I'm in a bit of a panic here - it could be over nothing or then again I might have a big problem...
I recently went onto a new migraine preventive, which does seem to be helping, so although I was initially reluctant about it because I was worried that it might make me think too slowly, I think it's going to be OK from that point of view, but I think I'm getting some visual side-effects. I saw my GP on Thursday and I'm off to the optician later today for a full eye exam including the pressure check for glaucoma.
If Topamax has caused glaucoma, I've probably got no option but to come back off it, which would be a shame, because it looks like it shows real promise of getting me compliant with the sickness and absence policy at work in terms of numbers of absences.
However, if I have some lesser side-effect which I need to live with, I'm probably going to have to make some changes around here. If it's the difference between feeling human all the time and spending up to four days every fortnight incapacitated to a greater or a lesser extent by migraine then the changes will have to be made.
What I am noticing is that since going on Topamax, I have become rather more light sensitive than I used to be. I also suspect that my lovely big CRT monitor at home is more of a strain to use than my flat monitor in the office.
So do I replace my home CRT with a flat monitor? If so, as I use it for image editing, the replacement flat monitor will need to be big and probably expensive as it will have to be one where the colours look the same independent of the angle of view.
Do I try putting one of those anti-glare filters over my current monitor? Has anyone had any experience of trying to edit images through such a filter?
Or do I get my optician to make up the new glasses I undoubtedly need with tinted lenses? Will these affect my colour perception and cause me to edit incorrect colours into my images? If the tint is recommended by the optician (I will hate it from a vanity point of view, but I might have to lump it and get on with it) I suppose I could ask for a shade which is effectively a neutral density filter. i.e. not pink or green or anything else that was likely to affect colour perception.
Does anyone have any thoughts on any of these purely from the point of view of which solution would be best for seeing colours correctly? I'm not expecting medical advice here! I've got a GP, an optician and a neurologist to cover those.