dodgy eyesight after ride

Oz-2

HI - this is my first ever post so hope Im doing things right!

I'm 46, 6ft2" AND ABOUT 14.5 stone. I have returned to riding in the last two years and frequently ride hilly 20 miles in about 1hour or so and can manage 50+ miles ok.

However I have noticed that when I return from a ride - especially if I have tried hard - my eyesight is terrible - blurry and hard to focus. Also if i stand up after sitting down for some time I get a light head and a kind of dimmness of vision. After a few hours this passes although the eyesitght needs a good nights rest to get back to normal.

My questions is:
Does anyone else experience this?
Should I get it checked out by my GP or is it just my age and 'normal'
I have noticed that I am a bit of salty sweater and wondered whether I could be suffering from low sodium levels after a ride.

thanks to anyone who answers.

Oz

davelakers

Very possibly a migraine.
I first suffered a couple of years back when my eyesight went blurry and fuzzy. I panicked and was told by NHS direct to go to the hospital where I was told it was a migraine. Weird because I hadn't had a headache but apparently it happens.

popette

I've had it on rides where my vision started narrowing into a tunnel and I struggled to focus. I also felt a bit dizzy. I assumed that I'd just overdone it and was in the middle of a spectacular bonk (It was on the first club run I ever tried and I was really pushing hard to keep up) and so stopped and ate a banana. I ate little and often for the rest of the ride and it seemed to keep the dizzyiness and blurred vision away.

I often get headaches after rides and that goes as I eat/drink.

ut_och_cykla

I think teh dizziness on standing is fairly common BUT if its new for you I would get a GP to check you out. The sight after riding thingy could be due to wind - do you use glasses? regular or bike appropriate? Or overstraining your sight without the glasses you usually use.
The fact that it takes a nights rest to recover I would find a bit worrying.
At your age its worth checking things that are new for you - a GP you trust - would be a good idea just for reassurance if nothing else!

Oz-2

ut_och_cykla wrote:

The sight after riding thingy could be due to wind - do you use glasses? regular or bike appropriate? Or overstraining your sight without the glasses you usually use.

thanks everyone for the replies.

I did mention this to someone who said it could be dry eyes after a ride so I bought some of those wrap around Bloc glasses with clear lenses - and found that the problems is just as bad. I do wear reading glasses and, in reality the effets I experience after riding are and intensification of those effects that require glasses in the first place. Its just that it really is noticeable!

I think I ought to check out with my GP - he's a sportsman (runner) and so should have an opinion I guess

thanks everyone

Oz

ut_och_cykla

You could be overstraining your eyesight. Gp sounds like a good idea.
hoep you get a reasonable answer!

Raph

14.5 stone sounds a lot even for 6ft2. It's a slightly higher BMI as mine, and I'm easily a stone overweight. The fact that you recently returned to riding and your symptoms are similar to mine makes this very interesting to me - I've had increasing dizziness with a feeling a bit like a hangover, though not so much of the headache bit, more the fuzzyness and occasional difficulty getting both eyes to focus on the same thing. Also slightly sore muscles, feeling as if I'd just done a huge hill whereas I've just got up out of seat or just gone up one flight of stairs.

I went to three different GPs and none of them had a clue. The first one fobbed me off with the notion that it's just psychological and I'm just imagining it. The other two weren't that great either but at least one of them did me a blood test to count out diabetes as a possible cause.

The nearset set of symptoms I could find that matched mine were to do with candida overgrowth, and the symptoms of the diet to treat it have also so far coincided perfectly. I'm still not 100% certain that it's the cause, but the diet is simply a strict healthy wholefood diet anyway, the only specific anti-candida bit is taking caprylic acid as pills.

The sort of things that can cause a candida overgrowth are: antibiotics, either taken as medicine or too much of them in processed food, eating too much sugar, stress, and other factors that I can't remember just now. Doctors dismiss this stuff out of hand, on the rather unscientific notion that no single one of these things on its own will cause a problem, but it only takes two or more at the same time to knock the system off balance. If you can't trace anything like those causes to when this problem came about, then it's probably not candida, but it's worth looking into if you've had a period of unfitness where your immune system might have been weakened. Try to remember if you've taken strong antibiotics, or had a period of eating badly or being stressed. Tea, coffee and booze all add to the effect.

There are plenty of websites and forums on candida, a lot of the stuff rings true but one has to stay suspicious as most of the symptoms coincide with a thousand other illnesses, but when a whole list coincides it start to look more possible that candida might be the cause.

About "salty sweat" - I've always noticed that even when I've been seriously fit, so it may or may not follow that it's not a problem. I've occasionally noticed this most after a period of eating junk food, or just rich salty food e.g. olives. If sodium levels were low I'd expect sweat not to be salty, i.e. the body wouldn't be getting rid of it. Not sure if any of that follows!

