Optic Neuritis and Driving
Hello
I had my first relapse in June and was diagnosed following an episode of optic neuritis. Some steroids and everything cleared up, I thought my eyesight was grand. Today I had my DVLA eyesight check as a result of informing them and I’m shocked to find out my field of vision is impaired. I can see fine but the optician doesn’t know if I’ll keep my license! I can honestly see fine and read the charts but I get white flashes when I move my eye and the test gets you to press a button when you see a white flash. I’m so scared as losing my license will have a hugely detrimental effect on my life. I live rurally with two kids. I don’t know what I want from posting this but I’m just so scared and feel so healthy and normal and I think I’ve just realised how serious this diagnosis is. Has anyone had similar?
Hi @rachelteasdale , these events are hugely unsettling and worrisome. But, that's the last thing you should be doing. Stress is a major antagonist of MS, so is best avoided. You need to just sit, down and catch your breath. Optic Neuritis can take a few months to clear up, so it's best if you just chill out and let your body do what it's trying to do - recover. Good luck with the eye test.
Hello @rachelteasdale, yes, you are very recently diagnosed. When I had recovered from my first relapse 2 years ago, ie, I felt better, I know now that it took me quite a while to recover fully. So hang on in there, there’s every chance you may recover further, and that another test further down will yield better results. All the best x