There are several different things going on with my eyes. Myopic (shortsighted) from my father's side of the family, I wear glasses anyway. But I began to bug my Optometrist for upgrades. Again and again it seemed, I went in only to be told my vision hadn't changed. Go see your Doctor, I was told. To get me off their backs they occasionally sold me new glasses with slightly different lenses, but nothing changed.

My vision continued to blur, I could see double lines on the out line of things, and I developed a habit of pressing my glasses against my eyes - trying to see better. The edges seemed...shadowy?...un focused? Whatever it was, it was damned annoying. And I kept getting little flickerings at the edge of my vision as well. Could the migraines I was getting be affecting my vision?

What the blurred vision actually indicated is that the increased pressure was pushing against the optic nerve, causing the fuzzy effect. As the pressure increased my peripheral field of vision closed in, which causes the 'flickering' effect.

Stretch your arms out to either side and look fixedly at a spot directly in front of you. Wriggle your fingers. Without turning your head, can you see their movement? If not, move them further in and try again. If you have moved your hands inwards more than 10 cm before seeing your fingers then you have lost a little peripheral vision.

It isn't permanent, I get different results on different days. Ask your doctor to arrange a proper test with your Optician, this includes a session in front of a box pressing a button every time a light goes off. Sleep well the night before if you can, or you might fall asleep from boredom, it is a long and monotonous test!

Here is another little weird thing to try. Gently push on one of your eyes. Does it go in a little bit? (Don't force it!!!) Ask a friend or relative to let you have a comparison test and gently press on their eye to see how much 'give' it has.

Most peoples eyes will go in quite a bit. But some days mine have been like boiled lollies, hard and unmovable (and aching). And they tear up for no good reason too. I believe that the pressure causes this, by literally pushing the eyes out of their sockets. (PS, getting someone who can not 'see' your pain and there fore dismisses it to do the comparison test with you helps 'them' to believe in it.)

If the symptoms (and there fore the pressure) goes on long enough without being treated things can get bad. The optic nerve can be under such pressure that it snaps, leaving you permanently blind. But remember - only 5% of folks once diagnosed do this! Don't panic!

A grey gravel that seems to push through my sight was my first real warning that something was wrong, I have a likeness of it on my migraine page. It is a firm indication of problems, don't ignore it!

Later on I also got periods of momentary loss of vision, properly called 'transient obscurations of vision'. These were split second losses, but boy, they didn't do any good for my heart, I can tell you!

Note! It takes three days for the optic nerve to compress and three weeks for it to un-compress. That is why the visuals continue to be wonky even after a Lumbar Puncture.

I remember how that concerned me after my first LP's - I'd expected my eyesight to snap back immediately!

Do not hesitate if any of this stuff happens to you, get your eyes checked out, and checked again if you think it needs it.