all the questions that should get asked at this point, with such a strangeness in your eyes. Something doesn't seem right. Though it also doesn't seem particularly urgent, if it goes away within 30 seconds or so. Still, I'd ask the pro's. They might be able to get to the bottom of it.
When I was a runner, years ago, I also would notice minor dehydration would alter the eyesight for a brief period, after some particularly hard runs where we sweated so much as to get salt staining on the shirt. Mostly speed of focus, apparent "dry eye" that would hang up the lids ... a bit like dry mouth, which would clear up shortly after hydrating. When well hydrated, however, it'd never happen, as best as I can recall.
Beyond that, I can't think of anything obvious that you could tweak yourself.
Definitely speak with the eye doc generally, as well as your own general practitioner, to inquire about all the questions that should get asked at this point, with such a strangeness in your eyes. Something doesn't seem right. Though it also doesn't seem particularly urgent, if it goes away within 30 seconds or so. Still, I'd ask the pro's. They might be able to get to the bottom of it.
06-08-20, 01:00 PM
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Despite my congenital heart defect, I didn't have any problems for 25 years. Then I did. Five months later I had my aortic valve replaced with a mechanical one and had an ASD and VSD repaired.
06-08-20, 04:51 PM
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I appreciate everyone's recommendation to get things checked out. The problem is where to start, since neither my GP nor my ophthalmologist seem too included to chase it down. The ophthalmologist basically said, "your eyes are fine, there's nothing I can do for you. Go see someone else." My GP is like, "wait and see what happens." She doesn't think it is diabetes since I have no other symptoms, have a pretty low BMI, had a test a few years back, so she's not inclined to run that test, and she similarly is skeptical it has anything to do with my heart. That's partly why I am here--to figure out what specialists to see next.
In the meantime, this has really cooled me ability to bike, since I'm afraid of pushing myself too hard.
p.s. no the ophthalmologist's check up was the basic eye dilation
In the meantime, this has really cooled me ability to bike, since I'm afraid of pushing myself too hard.
p.s. no the ophthalmologist's check up was the basic eye dilation
Last edited by btppberk; 06-08-20 at 05:38 PM.
06-09-20, 03:47 AM
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Okay, so not the full rigorous exam. It's possible there's a temporary problem, like the posterior vitreous detachment I just experienced. If so, it'll clear up in a few weeks.
A few other things to consider...
Allergies. Hey, it's springtime. Time for pandemics, riots and allergies. When my allergies are bad enough to cause congestion and sinus pressure and headaches, it affects my vision. It's very transient, changing from day to day.
Sometimes when I sneeze really hard or cough a lot it seems to affect my vision for awhile too. Usually just an hour or so.
And I've had migraines and other severe headaches since childhood. That definitely hinders my vision. Migraine is a quirky problem and side effects include visual disturbances, disorientation and aphasia -- slurred speech, word substitutions, symptoms similar to a stroke.
Some medications can affect our vision too, everything from antihistamines to decongestants to beta blockers and calcium channel blockers. I take a beta blocker for migraine and it usually helps within an hour. My vision will clear up quickly as the migraine dissipates.
So your doctors not finding anything doesn't mean there's nothing to find. It took me years and consulting with many doctors to get a proper diagnosis. The worst were with the HMO/PPO outfits I had when I was working full time 20-30 years ago and had private health insurance options. They missed a lot of stuff that would have made my life a lot easier back then, including failing to detect a longtime thyroid problem that eventually ended up with cancer. The best has been the VA the past couple of years since I retired, including the options to see private practice doctors and clinics outside the VA system. They're much more thorough, and readily refer me to specialists. They spotted and treated the thyroid problem promptly, along with other issues I wasn't aware of because there were no obvious symptoms.
A few other things to consider...
Allergies. Hey, it's springtime. Time for pandemics, riots and allergies. When my allergies are bad enough to cause congestion and sinus pressure and headaches, it affects my vision. It's very transient, changing from day to day.
Sometimes when I sneeze really hard or cough a lot it seems to affect my vision for awhile too. Usually just an hour or so.
And I've had migraines and other severe headaches since childhood. That definitely hinders my vision. Migraine is a quirky problem and side effects include visual disturbances, disorientation and aphasia -- slurred speech, word substitutions, symptoms similar to a stroke.
Some medications can affect our vision too, everything from antihistamines to decongestants to beta blockers and calcium channel blockers. I take a beta blocker for migraine and it usually helps within an hour. My vision will clear up quickly as the migraine dissipates.
So your doctors not finding anything doesn't mean there's nothing to find. It took me years and consulting with many doctors to get a proper diagnosis. The worst were with the HMO/PPO outfits I had when I was working full time 20-30 years ago and had private health insurance options. They missed a lot of stuff that would have made my life a lot easier back then, including failing to detect a longtime thyroid problem that eventually ended up with cancer. The best has been the VA the past couple of years since I retired, including the options to see private practice doctors and clinics outside the VA system. They're much more thorough, and readily refer me to specialists. They spotted and treated the thyroid problem promptly, along with other issues I wasn't aware of because there were no obvious symptoms.
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06-09-20, 05:19 PM
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Hi Canklecat -
Yeah, I've considered migraine. I do have an experience of visual aura such as a hole in the center of my vision. But my difficulty focusing is unlike any symptom I've had before, unlike any of the typical auras I've read about, and its very transient: 10 seconds or so after I stop pedaling, its gone.
I hear you about doctors. One really does have to drive one's own medical care.
Yeah, I've considered migraine. I do have an experience of visual aura such as a hole in the center of my vision. But my difficulty focusing is unlike any symptom I've had before, unlike any of the typical auras I've read about, and its very transient: 10 seconds or so after I stop pedaling, its gone.
I hear you about doctors. One really does have to drive one's own medical care.
