Jump to content
This site uses cookies. Continued use is acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. More Info... ×
  • Welcome to Celiac.com!

    You have found your celiac tribe! Join us and ask questions in our forum, share your story, and connect with others.




  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A1):



    Celiac.com Sponsor (A1-M):


  • Get Celiac.com Updates:
    Support Our Content
    eNewsletter
    Donate

Vision Problems Gluten Related?


anerissara

Recommended Posts

anerissara Enthusiast

Hi, all--

My mom just had bloodwork done and is waiting for the results. She has had symptoms for many years now including bloating, fibromyalgia (spelled that one wrong--sorry!), constipation, gas, stomach cramps/pain, fuzzy brain (for lack of a better term), fatigue, mood swings, anxiety and a few more I can't think of. These symptoms all improved when she went on the Atkin's diet, and return when she eats more wheat. She also has been having blurry vision...I thought I remembered that being a symptom for some people here, can that be one of the wierd little problems celiac's causes?

Also, does anyone have a longer list of symptoms I can email her? Her dr. is pretty clueless, she had to ask for the bloodwork herself and she had to explain it all to him....also, she's been on a low-carb diet for some time so she's worried that her results won't be accurate. Do you know if a low carb rather than a gluten-free diet will produce false negatives on bloodwork?

thanks!


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



marciab Enthusiast

I had all of the same medical problems your mother did before going on this diet and they are gone now. The visual problems went away at the same time my walking got normal (1 year of being on this diet)..

I'm not that familiar with the Atkins diet. sorry ... Marcia

Edited to note that not all of my symptoms are gone anymore ... 12/6/06 RATS !! My fibro is back, my joints hurt, I am tired and my visual problems are back.

anerissara Enthusiast

What was happening with your walking?

Just curious.

I may email my mom this link so she chan check it out herself! It will make her feel better to know she's not alone. :)

  • 3 weeks later...
marciab Enthusiast

Sorry, I just found this ... :blink:

I could not walk any distance without feeling like my legs were heavy. If I pushed myself and walked anyway, they got heavier and heavier. Eventually my right foot would start to drag.

I used a motorized cart most of the time when I went grocery shopping. I actually owned one back in 1993 - 1998, because I was sooooo tired.

If I were somewhere like Publix or Walmart and could not get a motorized cart, I would lean on a grocery cart while shopping, but by the time I made it down the first aisle I was winded and my legs were wobbly. And by the time I was done, I would be completely exhausted and a real "b".

I walked normally for a few feet usually. And if I was "completely rested" and having one of my Super good days, I was fine to walk. THis rarely happened. :(

BACK to the VISUAL problems though ....

On top of that, my vision would be very distorted. I could see, just everything was fuzzy and I couldn't focus. I wear glasses (I'm 51), so I always took them off and to see if it was that, but my vision was still fuzzy and out of focus. Almost like there was wet glass in front of what I was trying to look at.

My visual problems have resurfaced in the last week or so. Not nearly as bad, but my vision was great :(

The walking is still normal though ... :D

I'm thinking this is either caused by hypoglycemia or migraines. ??? Have no idea really ??

I read where migraines can be triggered by lights, food, etc. Can migraines be triggered by excercise ?

I used to have migraines in my early 20's and then it got where I only had the aura from the migraine. Spots would be missing when I would look at something. Scared me to death at first. :o

BTW, feel free to PM me if you need an answer and I don't get back to you. :)

I hope this helps your mom ... :)

Marcia

Anyone else have any ideas on this ????????

Anerrissa, Sorry if I hijacked your post .... I am guessing your mom has this kind of visual problems too as I was told it was normal for CFS.... I can change this is you like though ... :)

nmw Newbie

It sounds like your mom has a lot of celiac disease symptoms.

I have eye problems related to being glutened - fuzzy sight, eye fatigue, dry eyes.

Low-carb diet shouldn't affect blood test outcomes unless she has removed all gluten from her diet.

Sarah8793 Enthusiast

Hi,

I had all of your mom's symptoms except fibromyalgia. When celiac disease really kicked in, my vision got a little worse. The weird thing is that sometimes my vision seems better than at other times. So I would say that her vision could definiately be related to gluten.

Sarah

marciab Enthusiast

It's starting to look that way to me too ... My vision has been fine the last couple of days :D

How is it possible the gluten affects the eyes ? It affected my legs, I don't know why I am surprised ... GEESH !!!!

My daughter was home for Thanksgiving and ate frozen wheat pancakes in my house.