PS a friend of mine describes similar sumptoms but has been down a completely different route - sleep patterns! That would apply to me as well since as a freelance musician I work really stupid random hours and can't get a regular sleep pattern. "M.E." is a sort of generic term used (don't know what it stands for!), but it's in the realm where GPs say "there's nothing wrong with you" and send you off, because quite frankly if they don't see you've got a leg missing or an eyeball hanging out, they can't find anything wrong with you.

cee

Raph wrote:

14.5 stone sounds a lot even for 6ft2. It's a slightly higher BMI as mine, and I'm easily a stone overweight.

Don't read too much into the BMI thing. I'm 5'9 and a bit, and weigh 13 Stone. If you looked at me you would not think I was overweight. I'm not saying that I am super buff or anything, just that an individuals frame can make one more heavy than another individual. The BMI thing is really just a general guide, given averages.

I think I had this when I started cycling again after a break due to injury. My knee got all better, I got a nice new bike and I went out on my own for a while.

When I got back, I had the blurred vision (with the narrowing), a sore head and it was all I could do to stay on my feet (dizziness etc).

That went away quite quickly and I always put it down to pushing it too much too soon. I do sometimes still get what poppette described (the bonk??), but it is always when I am pushing too hard (or on a climb after drinking too much the night before :oops: )

Maybe try taking it easy for the next couple of rides and change your nutrition (like poppette....little and often) and see how you feel. If it is still a concern, go see your GP

Raph

"Don't read too much into the BMI thing. I'm 5'9 and a bit, and weigh 13 Stone"

I'm taking the BMI thing pretty loosely - but still, for the given height 14.5st seems a lot. Some people are stockier than others, but there's still a range beyond which things start to seem a bit worrying. At my leanest and fittest I was still about 70kg which is 11st (I'm 5"9), which was somewhere in the upper half of the BMI "normal" range, so I don't take it too seriously either. More recently I got to a fairly steady 13.5st which is definitely a weight at which my body suffers. The only reason to mention BMI is that age and height make a difference so it'snot enough to talk just of weight. A common excuse for being overweight is "heavy bones" - I once got pranged by a car speeding at 40mph, I dented the car, and have never yet broken anything, so perhaps that's my reason for being heavy for my weight, if you see what I mean.

Anyway, sorry, none of that's to do with the original post - in addition to any issues of heavy bones or BMI or whatever, I'm overweight, and I strongly suspect the causes are also related to the dizziness and migraine-ish problems I've had. When I've checked out symptoms of low blood sugar they've come up as similar to what I've had, and what's described above - it would make sense that if you're returning to exercise after a period of relative unfitness, the body takes time to be able to keep up stable levels of energy during short bursts of exercise.

"I had the blurred vision (with the narrowing), a sore head and it was all I could do to stay on my feet (dizziness etc). "

That's exactly what I've been getting, but when it started happening all the time, most days and all day, that's when I started checking out causes such as diabetes and candida. It could be that the first symptoms are that it only happens after exercise, then as it gets worse, as it did for me, you spend all of every day like that.

PS I've always thought exercise makes more difference than all the diets put together, but diet can still help to speed up recovery from unfitness. If this dizziness/migraine/blurry-eyesight thing is blood-sugar related then it won't be hard to find dietary remedies to help fix the problem. For some people, eating during the ride might be enough as mentioned above. I've always liked long-distance stuff, and found the best way for me used to be to eat lots of carbs the day before, then on the day I could do 150miles+ with just a banana and a flapjack. I used to find it far better than eating lots on the ride. Obviously for touring or several-day rides, you can't just eat "the day before", but then my touring speeds have always been modest - none of that "20 miles in a hour" stuff. I think my constitution's changed recently (i.e. I'm now a crumbly) and doing 150 mile stints on a raisin and a crumb might not work any more.

cee

Raph wrote:

It could be that the first symptoms are that it only happens after exercise, then as it gets worse, as it did for me, you spend all of every day like that.

ooof - if it happens more than is explainable by pushing too much, go directly to the doctor, do not pass go, do not collect £200

Raph

"go directly to the doctor, "

Tried that and got absolutely nowhere. I think they save themselves for people with more pressing problems. I got as far as a blood test that came back ok - though I can't remember what they tested for, but the GP got me the test an the strength of the symptoms I described. Anyway I think they were humouring me cos it was the third time I'd been there. I've given up on them, the first one I saw cited the fact that I'd riden my bike a mere 5 miles to go and see him as proof that there was nothing wrong with me. "Fit young man!" he said. What a moron.

Decent sleep seems to make a difference, but probably only with all the other things I'm doing as well. I say "probably" because it's nearly impossible to separate the causes and effects. I'd have to keep everything the same for at least two months at a time and only change one thing each time to begin to isolate what is having an effect on what.

