Eye Tests For Medication Induced Double Vision - But Only At A Distance?

[joko]

ive been put on new medication for pain, Gabapentin, and its given me double vision - but mainly at a distance.
im ok with close up, but it means driving has obviously now become an problem.

i am assuming it will wear off over time, once i get used to the tablets, but if it doesnt wear off, im assuming i can get new glasses to correct it.
(im on a starter dose of 3 and can go up to 12 if need be, and by 12 it might be close up doublevision too!)

However, if the issue is only noticeable at a distance - how on earth can an optician test for it? i wont beable to say yes or no to the different lenses if theyre only 10ft away.

i have other health issues which make having a car essential so i cant stop driving.

now im worried i wont be able to wear glasses to fix this!

any thoughts?

thanks :)

[Mamyalynne]

I doubt that drug induced diplopia could be corrected by lenses really,only by stopping the drug.

[Jackdaw33]

//I doubt that drug induced diplopia\\

Get her!

[gingejbee]

"so I can't stop driving"....unfortunately, you may be required to quit driving on medical grounds (at some time - maybe sooner than you'd like).

[Peter Pedant]

blimey happy lot arent they?
gaba DOES cause diplopia

and cylindrical lenses may do the job

diplopia in er mature people is common

(note - post op damage gave me torsional diplopia - think of two horizons and one at an angle to the other - this apparently can never be corrected)

[Mamyalynne]

Thanks Peter, I didn't think lenses would help in this instance - interesting.

[gingejbee]

...and the point I was making wasn't specifically related to the double-vision.
Simply, there is no such thing as "I can't stop driving" - many people develop conditions which make driving impossible/dangerous etc.
It can happen to any of us..I wasn't trying to be unpleasant/unhelpful to the OP.

[pixie374]

You can get lenses for double vision. We had someone with bipolar, who only needed them on a low. They were kind of stripy and they seemed to work.

[Mamyalynne]

Absolutely Ginge, if vision is affected then it may be that driving must cease until things are rectified enough to fulfil the legal requirements.

[ubasses]

Pixie is correct, you can have a prism. I had a temporary gel one put on my lens when I was in hospital. My fitness instructor had a permanent one built in to his prescription lenses.

[joko]

i have stopped driving for now, in the hope this is temporary

by 'i cant stop driving' - i mean i would have to stop taking the medication if it doesnt go away - not that i would just drive anyway while being unable to see properly!

i hadnt really noticed it - as i say its at a distance & was actually driving when i realised.
when i nearly drove into a bollard when turning into a tesco, i really realised how much it was there.

the level of double vision moves, gets wider, shortens etc - stuff like blinking, focussing etc change it, so it wasnt easy to notice when not looking for it.

i had to drive home with one eye closed and havent driven since.

i have also discovered for some people the eye probs can be permanent, even after stopping taking it - and i dont want to risk that - so if it doesnt clear on its own, i will probably stop taking it anyway.

thanks all

[Mamyalynne]

Best wishes Joko, some difficult choices for you.

[MattA777]

Joko- My wife was once prescribed this and we checked possible side-effects for gabapentin.....Horrific- there were four A4 worth of side effects!! PLUS it can become addictive!!
Non of which was highlighted by her GP!

Get off it ASAP !!!

[allenlondon]

Joko. Think carefully before telling the DVLA anything. They’re not ‘reasonable’, and will always err on the side of caution. Sometimes too far.

[joko]

thanks all :)

annoyingly its not having any other bad side effects, and although its not working on the pain - yet - i do think with higher dose it would.
its very frustrating.
Yes i saw all the side effects - but you read the leaflet of almost any medication and there are pages of side effects - many far worse than the condition.

[joko]

ideally i could go back on duloxetine - that seemed to work well for pain - just need to find a way to deal with the side effects - extreme POTS

i mentioned this to the doctor - and discussed if there was other medication i could take along with the dulox to counteract these effects, and he said thats the next step after we try the gaba.

ive been trialling medications for nearly 2 years now, its a tedious process :(

[allenlondon]

Oh, I see, joko. Well, as long as you’re in control of both your drugs and driving... trouble is with reporting it that even if it goes away, the DVLA would take a lot of convincing.

I am far too honest for my own good some years back and told them of some small defect. Result, lost my licence, and it took me a year to get it back.

[joko]

yeah i have no intention of telling the dvla anything, im just going to be sensible and not drive, and if i have no choice, get lenses or learn to drive with one eye!

[ubasses]

Joko, you have my sympathy, it is very unpleasant, I have just had to turn a film off that I was watching as I had one hand over my eye. If you have glasses it may be worth speaking to your optician about getting a prism put into your lens.

[joko]

thanks :)

yes i will see the optician - not yet, no point until i am settled with my dosages - im just not sure how they can test it really? i mean as i say it gets more 'double' the further i see - like 100m down the road etc.
im hoping its not that kind of test - like the usual tests.
I do aleady wear glasses for driving & watching TV, but its a pretty low prescription

[ubasses]

Sounds like you are short sighted, the prism would be made to your required prescription. If it is temporary they should be able to provide a temporary one you can put on the inside of your lens.
Although the one I got did not help very much, it was because I had varifocals. Fortunately, it now only affects me when I look far left, or if I get very tired, like this evening. Moorfields are quite happy with me driving.