"I'm sorry, dear. I don't know how those pancakes got into the trash" ... :ph34r::)

It's great knowing what is causing my medical problems, but it is also blowing me away. :o


Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):
Celiac.com Sponsor (A8):



Celiac.com Sponsor (A8-M):



Rebecca47 Contributor

I was born with a lazy eye and had it corrected in 1969 when I was 10 years, it was great for years then I became near sighted, and now it is getting worse again. My eye is started to cross again when I am tired. Only one eye reads at a time. I also have been having trouble driving a night for some reason. the other day I had an appt and by the time I left 4 hrs later, I was doing some testing invloved a lot of reading. I saw double for a little more than a hour. Some days are worse than others. I have a hard time reading freeway signs can't read them unless I am almost on top of them. One thing at a time I believe eyes next.

Riayn Newbie
I was born with a lazy eye and had it corrected in 1969 when I was 10 years, it was great for years then I became near sighted, and now it is getting worse again. My eye is started to cross again when I am tired. Only one eye reads at a time. I also have been having trouble driving a night for some reason. the other day I had an appt and by the time I left 4 hrs later, I was doing some testing invloved a lot of reading. I saw double for a little more than a hour. Some days are worse than others. I have a hard time reading freeway signs can't read them unless I am almost on top of them. One thing at a time I believe eyes next.

Wow... that sounds like my eyes. I have a lazy left eye plus myopia. I had my surgery on my eye in 1983, but it didn't work. I find that I get blurred vision from time to time and my distance vision is hideous despite wearing contact lens.

I wonder if it will get better once I go gluten-free. That would be nice.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.


  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A19):



  • Member Statistics

    • Total Members
      127,836
    • Most Online (within 30 mins)
      7,748

    RyanOB
    Newest Member
    RyanOB
    Joined

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A20):


  • Forum Statistics

    • Total Topics
      121k
    • Total Posts
      70.4k

  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A22):





  • Celiac.com Sponsor (A21):



