AF & Eyes - Twitching & Blurry Vision

OK as Ablation Day approaches I find myself chasing down yet another rabbit hole. I feel like Alice in Wonderland this week.

I did find a very old post & replies here from 2009 about it and many mentioned Mg.

I've been supplementing but recently cut back from 4 capsules a day, double dose, 2 a.m. 2 p.m. @ 420 mg per dose. I was thinking a few recent low heart rate notifications when I hadn't had any since Oct 24 double dose for several months might be the cause . . . as in too calm a heart in the nocturnal hours. I'm tempted to bump back up 840 mg, double dosing again. Only been on once a day dosing for about a month now.

After my 5 a.m. episode Mon my right eye has been twitching. In addition, I've always had 20/20 vision until last 2-3 years and it was 20/25 which I think is pretty good with a more years in the rear view mirror than I have looking forwards.

Last visit 11 months ago and visit before that in prior year he said cataract surgery might be in my future in about 10 years. So imagine my shock that I'm now 20/40 in my right eye and yes bottom of the screen tv scrolls are getting a bit blurry so I had noticed. Quite the change in short period of time.

Thus my question . . . I'm thinking & hoping AFTER my Ablation . . . say maybe 3 months, maybe more or later, that the blurriness will improve and perhaps even go back to 20/25 although I doubt 20/20 is possible but who knows or has the damage probably been done?

Anyone else have vision issues with AF that you didn't have before? I have read several articles about it today and finding the very old thread from 2009 on this forum, but don't recognize many of the poster names/handles.

OR twitching could be stress related with upcoming Ablation worries even though I'm not really focusing on that like I normally would do unless it is subconscious. I've never had this happen with other AF episodes these last few years. Strange.

I don't see how the two can be related unless the AF is long-term persistent, present most of each day, and with nasty uncontrolled rhythm. I would see an ophthalmologist and see if you have blepharitis, corneal disease, cataracts, a detached macula or a macular hole...that kind of thing.

Gloaming, I was just there 2 weeks ago. He said cataracts. But didn’t expect them to change this quickly.

The twitching seems to have calmed down in past hour or two. Hopefully it was just passing random muscle issue. In still at the PAF phase and been feeling PAC’s this week and my HRV was elevated last night so I’ve been dreading going to sleep tonight and another episode this week . Hopefully not.

I’m at the please don’t let anything happen that prevents or delays me from getting that ablation in 6 week phase, I think. 🤪

I've had eyelid twitching that resolved with magnesium supplementation. Haven't had this in a long time, since I've taken a lot of mag for a long time. I've not noticed any vision degradation related to afib. I you post the 2009 link, I might recognize some of the people.

Also, for me, the mag I take hasn't caused pauses. My sleeping heart rate is low. It averaged 44 BPM last night, which is pretty common. Slowest BPM was 36, but this again is common for me and has been how my heart has acted for many years.

Hi George

Your name in the thread was the only one I recognized!!!

[www.afibbers.org]

And there was this one from 2006 with muscle twitching, magnesium and AF possibilities.

[afibbers.org]

Hi Quackertoo- Re the twitching, although I have had that before, especially after covid 5 years ago, I haven't had it since starting supplementing with mag glycinate. I hadn't really thought about it much till you mentioned it! Also, I take mag in 100mg doses through the day, sometimes if I'm out on a long hike I might double up to 200mg so I don't have to dose so often (every 4 hrs or so). I only need about 400 to 600mg a day to keep the fib away so worth it to me. I started with taking it as a PIP and found about every 4 hours or so was when I needed one. At the beginning of this fib adventure, I did try a 400mg capsule and it was too much on my kidneys all at once, and didn't leave much room to take more if needed later in the evening.

As for your eyesight, I'm no ophthalmologist but I did just have cataract surgery and mine went from not so bad to pretty bad fast- the doc explained he has seen that before and could be caused my many things but that just pushed me into finally getting it done- what a difference!

Also don't think the twitching has anything to do with cataracts or eyesight in general- nerves, stress, caffein etc more likely- good luck with your procedure!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/03/2025 03:52AM by CC.

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Qwackertoo
Hi George

Your name in the thread was the only one I recognized!!!

[www.afibbers.org]

Tom Poppino reregistered as Poppino and posted as recently as 10 months ago, if you want to PM him. [www.afibbers.org]

Isabelle posted on iron issues commonly, as she did in her post in this thread and in the 2006 one.

Peggy M would now be pretty old and perhaps not still alive as her health was not stellar. It has been a number of years since she posted.