I think if you get the problem only after exercise, and you're getting back into fitness from being relatively unfit, then it makes sense that you'll get some kind of effect like this.

It would help to know whether you've generally had a healthy diet in the last few years.

If you really mean 20mph average for an hour's ride then that's significant fitness but it's still not into the sort of long-term exercise that makes your body pull out fat reserves which, for me at least, is essential for long-term energy. I find that's the key to not getting the sort of lull that causes dizziness when you stop. Eating the odd banana is ok but there has to be more to it than that. Last summer when I went on short rides I found that while I was riding, everything was fine - the moment I stopped, within twenty seconds I'd be back to feeling dizzy and sort of having spots in front of my eyes. That doesn't happen any more now, so at least something's improved.

Ste_S

What do you eat on your 50+ mile efforts ?

I often get blurry vision and dizziness on standing up after a club run if I haven't eaten properly during the ride. Normally due to my blood sugar being very low post ride.

SteveR_100Milers

14.5 stone and 6ft 2....I'm 15 st 3 at 6ft 1. I am about half a stone overweight, though when younger was 13.5 stone wet and had no discernible excess body fat. The BMI calcs are as inaccurate as MHR is age-220 formual IME.

stagger

Oz-2 wrote:

HI - this is my first ever post so hope Im doing things right!

I'm 46, 6ft2" AND ABOUT 14.5 stone. I have returned to riding in the last two years and frequently ride hilly 20 miles in about 1hour or so and can manage 50+ miles ok.

However I have noticed that when I return from a ride - especially if I have tried hard - my eyesight is terrible - blurry and hard to focus. Also if i stand up after sitting down for some time I get a light head and a kind of dimmness of vision. After a few hours this passes although the eyesitght needs a good nights rest to get back to normal.

My questions is:
Does anyone else experience this?
Should I get it checked out by my GP or is it just my age and 'normal'
I have noticed that I am a bit of salty sweater and wondered whether I could be suffering from low sodium levels after a ride.

thanks to anyone who answers.

Oz

Interesting. Had a similar thing on wednesday. Not very fit just now and did my work commute( 17 very hilly miles ) for the first time this year. had my usual cuppa and banana before off, felt pretty knacked and cold when i got to work. Had a hot shower. 5 mins later- vision really messed up/distorted, faint/dizzy. had to sit down. dizziness lasted 15 mins, eyesight returned to normal in half hour. As symptoms were almost stroke -like went to A nd e to get checked out. Consultant did some basic neuro tests and eyesight/bp etc. Bp was bit 15% higher than when i was last checked and fit, but in range, pulse fine at 50. he concluded there was nowt wrong with me, and offered the following possibilities

1. insufficient fuel/not as fit as usual
2 hot shower when v cold gave a big blood pressure drop
3. possible migraine, or dehydration


2 being the most likely, but probably a combination of things coupled with just having done it a bit hard.

Told me that if i felt fine next day ( I did) just carry on as normal. If not take it easy for a few days- get bp checked again. If it happened again staright to a and e with the symptoms .

I left my bike at work but did the ride home the next day with plenty fuel in me, took it steady- was fine -just normal expected tiredeness.

hope thats useful .

peanut

Oz-2 wrote:

My questions is:
Does anyone else experience this?
Should I get it checked out by my GP or is it just my age and 'normal'
I have noticed that I am a bit of salty sweater and wondered whether I could be suffering from low sodium levels after a ride.

thanks to anyone who answers.

Oz

hypertension mate.
I'd get your blood pressue checked out pronto in case it causes damage to your sight

Symptoms

Most people with high blood pressure don't have any symptoms.

People with severe high blood pressure or a rapid rise in blood pressure may also experience headaches, blurred or impaired vision, fits or black-outs.
Complications

People with high blood pressure have an increased risk of major illnesses including:

* cardiovascular disease such as angina, stroke, heart attack or atrial fibrillation
* kidney damage
* damaged sight

Diagnosis

As most people with high blood pressure don't have any symptoms, they are diagnosed when they have their blood pressure taken as part of a medical examination. That's one good reason to have a regular check-up with your doctor, especially if you're over 50.

Your doctor may request that you come back for repeat measurements over a number of weeks before suggesting that you have treatment. This is so he or she can check that the high reading is an ongoing problem and not a one-off.

You may also need some tests to see if high blood pressure is having an effect on the rest of your body. These may include:

* an analysis of your urine (protein in your urine may be the first sign of a kidney problem)
* a blood test, to check your cholesterol and blood sugar levels as well as the condition of your kidneys
* an ECG (electrocardiogram), which records the electrical changes happening in your heart

Raph

I have similar symptoms but my blood pressure is consistently 120/65-ish, which I'm told is normal. Only when I'm stressed out about something does it temporarily get to 130/80-ish.

I suppose checking it during exercise would be the next thing. And all the stuff mentioned in the previous post....