  • Upcoming Events

  • Posts

    • Dawn Meyers
      Hi I have celiac disease and the dermatitis herpetiformis rash Also other autommune diseases.  I have had bad side effects to all the vaccines I have had and now my Doctor wants me to have the pneumonia vaccine.  I am concerned because of some of the bad side effects I have had in the past example Hep B after shot couldn't  move arm for several months.  Flu shot and COVID was sick right after shot. Told not to get anymore. My lung is inflamed and have a cough I can't seem to get rid of. Very concerned 😟. 
    • knitty kitty
      @Manaan2,  I'm so happy to hear you're going to try thiamine and magnesium!  Do let us know the results!   You may want to add a B 50 Complex with two meals of the day to help boost absorption.  Thiamine interacts with each of the other B vitamins which are all water soluble.   When supplementing magnesium, make sure to get sufficient calcium.  Calcium and magnesium need to be kept in balance.  If you choose a calcium supplement, take two hours apart from magnesium as they compete for absorption.  Take Calcium with Vitamin D.  Vitamin D helps calm the immune system.   For pain, I use a combination of thiamine, B12 Cobalamine, and Pyridoxine B6.  These three vitamins together have analgesic effects.  My preferred brand is "GSG 12X Takeda ALINAMIN EX Plus Vitamin B1 B6 B12 Health Supplementary from Japan 120 Tablets".  Alinamin is another form of thiamine.  It really is excellent at relieving my back pain from crushed vertebrae without side effects and no grogginess.   Look into the low histamine version of the Autoimmune Protocol Duet (Dr. Sarah Ballentyne, a Celiac herself, developed it.)  It really helps heal the intestines, too.  It's like a vacation for the digestive system.  Add foods back gradually over several weeks after feeling better.   I'm so happy to have pointed the way on your journey!  Let us know how the journey progresses! P. S. Add a Potassium supplement, too.  Potassium is another electrolyte, like magnessium, that we need.
    • Manaan2
      @knitty kitty I can't thank you enough!  My husband and I already started looking into those supplements.  We definitely plan to give it a try.  We've been against the Miralax since it was originally advised by PCP, but because of the level of pain she experienced on a daily basis, we decided to try it.  We've made many attempts to gradually decrease but due to her pain and related symptoms, we've kept her on it while trying all sorts of other dietary adjustments pre and post diagnosis specific to food; so far none of those efforts have made a significant difference.  I will definitely share how she's doing along the way!
    • BIg Nodge
      Hi, I have recently embarked on the gluten-free journey. I have what to me seems like a somewhat confusing set of test results and symptoms. I have been impressed by the accumulated knowledge and thoughtfulness as I browse this forum, so I figured I'd make a post to see if anyone can offer any insight. I know there are many posts like this from new users, so I have tried to do my baseline research first and not ask super obvious questions.  I'm 43, overall very healthy. No history of gluten sensitivity or really any of the classic GI symptoms. About three years ago I started to experience intermittent bouts of fatigue, chills/cold intolerance, and shortness of breath/air hunger (sometimes feels like a hollowness in my chest, hard to describe). The symptoms over time have become fairly significant, though not debilitating, I am able to exercise regularly and am fairly physically active, continue to perform well at work. But for example I have gone from someone who consistently ran hot, was always cranking the a/c, to someone who wears a down vest inside at work in winter and get chills if the a/c even blows on me in summer. I get tired and lose energy even when getting decent amounts of sleep, and have to have my wife take over on long drives that I could previously handle with no problems. More generally when I am experiencing these symptoms they seem to crowd out space in my mind for focusing on my family, my hobbies/activities etc, I sort of withdraw into myself.   I happened to be experiencing these symptoms during an annual physical with my PCP a few years ago, he observed post nasal drip and suggested it was allergies and that I treat it with claritin. At first it seemed to respond to claritin (though not zyrtex), but over time I became unsatisfied with that answer. There didn't seem to be any seasonal rhyme or reason to my symptoms, and I felt like I was on an endless loop of taking claritin, then stopping, not being sure if it was even making a difference. I did eventually get allergy tests and found modest allergies to dust and pollen, which didn't feel like a smoking gun.  I then started seeing a natural medicine doctor who was much more willing to explore my symptoms via testing. The first thing that came back abnormal was elevated thyroid peroxidase antibodies/TPOs, 137 IU/mL vs a reference range of <9. At the same time my thyroid panel showed normal thyroid hormone levels. So it appears my immune system is attacking my thyroid even though it is working fine. I got a thyroid ultrasound at the time, it was clear, but with some abnormalities such that they suggested I get is scanned again in a year. These are certainly risk factors for a thyroid autoimmune disease, though my thyroid seems to be working fine for now.  From here my doctor considered celiac due to the murky thyroid/celiac links, so we did a panel. Results were as follows: TT IGA <1 U/ml, TT IGG <1 U/ml, deamidated gliadin IGA 24.6 U/ml, deamidated gliadin IGG <1 U/ml, IGAs 170 mg/dL. Readings greater than 15 considered high by my lab for the first four, my IGAs are within reference range. So basically just the deamidated IGA popped, but my IGAs are normal. I also notice on the tests that my thyroglobulin was high, 86.7 ng/ml vs a range of 2.8 - 40.9.  My doctor suggested that it certainly wasn't conclusive for celiac, but it was possible, and likely that I have some sort of gluten sensitivity. She suggested going gluten free and seeing how I felt as opposed to doing a biopsy. The best theory I can come up with is perhaps I am a silent celiac or just have a gluten sensitivity that doesn't produce immediate GI symptoms, but is still doing damage and over time has caused leaky gut. So now gluten is getting into my blood, and my immune system is attacking it but also mistakingly attacking my thyroid.  So that's what I did, went gluten free in October. It's been about four months, and I am really not feeling any difference. I still get the same symptoms that come and go. My bowel movements may be a bit more regular, but it was never a major issue before so I would consider that a minor improvement. I know that it can take a while to see improvements, and I am going to remain gluten-free and see how I feel. But I am definitely questioning whether I really understand what is going on, and am open to any thoughts or suggestions from the forum. Sometimes I wish I just went ahead with the biopsy before going gluten-free. While I would certainly be down to start drinking IPAs again ahead of a biopsy, you know, for science, I feel like at this point I would be throwing away four months of work and am better off staying the course and seeing what happens. But I'm really not sure.  I know there is a lot of thyroid knowledge on these boards, along with the celiac expertise, so I'm curious if this resonates with anyone's experience. And I'm interested in what sort of timelines people have experienced in terms of feeling improvements for some of these non-GI symptoms like chills, SOB, brain fog etc. Thanks in advance. 
    • cameo674
      Does it taste like black licorice?  It said it was chewable.  I do not like that flavor.     Since the burn at the back of my throat is there everyday, I usually only take something when it is unbearable and keeping me from ADL especially sleep.  
×
×
  • Create New...