Eyes open vs Closed

[lessakitty]

One of the reasons the doctor in the hospital was convinced it was PNES seizures not epeliptic seizures was my eyes are often closed. During my aura just before the seizure my vision goes weird, blurry, and I tend to see things awkwardly. Also I close my eyes to control my breathing to focus inwardly.

Do your eyes always have to be open during a seizure for it to be epeliptic?

 

[Belinda5000]

I just ask my husband if my eyes were always open when I had a seizure and he said no, so your eyed do not have to be caused by your epilepsy.

 

[Nakamova]

At the start of a grand mal seizure, most people will have their eyes open, though often they are rolled up or to the side. Then there tends to be a lot of rapid eye blinking. The eyes don't usually close until the seizure is over and the person is in the recovery phase. Even if someone is asleep when they start having a grand mal their eyes will open at the onset. So it's considered a fairly strong way to determine whether a seizure is epileptic in origin or psychogenic in origin. There are some exceptions, but I think the percentage of of folks whose eyes are open during a grand mal is more than 95%.

 

[Nakamova]

Just wanted to add, this doesn't mean that you weren't having an epileptic seizure. It's entirely possible that the hospital doc only observed part of the seizure, or that you're one of the exceptions.

 

[Kgartner]

My daughter's auras definitely affect her vision, particularly when they are strong ones - she will often shade or close her eyes during them which is one way that I know she is having one. But if it progresses to a complex partial that always starts with a fixed stare, followed by a forced head turn to the right. Then during the grand mal part of her seizure her eyes are either open or rapidly blinking. Once the seizure is done she closes her eyes and is completely non-responsive for 5-15 minutes.

Hope this helps!

 

[lessakitty]

This does help. My fiancee says my eyes blink rapidly, and she can see my eyes rolling around through my lids (not that my lids are translucent), sometimes I open them and am 'staring' at her while I seize but its like the lights are on and no on is home. I've noticed that my eyes do feel strained after a day of seizures.

 

[Pinkattitude]

Not an expert, but when I have a seizure I wave my hands around a do silly things with them. Sounds like whatever part of your brain is affected has to do with your eye control.

Again, I wonder why doctors make silly statements about E like "everyone who has a seizure does" whatever. In my experience, no two of us are alike!

My vision goes weird before I have seizures. Sometimes I will see different colors, like the screen just went yellow. Sometimes whatever I'm looking at changes. Never the same two times, I don't think.