why did my daughter lose her vision in her left eye?

Question

My daughter is 8 yrs old and weve battled a vision problem for four years. We have seen several optometrists, and all of them has had a different opinion on her vision.. (muscular, astigmatism, etc..) Weve done the patch, she's worn glasses etc...
Nothing seemed to help. In fact her vision has worsened.a. She was able to see periphial (sp?) but just in the last year she has complained of complete loss of vision..
My husband's coworker and friend recommended a reputable optometrist and so we made the appt. and he referred my daughter to an Opthamologist. The opthamologist was astounded to the fact that my daughter never was referred to get an MRI done for ruling out any tumor compressing her optic nerve..
We had the MRI done at the hospital here in our area, and the report stated that 2 large cysts were causing mass compression (pineal, and arachnoid). Was then referred to Neurologist, same thing was stated,, and referred to Neuro-surgeon but he said she just had chiari malformation

but mentioned nothing of her optic nerve, also when i mentioned my concern about the cysts the doctor just kind of shrugged it off as if he wasnt too concerned with it...
My question is, if the cysts are compressing her optic nerve then why did she lose her vision? Ive been trying to get in touch with the doctor to express my concern, but have had no return calls,, very frustrating..

I am at a loss it seems, the neurosurgeon my daughter saw is sopposed to be one of the best in the nation, should i just take his word for it or still seek a out a second opinion,, Her father and I are somewhat disappointed with his bedside manner and also got the impression that he didnt bother to look over her report, because he questioned us as to whether she needed glasses and in the report states that there is loss of vision.. I guess I just expected more from this neurosurgeon (being one of the best).. Should I seek another opinion??

Answer 1

I am praying for your daughter and asking Jesus to heal her.

My advice (limited) is to stop seeing Optometrists, and go see an Opthamologist (which I know you have done). I would see an Opthamologist who only deals with children..a Pediatric Opthamologist. An Optomitrist in n-o-t a medical doctor, and only deals with fitting glasses and contacts. Any thing deeper than that is o-n-l-y hanled by Opthamologists, who are medical doctors.

For now, it seems like your Opthamologist, the MRI, and your Neurologist detected the problem. As you stated, I would ask your Neurosurgeon to explain why the cysts are not going to be removed, and what are the effects of doing and not doing that? If he says, "oh, it's just chiari malformation?" ...ask him what it is, how are your options to fix it, and will your daughter be able to see again.

I went on webmd.com to look up chiari malformation...and from what I could decipher, it seemed to describe it as a brain defect. I'm not sure what that means...but take to the Neurosurgeon, and also, tell the Neurologist what your Neurosurgeon stated. I'm sure the Neurologist will be disappointed, but he won't say anything, as the Neurosurgeon is a collegue, and they don't typically bad mouth each other in this field. Then ask your Neurosurgeon for the name of another respected Neurosurgeon that can give you a second opinion. At the very least, you need to get a second opinion from a highly regarded neurosurgeon (ask your co-worker and Opthamologist for a name to...research..pick, and get a second opinion).

You and your daughter are in my prayers. God Bless!
Mike

Answer 2

Also known as Arnold Chiari Malformation, this is a benign structural problem affecting the cerebellum. Most children with these malformations who do not have spina bifida will have the form known as type I. Essentially there is extra cerebellum crowding the outlet of the brainstem/spinal cord from the skull on its way to the spinal canal. This crowding will commonly lead to headaches, neck pain, funny feelings in the arms and/or legs, stiffness, and less often will cause difficulties with swallowing or gagging. Often the symptoms are made worse with straining.

There are many ways to treat Chiari malformations, but all require surgery. The basic operation is one of uncrowding the area at the base of the cerebellum where it is pushing against the brainstem and spinal cord.

I think you need to get a second opinion from another neurosurgeon.

Answer 3

Take this very seriously. Take her to an Ophthalmologist as soon as you can get in. Make sure it's an ophthalmologist (MD). Her reading IS affected by this. UPDATE: It's possible that the Dr. was only looking at the injury and didn't address other things. Double vision is not normal and - It Can Be Serious. Don't play around with this. Take her to an Ophthalmologist with these symptoms so he or she can commence treatment. Left unchecked, the worst that can happen is blindness. FINAL UPDATE: Read the first update - especially the last sentence. And if that doesn't do any good - go to the "source" and read it. Just to be absolutely clear - Double vision? What could it be caused by? From WebMD: Myasthenia gravis is an autoimmune illness that blocks the stimulation of muscles by nerves inside the head. The earliest signs are often double vision and drooping eyelids, or ptosis. Graves' disease is a thyroid condition that weakens the muscles of the eyes. Graves' disease commonly causes vertical diplopia. With vertical diplopia, one image is on top of the other. Nerve problems. Several different conditions can damage the nerves and lead to double vision: Multiple sclerosis can affect nerves anywhere in the brain or spinal cord. If the nerves controlling the eyes are damaged, double vision can result. Guillain-Barre syndrome is a nerve condition that causes progressive weakness. Sometimes, the first symptoms occur in the eyes and cause double vision. Uncontrolled diabetes can lead to nerve damage in one of the eyes, causing eye weakness and double vision. Brain problems. The nerves controlling the eyes connect directly to the brain. Further visual processing takes place inside the brain. Many different causes for double vision originate in the brain. They include: Strokes Aneurysms Increased pressure inside the brain from trauma, bleeding, or infection Brain tumors Board Certified Optician and Lab tech

Answer 4

I know I should write more about this book, but if you read the reviews on amazon.com, this book may be your answer. There's a lot to explain, but the book explains that what we see is really a reflection of how someone's right brain and left brain work together. I know my own vision has improved a lot, I eventually hope to not wear glasses at all someday.

All I can say is, read the reviews on amazon.com about this book, Relearning to See, by Thomas Quackenbush. This book may really be your answer. I believe lots of people have gotten rid of their glasses or healed their vision naturally by the methods in this book.

http://www.amazon.com/Relearning-See-Improve-Eyesight-Naturally/dp/1556433417/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-6091374-7742209?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1182658287&sr=8-1

Answer 5

It wouldnt be fair for me to try and diagnose your daughter, being that she has seen all of these specialists and here we are all on the internet with nothing to go by....but I do understand your pain and wanted to say that I hope the best for her.

God bless.

Answer 6

her pediatric opthamologist will be able to give you a medical reason as this person has spent years studying and practicing medicine whereas the people on Yahoo have not.