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[Chezzymann]

I noticed last year that I had vertical ghosting. Its visible with both eyes open but is still visible when one eye is closed (Don't get confused by the thread title. "One eye" just means that it can exist independently when you close one eye. It doesn't mean its JUST in one eye. For me, I can close either eye and its still there. When you close one eye and it goes away that is Binocular diplopia which can be very different.) Its noticeable at all times throughout the day and happens to me 24/7, never going away. Its most noticeable with white text on a dark background. It started bothering me late last year and when I was due to get new glasses I talked to my optometrist about it. He prescribed me with new glasses (this time with prisms, since one of my eyes are slightly higher than the other) but after a few months of me trying them they did absolutely nothing. He then told me that its a "High order abberation" and cannot be fixed and I'm going to have to just deal with it for the rest of my life.

I'm very sensitive to visual issues and stuff like this irritates me extremely easily, and its very irritating to look at pictures of art right now (And play video games with a lot of high contrast. Majora's Mask is very annoying to look at) I love art and am planning to be a graphic designer, so as you could imagine this would be an extremely depressing and potentially life altering route to take (As in, I would have to change my major since looking at static images is very irritating and it would be super stressful to cope with it while designing things and could most likely never do things like peacefully star gaze again) and it would be very hard for me to be able to fully accept the condition.

If there's anything I learned with medical stuff its that you should always try to get a second opinion, so I'm currently scheduled to meet with an ophthalmologist to try and see if there's something else that can cause it, or if there is a treatment. I've researched monocular diplopia extensively online and saw that a wide variety of issues like chronic dry eyes, cataracts (I'm only 19 so its probably not that), brain issues, and degenerative disorders like Keratoconus can cause the issue. I really, really hope my ophthalmologist doesn't have the same response as my optometrist because that would just absolutely destroy me. For the past six months I've constantly been annoyed by this and I haven't really had any peace because its always there, all the time, and cannot be drowned out like something such as tinnitus can (I have a minor form of tinnitus too). I've asked my mom about monocular diplopia and she seems to have something that could be similar so whatever is causing it might be hereditary. I also get headaches frequently (Sometimes once a week, usually at least twice a month) if that's related somehow.

Does anybody have something similar to this? Any results? Questions about what I said? Stories? Please do tell, talking about it helps.

By the way, here's a sample picture of what monocular diplopia looks like for me that I photoshopped to give an artificial idea of what I'm seeing. Its not a test or anything. Most images online don't really look similar so I felt like I had to do one myself, this is pretty darn close. (I've shown people this and when they saw the effect I made they thought they had the same problem lol, if you see the ghosting on this picture it doesn't mean you have it.)

 

[CarpeDeezNutz]

Kinda like tracers?

 

[PaulExcellent]

Now you're watching with 4D.

That's some crazy stuff. I hope you're able to get some treatment or something. :/

 

[Javaman]

If you find any resolution to this please post an update. My oldest son is having similar issues.

 

[Ocaso]

Hey OP. I'm dealing with the same issue and, just as you describe, it happens in both eyes, but far more prominent on my right eye. Based on what I've read and been told by more than one physician, it is indeed a higher order aberration that can't be corrected with standard glasses, but that doesn't mean it can't be corrected at all. Certain contact lenses may help. Keratoconus, for example, can be improved with rigid contact lenses and, given that these aberrations are due to similar problems with corneal curvature, may also improve ghosting. They're extremely uncomfortable, however, and I personally was unable to tolerate them during a fitting so I can't say if they would've helped me. I've also read people trying scleral contacts for keratoconus, and these may also help. Discuss these options with your physician when you visit.

You may find mention of something referred to as "free-form" lenses online, which purportedly help with higher order aberrations by having your glasses made according to your specific corneal shape. Although it sounds reasonable enough, I don't think they're evidence based and my ophthalmologist didn't prescribe them.

Personally, I've been trying to ignore it since my last visit one year ago, with varying degrees of success. I'm scheduled for a new visit in 1 week so I'll bring up the subject again and see if anything new can be done.

 

[Dragnet]

I have this exact issue OP and you're the first person I've ever encountered who knows what I'm talking about, holy shit. Nice to know I'm not alone. I only really notice it with white on black but yeah, totally really annoying.

 

[Talyn]

I have this exact issue OP and you're the first person I've ever encountered who knows what I'm talking about, holy shit. Nice to know I'm not alone. I only really notice it with white on black but yeah, totally really annoying.

