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Thread: Post-workout vision changes

  1. #1
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    Default Post-workout vision changes

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    Apologies if this is in the wrong forum. I tried searching but didn't find anything quite like this so I'm posting it here.

    Two weeks ago, about an hour and a half to two hours post workout (heavy squats, volume deadlifts), I had a sudden vision change. Vision got hazy on both sides and was seeing pronounced halos around lights. It cleared up in about 20 minutes. At the time I doubted that it was related to the workout at all given the timing. I got in with an ophthalmologist the next day. Pressures were perfect, he dilated my pupils and my retinas looked good as well. Discussed a few possibilities including ocular migraine or "something neurological" and to bring it up with my GP at my next physical. He also doubted that it was workout related.

    Last week, again after my heavy squat/heavy deadlift workout, it happened again about 30 minutes post-workout, as I was sitting down to eat. Only lasted about 10 minutes, and was slightly worse in the right eye than the left. Left eye cleared up in 6 to 7 minutes. I train on a 4-day TM split, so I've had several workouts in the past 2 weeks where this has NOT happened, just the two squat workouts I mentioned. On the most recent workout I did catch my self holding my valsalva in my mouth on one of my squat singles (I've been working hard to break the habit) but I don't believe I do this regularly any more. Any ideas? I'm still not sure why it would happen that long after the workout, but the fact that it's happened twice in a row on my heavy squat day is suspicious.

    Other info: 43 years old, 5' 9", 215 lbs. Current training: 4 day volume/intensity split. Squat:420x1, Dead: 415x3, Bench: 275x3, Press 195x1
    Before anyone asks, the deadlift is low in comparison to the squat because my coach had me reset it a bit when I switched to biweekly progression on that lift. Currently running out singles on squats for the first time.

    Thanks.

  2. #2
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    Sounds like a visual migraine, but I have never heard of this happening as a result of training.

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Rippetoe View Post
    Sounds like a visual migraine, but I have never heard of this happening as a result of training.
    That's where I'm leaning, too. The eye doc said that stress is often a trigger for visual migraine. I realize it's not probably what he meant, but squat/deadlift workouts are systemically stressful, after all.

    At what point do you think I should worry about this enough to do a follow-up exam?

  4. #4
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    Sleep, stress, and diet are factors for ocular migraines, and yeah workouts can push things over the top against this base. How do these things look, Matt? Esp if you've suddenly changed things up (low carb to Christmas gobbling, for example).

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    Quote Originally Posted by stef View Post
    Sleep, stress, and diet are factors for ocular migraines, and yeah workouts can push things over the top against this base. How do these things look, Matt? Esp if you've suddenly changed things up (low carb to Christmas gobbling, for example).
    Sleep is good, at least hasn't changed. Stress has been about the same as always too. Diet: I have been eating more lately to try to keep my bodyweight moving up, but overall I been keeping my macro ratios about the same, just eating slightly more. Only real change is that the workouts have been getting more grindy as I have been doing heavy singles on the squat for the past few weeks.

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    Addendum: Dr. Google suggested that dry eyes could contribute to the problem. I did get some basic eyedrops which I applied the last time this happened, so it's possible that the quicker resolution of symptoms that time could be because of that. Who knows.

  7. #7
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    I used to get this, not from lifting. The first dozen times were just this vision blurring thing, then some were followed by pretty hardcore migraine headaches. Never repeated after the three or four bouts of headache. This shit is probably emotional, it will tell you what is wrong with time. Keep a dose of painkillers

  8. #8
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    Either:
    A) allergies
    B) i’ve read that the increased intraocular pressure can force fluid into the retina faster than it can drain under normal conditions. A poor valsalva is likely to blame and I can attest to having the same experience.

    I’m too sleepy to look up the source for you, but look into it and try to fix your valsalva (still something I fuck up on a regular basis).

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    Quote Originally Posted by Soule View Post
    Either:
    A) allergies
    B) i’ve read that the increased intraocular pressure can force fluid into the retina faster than it can drain under normal conditions. A poor valsalva is likely to blame and I can attest to having the same experience.

    I’m too sleepy to look up the source for you, but look into it and try to fix your valsalva (still something I fuck up on a regular basis).
    When you say "poor valsalva" do you mean holding it in the mouth instead of in the throat? Because yes, I still catch myself doing that from time to time (usually accompanied by feeling like my head is going to explode). I'll definitely be more intentional about self-cuing that.

    Tomorrow's intensity squat day again. I'll see what happens.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Matt James View Post
    When you say "poor valsalva" do you mean holding it in the mouth instead of in the throat? Because yes, I still catch myself doing that from time to time (usually accompanied by feeling like my head is going to explode). I'll definitely be more intentional about self-cuing that.

    Tomorrow's intensity squat day again. I'll see what happens.
    Correct, when I do it wrong I don’t puff out my cheeks, but there is clearly a lot of tension and blood pressure in my face. I’ve also managed to fuck up one of the veins in my nose and it bleeds almost every time I do heavy squats. I’m procrastinating on getting it cauterized, because I dislike going to the doctor.

    I find that my internal cue to force pressure to my sternum (aka stopping the air at the glottis) and relaxing my face seems to help, at least during the eccentric. It all goes to shit during the concentric.

    I’ve been experiencing the temporary blurry vision for a couple years now, although not as bad lately. I haven’t noticed a permanent change in my eyesight. I also had lasik ~10 years ago.

    Sinus pressure from allergies makes the issue much worse it seems.

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