7 Months in: Strange, new visual disturbance

[Dramblys]

It is now nearly 7 months since my wife's aneurysmal SAH.  For the history, please see my introductory post:

She is still dealing with some headaches, difficulty sleeping, anxiety, memory difficulty, etc. but is generally improving gradually. The double vision (from cranial nerve VI palsy) has resolved.

 

However, in the past month or so, there is a new issue that is affecting, among other things, her ability to read. Certain visual patterns are making her feel disturbed or fearful. Hopefully I'm explaining well enough in these examples:  Seeing text at a small size (as in a newspaper) is repellent to her, reminding her of insects. (She is able to read on her Kindle with larger size text).

 

She recently purchased some new mascara, and was repulsed by the appearance of the brush applicator (it reminded her of a centipede).  While working in the garden, She saw the rows of spores on the underside of a fern leaf, and was so bothered by the appearance, she asked me to prune off all the fronds that had visible spores.

 

Afterward, she is still disturbed by the appearance of the ferns in general, but is aware that it doesn't make sense. (If you have never seen fern spores, they looked something like this: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Fern_with_spores.JPG )

 

On the worst days, she says everything just "looks ugly" to her.

 

The issue reading printed text has been especially difficult as my mother-in-law passed away in late March, and my wife is executor of the estate. This would be a difficult task for anyone, so of course it's more difficult for someone recovering from a SAH.  It also involves a good deal of reading of legal and financial paperwork.  I have done what I can to serve as her secretary.

 

She has visited her regular ophthalmologist, and has a second visit to a neuro-ophthalmologist in a few days. (The prior visit was before this issue started.)

 

I'm just wondering if anyone else here has encountered anything like this, and if so which medical specialty was able to help?  To me it almost seems like PTSD, and not necessarily related to the vision system.  All my online search results relate to very different types of visual issues.

 

Thanks.

[Karen]

I've never heard of this in the 12 years of running the site. 

 

I can understand the problem with reading and it does take time to re-educate the brain and being able to absorb the information. That's always a work in progress and I can now, devour a book in a week.

 

I don't have any medical background and my eyesight was affected after the bleed and also had a third nerve palsy.

 

It sounds as though this problem is perhaps more to do with mental health, rather than the physical fall out from the bleed. 

 

I'm sorry that I can't help, but it sounds as though your wife has had a lot of stress, with losing her Mum too ... maybe this question needs to be re-directed to her Doctor.

 

Wishing you luck. x

 

 

 

 

[Catwoman23]

I have not seen it with SAH patients. Actually I don’t have many SAH patients. But many years ago, as a resident in the er, I had a young man about 18 years old.

 

He remembers the exact date of when his vision changed. It was 3 months ago and somethings are moving or closer or looks like small and big circles of color coming to him. It was very strange presentation. He was serious and looks very clean cut.

 

Denies drug use. Brought in by Dad. I talked to psychiatrist who even came down that night to the er because he doesn’t know if it s brain issue or psych issue. Usually psych won’t get up from bed and come to er at night.

 

Unfortunately I don’t know what happened to him since it was at a satellite big peds er and not my program so I can’t get records from there. 

 

Sorry i m not much help. But maybe see neuro again and psychiatrist. May be another scan. Good luck.

 

[Winb143]

Hi Drambley ,

 

Not been scared of plants but nothing tastes nice to me apart from chocolate, water from tap tastes awful, clothes smell and I find it was the Comfort I put in wash, coffee tastes awful unless it is bought out.  I blamed the water supplier.

 

Hope wife gets over it  Got to be our brains settling down,  but as Karen said  do take her to Doctors. But I was okay after I woke up it happened later and Doc said it was my Brain !!