This describes me as well. I've had this since my teens and until this moment I had no idea there was even a name for it. I had talked with my eye doctor about it, he never mentioned it being anything specific. I'm extremely nearsighted so I do wear glasses but yeah, they've never entirely corrected this. It is annoying but it's something I've gotten used to, much like floaters which I also suffer from.

 

[Krappadizzle]

Is LASIK an option?

 

[makingmusic476]

I have this exact issue OP and you're the first person I've ever encountered who knows what I'm talking about, holy shit. Nice to know I'm not alone. I only really notice it with white on black but yeah, totally really annoying.

Same, but it's bright LED blues that are the worst for me.

Both eyes have it, though my right eye is way worse, with what seems like several ghosts around a bright object + nearsightedness. And it gets worse in both eyes as they get tired.

Thinks within a foot or two of my right eye are perfectly clear, however.

 

[Dice]

I had that a bit because I have astigmatism in both eyes, so until I got lenses adjusted for each, I was getting slightly different images. I still do slightly because my right eye is so bad no lens can properly correct for it and my brain has made my left side vision-dominant. That part is hard to explain, if I use only my right eye it is like... everything is technically there but.. it's a weak signal? If I try to read with it I can but it's hard because it's like parts are faded.

 

[Yado]

Wow, I just noticed this in my right eye on Saturday, the wider I open my eye the worse it gets and when I squint my right eye it goes away. My left eye is fine.

 

[Ocaso]

Is LASIK an option?

Actually, these types of aberrations can be a side effect of laser eye surgery.

 

[M3d10n]

I actually have this in my left eye, but it's mild and I only really notice it when reading white text on black background on handheld screens or far away led panels. It goes away if I squint a little.

 

[kess]

Anastigmatism? Sinus headaches usually cause something like this for me.

 

[Ran rp]

Huh, I always thought it was due to poor eyesight in general. Didn't know it was its own condition. I've had it forever so it feels normal to me. Edit: But I do squint a lot for sharper vision, even when I'm wearing contacts/glasses. Guess I'm just used to doing that whenever I want to focus on something.

 

[MutantCyborg]

I actually have this in my left eye, but it's mild and I only really notice it when reading white text on black background on handheld screens or far away led panels. It goes away if I squint a little.

This is me.. I can only see it on dark backgrounds in my left eye. I have perfect vision in my right eye. It's pretty annoying.

 

[McFadge]

I noticed this earlier this yeah. Funnily enough, like everyone else, seems to affect my right eye most. The image is offset downwards, and has a red tint for me. Talked to my optometrist about it and he described it as 'bleaching' and that there wasn't much that could be done about it. Glad I know the name of it now though!

 

[Haly]

I lived with double vision my entire life. Hell, only one of my eyes is good for anything, the other one was riddled cataracts at birth and despite a lens implant surgery when I was a child, its vision never amounted to anything other than a blurry mess. As can be expected, I have impaired depth perception, though that doesn't really affect my day-to-day life, except when people throw things at me (so I kindly ask them not to).

You get used to it, as with all non-fatal conditions like this. I barely notice it, except when I'm tired, which is when it gets worse, or when something draws my attention to it, like this thread.

 

[old]

I've got this too in both eyes. I thought everybody had it. I hate driving at night and actively avoid it because oncoming headlights on a dark road fuck up my vision.

If I'm laying in bed in a dark room and there's an electronic device with a single blue/red led light my eyes will see a what can best be described as a star cluster. My left alone will see 20-30 different lights clustered together.

Reading on dark backgrounds is hard because letters ghost like in the OP. I think it's an astigmatism but I don't know.

 

[msdstc]

I made a thread about this, I have it and it seemed to come on around the same time I got a good bit of floaters mostly in my right eye as everyone else has echoed. I spent hours on the internet and hundreds of dollars going to all different doctors, and it just doesn't seem like there is much of an answer out there.

Funny enough I also have tinnitus, which I personally believe is from TMJ... I wonder if the clinching/bruxism is related to the issue with my eyes. Also a very strange issue, probably completely unrelated, but if I have anything sour I feel a sort of pinching in my right eye from the tension in my face only.

 

[Chezzymann]

Just posting an update. I went to an ophthalmologist last week and was very disappointed. He just thought it was dry eyes due to being on the computer too much. It felt like I knew as much as he did on the issue, everything he said I had already heard when researching diplopia online. I've been using eye drops he gave me for the past week, about 4 times per day, and it hasn't really done anything.

