Multiple Sclerosis Eye Clinic

Visual symptoms are very common in people with MS. They can include:

Double vision
Unsteady vision
Blindness due to optic nerve or brain visual pathway disease

The neuro-ophthalmology clinic affiliated with the Swedish Neuroscience Institute has a dedicated Multiple Sclerosis Eye Clinic.

This clinic provides comprehensive evaluation of the visual health of people with MS, and its neuro-ophthalmologists are specially trained to make comprehensive assessments. They are also involved in numerous clinical studies on multiple sclerosis treatments.

How an MS eye evaluation differs from a regular eye exam

A number of tests have been devised to assess specific types of visual problems. These tests evaluate a patient's vision, optic nerve function, eye movements, and gaze-holding abilities.

Because the tests document the patient's neurologic visual function at the time of the exam, the results can serve as a basis for comparison during future exams — especially when there is a concern that vision may be worsening due to MS.

These highly specialized neurological evaluations are in addition to the routine eye care patients receive from their regular ophthalmologist.

What happens during an MS eye exam

During a visit to the MS Eye Clinic, a neuro-ophthalmologist performs a comprehensive eye exam, and patients undergoes a series of tests:

Vision is checked using several different vision charts
Color vision is evaluated
Peripheral and central vision is checked on a visual field testing machine (lasting about 15 minutes)
The health of the optic nerves is evaluated using optical coherence tomography (OCT)

All of these tests are safe and painless. The physician will go over the results, explain how MS is affecting the vision and outline what treatment options may be available.