Sudden blindness in 74 year old man

(First visit to this newsgroup, hope someone can 'shed some light'!)

About 6 weeks ago I got a sudden burning sensation in my eyes whilst
showering. It soon subsided, but the next morning I was 95% blind in
my right eye (other than a miniscule slit if I look upwards) and
impaired vision in the left eye - no peripheral vision. Despite strong
steriods, there's been no improvement since. Obviously this has meant
that I can't drive my car, and severely limits my movement and most
other activities.

I've seen 3 doctors including a consultant and they have very little
idea what's wrong. They say that the eyes themselves are fine (I had
very good eyesight previously) and that the problem probably lies with
the optic nerve. They are cautiously hopeful of an eventual recovery
but cannot guarantee anything.

It would be helpful to hear from anyone who's come across similar
cases.
Many thanks

 

It does sound possibly like some sort of optic neuropathy
(non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy as an educated guess).
But it's strange you have problems in both eyes.
Prognosis, unfortunately, is usually guarded depending on exactly what occured-
have you seen an neuro-opthalmologist for an opinion? Best of luck.

frank