I guess I'll try to go in for a re evaluation one more time before trying another doctor, but from what I've read in both the responses in this thread and around the internet in general I'll just be throwing money into a sinkhole because no one really knows anything about this at all and it can't be cured. Maybe I can try the contacts thing someone posted about earlier.

I also noticed that I'm started to get horizontal ghosting AND vertical ghosting. Hopefully it doesn't get even worse over time. I really hope my vision doesn't permanently go to shit because of this stupid double vision after a few years. Sometimes I get really stressed out thinking about how bad it could potentially get. I'm starting to notice ghosting on black text with white backgrounds now too, which is disturbing because that would mean it might get irritating to read books. I'm thinking about reading a bunch of famous novels before that happens. (Hopefully it doesn't).

Huh, I always thought it was due to poor eyesight in general. Didn't know it was its own condition. I've had it forever so it feels normal to me. Edit: But I do squint a lot for sharper vision, even when I'm wearing contacts/glasses. Guess I'm just used to doing that whenever I want to focus on something.

When I squint it makes it worse, weird. Maybe I'm already squinting and don't even know it.

Same, but it's bright LED blues that are the worst for me.

Both eyes have it, though my right eye is way worse, with what seems like several ghosts around a bright object + nearsightedness. And it gets worse in both eyes as they get tired.

Thinks within a foot or two of my right eye are perfectly clear, however.

Yeah, with bright blue LED type lights my eyes just go bonkers. My friend has a keyboard with blue LED lit letters and its almost painful to look at them.

 

[jstripes]

Ugh. That example you posted gave me a horrible blink reflex.

Sometimes I get something like that, and after I blink it's OK.

 

[Defect]

I had something similar happen after using the Oculus once. Freaked me out but it went back to normal after an hour.

 

[Gentleman Jack]

I've dealt with this condition in each eye for at least the last four years. It's not bad enough to cause headaches, but I need frequent breaks when typing into a terminal or else my eyes start doing this strange shaking motion as if they're trying to merge the images mechanically. Closing one eye helps a lot, but the effect is still there. It just shifts around less since my eyes don't keep floating to attempt to mechanically correct the doubled image.

 

[studyguy]

I get a headache being without my glasses for too long, I can't imagine seeing the world like this 24/7 that image, god damn.

 

[Lubricus]

Wavefront technology can help diagnose these type of problems.
Be sure the ophthalmologist uses this technique.
http://www.allaboutvision.com/eye-exam/wavefront.htm

 

[Bomber Bob]

Dunno if mine is a case of Monocular Diplopia but yeah I have some "ghosting" especially for bright text no dark background

 

[Chezzymann]

So I just had a very interesting second visit with my ophthalmologist today. He ruled out Keratoconus when looking at my eye and thinks it might be something wrong with my brain affecting my vision. I was confused, because I read online that if you can pass the pinhole test (which I did) that means its not brain related and has to be eye related. He then mentioned something called "A/V Malformation" which is an abnormal connection between arteries and veins and said I should get an MRI test for it. Apparently it can effect the eye which would explain why I can still pass the pinhole test and it can still be brain related.

I remembered that I feinted a few years ago and bonked my head against the door so maybe that has something to do with it. Maybe my frequent headaches mean something too. Either way, I'm gonna try and get an MRI in the next few weeks so hopefully its not something scary! I'm kinda freaked out that its not Keratoconus. I was so sure after researching it that it was the cause of my diplopia.

Also, I'm surprised there aren't more responses. This must be pretty rare.

 

[Kimaxe]

So I just had a very interesting second visit with my ophthalmologist today. He ruled out Keratoconus when looking at my eye and thinks it might be something wrong with my brain affecting my vision. I was confused, because I read online that if you can pass the pinhole test (which I did) that means its not brain related and has to be eye related. He then mentioned something called "A/V Malformation" which is an abnormal connection between arteries and veins and said I should get an MRI test for it. Apparently it can effect the eye which would explain why I can still pass the pinhole test and it can still be brain related.

I remembered that I feinted a few years ago and bonked my head against the door so maybe that has something to do with it. Maybe my frequent headaches mean something too. Either way, I'm gonna try and get an MRI in the next few weeks so hopefully its not something scary! I'm kinda freaked out that its not Keratoconus. I was so sure after researching it that it was the cause of my diplopia.

Also, I'm surprised there aren't more responses. This must be pretty rare.

There's no way that's keratoconus because of what you said:

I also noticed that I'm started to get horizontal ghosting AND vertical ghosting

I guess you see this in mono. A keretoconus would make a single blurry/ghosting axis.