Jackie, in the 2006 post, is still here and recently posted (I think she's about 88 now). I talked to her on the phone a few months ago. You can PM her: [www.afibbers.org]

George, this is a really great forum with such a long history containing in-depth comprehensive information and has had and continues to have some very smart, great people that contribute and willingness to share all this knowledge with us who suffer from AF to learn, benefit and even cope with AF. I am very thankful that I found afibbers!!!!

Are you on sotalol? I had very blurry vision when on this.

Quote
GeorgeN

Hi George

Your name in the thread was the only one I recognized!!!

[www.afibbers.org]

Tom Poppino reregistered as Poppino and posted as recently as 10 months ago, if you want to PM him. [www.afibbers.org]

Isabelle posted on iron issues commonly, as she did in her post in this thread and in the 2006 one.

Peggy M would now be pretty old and perhaps not still alive as her health was not stellar. It has been a number of years since she posted.

Jackie, in the 2006 post, is still here and recently posted (I think she's about 88 now). I talked to her on the phone a few months ago. You can PM her: [www.afibbers.org]

I’ve been on this site since 2004.

Just curious, how long is considered acceptable to have other procedures After one has an ablation?

Of course I will be asking TCA at some point but don't want to ask too many questions too soon and be labeled as one of "those" patients. LOL.

Cataract surgery? 5 minutes. Numbing drops in eyes.

Or other things that could crop up.

Granted I've really only experienced common medical things like having 2 babies and 2 colonoscopies + the implanted heart loop monitor . . . so my personal experience with hospitals and surgeries/procedures is fairly limited. I really miss my 20/20 vision~!!! I'm thinking wait 3 months but ??? Beyond the "blanking period"?

Anticoagulation is going to be the limiting factor. Most eye surgery is going to require you not to be on an anticoagulant, but the ablation is going to require it, usually for at least the blanking period. Without that you could do eye surgery the day after an ablation.

Thanks Carey. So unknown, how long after Ablation they'd keep me on Eliquis or forever, but guessing one could go off of it for 24, 48 or 72 hours after an appropriate waiting period after an Ablation? I guess then it gets into half life etc etc on the dosage in my system. Today I'm starting my list of questions for when I get assigned a nurse navigator coordinator person.

How long they continue it is going to depend a lot on what has to be done so they probably won't be able to tell you in advance. However, there are ways around the problem if you need a procedure that requires stopping it.

Thanks Carey. I will cross that bridge after the Ablation and see what they find and what they hopefully fix/mitigate.

Good to know that there are "ways around" the problem. I will just need to make absolutely sure that they are completely and totally aware of whatever my medication situation is at the time. Sometimes I am a wee bit wary . . . like when my own Cardiologist wanted me to stop by and pick up a Holter monitor to wear earlier this year for 2 weeks or a month when he knows/should know with my records I have an ILM. Ditto years back when I asked a doctor to be tested for thyroid antibodies and they look at me like I have 3 heads or something, yep numbers off the charts. Leaves me less than confident. Ditto with local EP. Thus my traveling for an ablation.

Quote
Qwackertoo
Thanks Carey. So unknown, how long after Ablation they'd keep me on Eliquis or forever, but guessing one could go off of it for 24, 48 or 72 hours after an appropriate waiting period after an Ablation? I guess then it gets into half life etc etc on the dosage in my system. Today I'm starting my list of questions for when I get assigned a nurse navigator coordinator person.

Both my angiogram and ablations, I was to cease apixaban 24 hours prior to the procedure, and to resume that evening at the normal time. From then on, it's a protocol for emergency surgery or for regular/elective surgery. The surgeon's staff should send you information about the surgery well ahead of time if possible, as in two weeks or more. You follow their instructions. If they say to cease your DOAC one/two days ahead, do it. If the ablation takes, you are at low risk since ablation imparts a 'six-times' risk of stroke over your baseline.

Natale has all his patients continue Eliquis (or whatever) through the procedure. It's called continuous anticoagulation and it's become very common now. Don't know if it can be called the standard of care now but it's pretty close. Natale actually pioneered the practice.

So far my instructions from Natale are Stay on It and Don’t Miss a Dose~!!! I’m not yet at the 30 day prior mark, getting close, but they said not to miss a dose 30 days prior. I’m about to set second alarm on Apple Watch because I have been known to forget the morning dose or take it an hour or two late.

Edited to add Local EP said same thing about the 30 day/don’t miss instructions before I made decision to travel for ablation.

One of the first questions I was asked each time I presented was, 'Are you still taking your DOAC (Eliquis)?' Yes. 'Consistently, as directed?' Yes. This was obviously an important question. From there, while I was being set up for the procedure, including IV, they would give me a Plavic or heparin just before being wheeled into the cath lab. But, I did have to cease the DOAC the previous day. So, as I said earlier, it's a simple protocol: do as they instruct you to do. To the letter.