Multiple Sclerosis and Vision

One of the most common symptoms or side effects of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is problems associated with vision; up to 80 percent of those with MS experience vision problems. There are several types of vision problems associated with the disease, such as optic neuritis, nystagmus and diplopia.

Optic neuritis is an inflammation of the optic nerve that can cause blurring, eye pain, diminished color or graying of images and in the worst case, loss of vision in one eye. Nystagmus is involuntary movements (horizontally or vertically) in either one or both eyes. Nystagmus can cause issues with balance and in serious cases, vision moves or jiggles. Diplopia is less problematic that the previous two conditions, but causes double vision. It can sometimes be improved by resting the eyes.

Doctors commonly use an ophthalmoscope to check the eye for damage or disease. It examines the optic nerve, but is not able to determine the degree of damage or slight changes over time. Unfortunately, an MRI cannot detect damage in small optic nerve fibers.

Another tool that is currently being used for glaucoma patients, optical coherence tomography (OCT), works by focusing a beam of near-infrared light onto the back of the eye to measure reflections while they bounce off the optic nerve and retina. Some doctors of neurology are testing it out for MS and think that it can help determine whether patients have early signs of optic nerve damage.


Research is currently underway.












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