Astigmatism is not the answer either because if you were astigmatic enough to distinguish an axis, you would have a shitty eyesight even with your glasses.

Bad quality tears... I don't know how it would make only a vertical (or V+H) ghosting, maybe with a hard cornea topography ? But in this case, you would have a big astigmatism ? (Any comment about this is welcome)

So it only remains the nerves issue (or mental, ok I've said it), make an update after the MRI ! (don't mind the english mistakes)

 

[sn00zer]

I had a friend with this issue and was diagnosed with MS... she was having double vision issues suddenly

 

[TheDude108]

Is LASIK an option?

I got this from gettitng LASIK done.

Annoying. I'm on a course of FML (a mild steroid) to try and help it as the laser eye surgeon said he seen a slight 'haze' in my eye, which is caused by the healing process.

I had mine done in February, so hopefully it'll improve.

 

[Kimaxe]

And I forgot:

I was confused, because I read online that if you can pass the pinhole test (which I did) that means its not brain related and has to be eye related.

The pinhole is useful to detect amblyopia, meaning you have an issue to only one eye.
And for GAF general knowledge, if with the pinhole your acuity (mono) improves it means the lens you have is not right for you, if your acuity stays the same there's too much difference between your eyes' acuity and you were not corrected when you were younger. If your acuity drops, it's an organic amblyopia with a fuckton of reasons.

 

[Chezzymann]

So I'm getting the MRI tomorrow just to rule things out, and apparently they want to also do an MRA and use a substance called Gadolinium. Apparently it makes the MRI clearer. I've read some pretty unsettling things on the internet about Gadolinium, but this is the internet so you know how that goes. Anybody here know if it's safe to use Gadolinium?

 

[Deleted member 13876]

So I'm getting the MRI tomorrow just to rule things out, and apparently they want to also do an MRA and use a substance called Gadolinium. Apparently it makes the MRI clearer. I've read some pretty unsettling things on the internet about Gadolinium, but this is the internet so you know how that goes. Anybody here know if it's safe to use Gadolinium?

Gadolinium is an element that is used for getting really clear contrasts in MRIs because of its magnetic properties. Haven't heard of any adverse effects but it's not my field so I wouldn't know.

 

[Shao Kahn Brewing a Stew]

Actually, these types of aberrations can be a side effect of laser eye surgery.

Yep. Can confirm that I see bokeh at night on street lights and traffic lights due to Lasik.

 

[Chezzymann]

So the MRA/MRI results are back and everything in my brain is completely normal. I guess that's good news (I kinda wanted something to be wrong so I might have a chance at fixing this...) The doc now thinks its something called "Ocular migraines." He's recommending that I see a neurologist. I think its an iffy idea because, again, the double vision has been present non stop, constant for at least an entire year. That would be one hell of a migraine.

I honestly think this is just a giant goose chase and the real reason I have this is because I spent 6+ hours a day on the computer almost every day during my teen years playing video games, talking with friends, watching netflix, etc. I guess I'll see the neurologist because why the heck not, my mom's paying for it.

 

[Kimaxe]

I'm glad that's not a nervous damage. I acknowledge it's something irritating for you, but it's quite an interesting case.

 

[Ushojax]

When my eyes are really dry I get this, that's why I use drops every day.

 

[Ocaso]

So the MRA/MRI results are back and everything in my brain is completely normal. I guess that's good news (I kinda wanted something to be wrong so I might have a chance at fixing this...) The doc now thinks its something called "Ocular migraines." He's recommending that I see a neurologist. I think its an iffy idea because, again, the double vision has been present non stop, constant for at least an entire year. That would be one hell of a migraine.

I honestly think this is just a giant goose chase and the real reason I have this is because I spent 6+ hours a day on the computer almost every day during my teen years playing video games, talking with friends, watching netflix, etc. I guess I'll see the neurologist because why the heck not, my mom's paying for it.

Have you seen an ophthalmologist that specializes in corneal problems?

 

[NateDog]

I had something like this for around a year or so and had to visit an eye hospital about it, although it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it sounds you have it. It was far worse in one eye than the other but wasn't 24/7, that just sounds crazy to me. After a lot of checks and exercises and different things I got it sorted and haven't looked back (excuse the pun), hope you get sorted.

 

[Zoc]

I don't know what all this talk about your brain or your retinal blood vessels is about. It clearly sounds like higher-order aberrations.

