Selma Blair recently shared her experiences with symptoms that were overlooked by doctors for many years before her multiple sclerosis diagnosis. The actress has been candid about her struggles with the condition, which she was diagnosed with in her 40s in 2018. For decades, Blair endured extreme fatigue and unexplained pain before her condition was finally identified.
According to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, nearly one million people in the United States live with this chronic autoimmune disease. The Cleveland Clinic notes that although there is no cure, symptoms can be managed with treatment.
“Multiple sclerosis (MS) damages the protective cover around nerves called myelin in your central nervous system. It can cause muscle weakness, vision changes, numbness and memory issues,” they explain.
Blair revealed she experienced a symptom from childhood that went unnoticed by doctors.
In a recent appearance on the UK daytime program, This Morning, Blair mentioned she had vision issues from a young age. She said, “I’ve had symptoms for as young as I can remember with my eyesight. I had optical neuritis and we never really diagnosed it. [They] just said ‘Oh, it’s turned into a lazy eye.’”
She has previously stated that many of her symptoms were overlooked for much of her life. At the Flow Space Women’s Health Summit, she shared, “I was diagnosed with relapsing [remitting] MS in 2018. It turned out I probably had juvenile MS as my first optical neuritis was when I was about seven, which left me with a lazy eye from nerve damage. But there were a lot of things missed my whole life.”
The Mayo Clinic provides a deeper understanding of optical neuritis, which involves swelling that harms the optic nerve, with symptoms such as pain during eye movement and temporary vision loss in one eye.
Discussing the discomfort of this issue, Blair said, “It can be painful in the eye, pressure, and the eye nerve gets quite inflamed, so you can accrue damage the longer that stays. It can go away, so it can be tricky, I think with doctors, especially when you’re young and quite capable.”
Additionally, Blair has reported suffering from chronic headaches, fever, drop leg, and tics during her youth.