Posted Jan 24, 2013
(update from July 03, 2013 below)
After several years of watching a blind spot increase in size, we have determined I have "left homonymous superior quadrantanopia" type of Hemianopia.
Translation: I am blind in the upper-left quadrant of both eyes.
In 1999, a routine visual field test (VFT) showed that I had a normal amount of visual field (peripheral). This was found by the test where you stick your face in a bowl and you indicate when you see a light that is shined in front of you - with the lights being all around the bowl.
In 2001, due to my fall and leg injury, I was a little tied up and didn't have the VFT during my normal eye exam.
In 2003, the VFT did show a slight amount of blindness in the upper-left quadrant of my eyes, but it wasn't a concern due to all the pain management medication (narcotics) I was taking.
In 2005, the VFT showed an increase in the amount of blindness (maybe one third of the total area was dark). Due to this finding, I was scheduled for an mri (or cat scan, I don't remember which). While a small blood vessel was found to be swollen in an area not related to vision, nothing out of the ordinary was found.
We continued to test, and we continued to find increasing amount of vision loss in the upper-left quadrant of both eyes, with it continuing to spread from the top to the bottom.
When the Lord put us together, he used some very creative designs which is also observed in the eyes and optic nerves (observed ... get it?). The two eyes work in tandem, and the optic nerves split and go to different areas of either the left or right side of the brain to share the images. Considering the location/configuration of the blindness, doctors can get a very good idea of where the problem is located. Mine is shown in example 6 below.
Yesterday's VFT resulted in a display like example 6 above, which is much like it did in my most recent test. The good news is that there is a defining line of the blindness stopping at the bottom of the quadrant, instead of extending into the lower quadrant. If that were occurring, then it would have been example 7 above. There isn't any more area of the quadrant to go blind, so I won't be getting any worse!
My doctor and I had a long talk yesterday, trying to determine the cause since the MRI didn't find anything. When my accident in 2001 was discussed, I reminded him that the fall didn't involve me striking my head on anything, nor losing consciousness. He explained that it didn't have to be direct trauma, but could be a result of a blood clot or something. When he said that, the light bulb came on! My surgical team in June 2001 stated that they were seeing blood clots (bulges in the arteries/veins) move through the area during surgeries #1 and #2, which resulted in me having a ton of scans of my chest (lungs, heart, etc.) looking for clots. However, if a clot had lodged in a vessel near the 'upper right optic radiations', that could have caused initial damage to the nerves. Evidence of the clot or actual nerve damage wouldn't have been found in the scan conducted several years later.
Damaged nerves don't heal, they only get worse and potentially die. That appears to be the reason for the slow progression of blindness over the years. Yesterday's test shows that the nerve area in question is most likely 100% dead now.
Well, what's the treatment? There isn't one! I have learned to compensate for the loss of sight by keeping my "head on a swivel" and looking around more, especially up and left. I have noticed that most "surprises" come from above and left, and I am more likely to strike my head on low hanging objects that are to my left. I have designed my office so that visitors would be in front or to the right of me, so that I won't "ignore" someone that walks into my office when I am looking down at my desk.
I am extremely grateful that the blindness isn't in a lower quadrant (left or right). As an amputee, I stumble occasionally with good lower vision, I don't even want to think about what would happen with reduced vision.
UPDATE:
On June 23, 2013 at church, we had a few share testimonies about vision related healing, so my pastor called for anyone with vision issues to stand and be prayed for. I stood and had several lay hands on me and pray. I took a nap that afternoon and when I woke up, I put my glasses on. I immediately noticed the upper left part of my glasses frame that I had never seen in my peripheral vision before! And I am noticing more and more things in the upper left peripheral that I've never seen!
I had an appointment for VFT yesterday (July 02, 2013) and here are the results:
looks like a 100% healing!
!!! Limb-Loss does not equal Life-Loss !!!
This site created and maintained with EzGenerator .... If you don't have it, GET IT!