I think you need to use a little more critical judgement of your ophthalmologist. They are not all created equal. If you have HOAs, the only answer is high-definition or waveform glasses, and the only way to get those is to go to a doctor that knows what they are. Google for one in your area.

 

[msdstc]

Bumping to get any more thoughts or progress. I've dealt with this for a while.

 

[milquetoast]

Bumping to get any more thoughts or progress. I've dealt with this for a while.

Special glasses to reduce the double vision? Like Hilary's after her stroke.

 

[msdstc]

Special glasses to reduce the double vision? Like Hilary's after her stroke.

Mine fortunately isn't awful, it's just one of those things... it'd be nice to see "normal" again. Kind of like wanting to hear silence with tinnitus.

 

[Oxirane]

I get this after lots of reading or time at the computer. I end up squinting a lot to try and suppress the secondary image (as it becomes more transparent).

I have found that taking regular breaks and making sure I blink stops it from occurring, but if I get it, eye drops don't help and I need to sleep it off.

 

[Chezzymann]

Bumping to get any more thoughts or progress. I've dealt with this for a while.

I've went through the stages of denial and have learned to accept it. Theres no specialized glasses that can fix it, no eye drops, contact lenses, cure, or anything, and no one really seems to know anything about it. My ophthalmologist was stumped and got to the point where he was literally going through everything in the book.

I guess the reason no one seems to know or care about trying to find a way to fix this is because this is relatively rare and the human eye/brain is super complex?

 

[Amaya]

I have this as well. Glad to know it has a name. Now that you mention it, When I was young I hit my head hard several times. I wish there were a fix. I have no insurance so let us know your results. Much appreciated!

 

[Christoff Yurievich]

I get this after lots of reading or time at the computer. I end up squinting a lot to try and suppress the secondary image (as it becomes more transparent).

I have found that taking regular breaks and making sure I blink stops it from occurring, but if I get it, eye drops don't help and I need to sleep it off.

I hate you so much for that picture. Now I'm seeing four of everything!

OP: do color split for you? For example: One Christmas I was walking along and everyone was talking about the pretty purple lights. I was very confused because I saw a large collection of red and blue lights in the direction they were pointing. Turns out that my eyes were splitting the lights. Oh, and it gave me a migraine. Yay.

It also happens with neon signs in that the red and blue lights will actually move off the sign, like it's floating in the air. It's hard to say and I don't have photoshop to make my point. Hmm.

Imagine the "OPEN" stays right there but the blue border actually starts in the middle of the P instead of around the word.

 

[TheDeadHeroAlistair]

I've been in a similar boat, OP. Even if this problem wasn't the front and center, I did figure out I had it when I went to the ophthalmologist. I have Horner's syndrome, and used to get a weekly migraine, with some lasting five or six days straight. And on top of that, I get at least two cluster headaches a year (not a lot, but they are incredibly painful). I've had quite a few MRIs and cat scans done, been to the neurologist and the ophthalmologist, and so on, but the root cause of everything is still unknown. Glasses helped a bit with the migraines because I discovered I also have a mild astigmatism, but my ophthalmologist wasn't sure if that issue is related or not. But I share your frustration in not knowing what's going on.

Luckily, though, this aspect of my problems isn't too strong. It can be a bit jarring at night, considering it's worse in my left eye than my right (and I'm left-eye dominant) and that I have night blindness, but it's easily livable with without correction.

 

[TYU55]

Old thread, but I wanted to chime in here and see if anyone had any advice. I have this issue most prominently in my left eye. I recently had my eyeglass prescription updated to its full strength, and now I have this ghosting pretty badly in my left eye. It's well controlled in my right, however. I went back to three separate optometrists over 6 visits trying to correct for the ghosting. All of their refractions and final prescriptions were within a couple of degrees of each other. I ended up spending $600 getting my lenses replaced 4 different times with no improvement. The more my astigmatism (cynlinder) was corrected, the worse the ghosting got in my left eye.

Now I'm stuck in a similar situation as some others in the thread. One of my eyes is very good and the other has this bad ghosting despite seeing clearly through the doc's pheropter. My brain suppresses the ghosting in the left eye, but not 100% well because text still has halos around it a bit and causes my eye strain throughout the day.

I'm going into a LASIK center this week to get a free evaluation with the waveform exam. That might let me know if it's a higher order aberration or something else, I imagine. Just wanted to ask if anyone has been able to make this condition improve with eyeglass prescriptions or other methods other than having LASIK done? I can't be blowing any more money on a problem that isn't possible to fix, but I just can't deal with all text from a distance being blurry like this!