Although visual loss accompanying attacks of MS, diagnosed as optic neuritis or retrobulbar neuritis, may occasionally be severe, blindness is unusual. There may be a small blind spot left after an attack, and occasion-ally, this may be large enough to interfere with vision. Glaucoma, which is another type of eye disease, unrelated to MS, is more common as a cause of blindness in MS patients.
My vision problems range from a bit of blurriness to a complete lack of sight. I inherited extreme myopia; I wear contact lenses and glasses even in the shower. Before MS, changes in my vision required new prescriptions and picking out the least offensive frames. MS vision symptoms and optic neuritis were entirely new and different experiences for me.
The first time I lost my vision I panicked, certain that it would not return. The second time I panicked less. The third time my family worried less, and the fourth time, I nonchalantly said to myself, “Oh it’s just MS, and I’ve done this before,” but I was not entirely reassured. Each time I was very relieved and a bit surprised when my vision returned.