Wobbling/wiggling of objects in peripheral vision

I'll state my question first, and follow it with the background:

I've only just really noticed this though I suspect it's been happening and
I just couldn't pick it out of the 'noise' of things in my vision moving:
especially in better-lit areas (like on my balcony, possibly in my kitchen
where a large overhead light shines on white cabinets and countertops), if I
look at something in my central vision, items - especially those with
contrast - at the edge of my peripheral vision seem to shake. It's not
really a rhythmic shaking, it's almost like what happens to things just
outside your central vision if you focus on something closely and you see
things outside that middle area move in or out, possibly change intensity a
bit. But this is happening instantaneously, and it's really only in the
last, say 20% of my visual field on the periphery. There's very clear
movement now that I know what I'm looking for, though sometimes it happens
and sometimes it doesn't. The higher the contrast of the item (and the more
linear it is, it seems) the more easily I notice it. Example: a dark
barbell laying on a white floor, or the bars of a balcony railing against
the grass three stories below. It's not _that_ shaking that bothers me, but
since it seems very much like what happens in my central vision, and because
I can recreate it by standing in an area where many things are moving in
different directions (a balcony with many plants blowing in the wind), I
suspect it has to be related. Does anyone have any clue whatsoever what
this might be? Could it be the slowly waning after-effect of a virus from
10 months ago? (See below.) Could it be related to astigmatism? I'm told
I have such in one eye. I need vision correction for driving at night, but
using glasses I'm easily correctable to 20/20, and I do 10+ hours of close
computer work on a daily basis with no need of glasses. I'm really at a
loss, as are the many doctors I've seen.


Background:
About a year ago I came down with a very bad flu. Within a few weeks of it
going away I began having fleeting (<1 second) sensations of linear movement
and dizziness sensations, but never rotational vertigo. These began at one
or two a day, and over the course of about a month and a half it got worse
and peaked at many times per hour, primarily when viewing a computer screen
or television with movement, but also when my field of vision would pan in
some way; I could never recreate this, I couldn't "do what I just did" and
have it happen again, it was random. I additionally had, for a few days at
the peak, a sensation of 'pulling' around the tops of my eyes, usually when
these sensations hit, but even without them there was a feeling of weight up
there. An optometrist who saw me about a week after this peak saw no
evidence of physical trouble, and no nystagmus.

Within a month I was tried on a round of antibiotics, which seemed to
improve the symptoms dramatically. I had about two weeks of clear sailing.
At that point things started creeping up again, but this time it presented
as a vague rocking sensation when walking, no visual dizziness, and most
noticable when I moved and then stopped; when stopping, it feels (and looks)
like things rock slightly one way and then another before they, too, stop
moving. Vague feelings of unsteadiness accompany this. I'm find in an
eyes-open romberg, I have a little sway eyes closed, but I think I've always
had that.

This last version (wobbling vision/sensation upon stopping movement) has
persisted for 8 months now. It has improved three times for anywhere from
10 to 21 days, going away 95% to 100%, before coming back. The visual
impression of things rocking slightly seems to be diminishing for the most
part, unless my central field of vision has a lot of movement. For example,
standing on my balcony with all my plants blowing variously in the wind will
definitely set it off.

I have seen: an allergy specialist, who says I may have allergies.

I've seen an ENT, who says my sinuses had a little inflammation, and who had
an MRI, an ENG, an audiogram, an otoacoustic emissions test, and bloodwork
done to look for thyroid, multiple sclerosis, acoustic neuroma, etc. (This
was six months after onset.) Everything came back normal, and the MRI was
clean save for a few small areas attributed to ventricular spaces on some
scans, and I have been repeatedly assured that those are common and that the
other scans would have shown something if they were anything but that. I
have been worried about MS, obviously, but I'm told that because the scan
was clear and because I have no symptoms that seem to fit (and only this one
symptom), it is unlikely. MRIs early in the disease can miss it, but this
is apparently not the sort of presentation one would see; I am also told
that even if my vestibular and/or visual centers or nerves had been
attacked, in MS I would have a different experience than what I'm describing
regardless. I sincerely hope that's true, as it's my biggest fear.

Meniere's has been virtually ruled out, as I have no hallmark symptoms and
nothing on the testing looks like it. I have also seen an otologist, a
neurologist, and the best neuro-opthalmologist (twice) in the state. I have
had four slit-lamp eye exams (I guess that's what they are - lengthy
physical exams under total dilation), all of which came out with flying
colors. I have had five of the exams where you look into a white
half-sphere and pick out lights flashing in different fields of vision.
(Two by a neuro-opth, three by an optometrist.) One at the optometrist
showed a slight abnormality in one eye which was chalked up to me probably
not paying attention at the end of the test and was apparently within
limits, but the others came out great.

I have no problem driving, walking, watching TV, spinning around instantly
180 degrees. But if I go into the kitchen and take a step sideways moving
around the counter, take something out of the microwave, put something in
the fridge - I get the feeling of sort of spatial unsteadiness. (I have
never fallen over or felt like I was going to, never run into a wall, never
tripped, I can close my eyes, lean my head back and touch my fingers to my
nose.) I can walk down a long aisle in a supermarket with no problems. But
walking from my computer into the kitchen? Walking down the hallway,
jigging a little to the right and then stopping at the counter or fridge?
Produces a very disturbing rocking sensation that I just can't seem to
habituate to. I can whip my head around 45 degrees and instantly focus on
text on a screen, read while walking or riding in a car, and things do not
move when I walk (unless I have stiff-soled shoes on, then I get a bit of
vibration when my heel strikes the ground, but I believe I've always had
that too). Based on this, I'm told I do not have oscillopsia.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. Despite the number of things that are
not being interfered with, this is nevertheless causing a huge amount of
consternation for me, and is causing physical difficulty as well. For
instance, while I can walk down that supermarket aisle with no problem, when
I stop walking and look around the shelf this sensation hits. In short, I
can't find any 'typical' explanations to fit this, but it's happening on a
many-times-per-hour basis.

 

Same thing going on with me

Have similar issues with shaky peripheral vision..additionally I have a blueish / silver area in my lower right eye that likes to present itself when I go from Dark to Light conditions. Traveled to numerous nuero doctors, eye doctors, primary doctors - everyone says everything is normal in your eye nothing to worry about.

I want it gone and normal visual clarilty and stability re-established! I can understand how frustrating this could be. My sypmtoms seems to present themselves after a battle with upper-respitory infection. Wonder if it was ever completely eliminated??

Hope they fine out what it is for you I am still looking for answers - been two years without any real ones.

Eric

 

T_mark im afraid you may never read my reply.. I am having these troubles and no doctor seems to know what I'm talking about have you gotten a diagnosis or leads??? If you see this PLEASE reach out!!!