Woman’s eye pain she blamed on screen time was first sign of multiple sclerosis

Amanda Hahn, 29, of New York, said she first dismissed a sharp pain in one eye as the result of long hours on screens — only later learning the symptom was an early sign of multiple sclerosis.

Hahn told the Daily Mail that she had experienced small, puzzling symptoms for years, including brief memory problems and random bouts of numbness, which she "brushed off". The symptom that "made her pause," she said, was a stabbing pain in her eye when she looked down and to the side. She initially assumed it was eye strain from her job in digital marketing and delayed medical care until her vision began to change in 2019; subsequent evaluation led to a diagnosis of multiple sclerosis, she said.

Hahn described the pattern of dismissing intermittent symptoms as common for her: "I've always been the type to brush off little health things like, 'Oh, it's nothing.' So the idea that it could be something serious didn't even cross my mind," she told the Daily Mail. Her account illustrates how early neurologic signs can be subtle and non‑specific, and how patients and clinicians can sometimes attribute them to less serious causes.

Medical literature identifies optic neuritis — inflammation of the optic nerve — as a common early manifestation of multiple sclerosis. Typical features include eye pain, which often worsens with eye movement, and changes in vision such as blurring or loss of color perception. Multiple sclerosis is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks the protective myelin sheath that surrounds nerve fibers in the brain and spinal cord; it most often affects adults between about 20 and 40 years of age and is more common in women.

Symptoms of multiple sclerosis vary widely and may include sensory disturbances, muscle weakness, coordination problems, cognitive changes and visual disturbances. Because initial signs can be intermittent and mild, patients sometimes delay seeking care or attribute symptoms to stress, fatigue or occupational factors such as prolonged screen use.

Clinicians generally advise prompt evaluation for new or unexplained visual symptoms or neurologic changes. Early assessment can include a neurologic exam, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to look for lesions in the brain or spinal cord, and other tests such as visual evoked potentials or lumbar puncture when indicated. Disease‑modifying therapies are available that aim to reduce relapse frequency and slow accumulation of disability, and early diagnosis can affect treatment decisions and follow-up.

Hahn's experience underscores the challenge of recognizing early neurologic disease amid everyday explanations for symptoms. She told the Daily Mail that the change in her vision in 2019 ultimately led her to seek care, which produced a diagnosis and the start of appropriate medical management.

Advocates and medical organizations recommend that people seek medical attention for persistent, recurrent, or worsening visual problems, unexplained numbness or weakness, or new cognitive changes. While many common conditions can cause eye strain and transient neurologic symptoms, timely evaluation helps clinicians distinguish benign causes from conditions that require specialist care and, when appropriate, disease‑directed treatment.

Hahn's account was shared in an interview with the Daily Mail; she described how an apparently innocuous eye pain prompted a series of steps that led to an MS diagnosis and a change in how she approached her health.

(Reporting on medical topics may draw on general guidance and established clinical descriptions; individuals with concerning symptoms should consult a health professional for personalized evaluation.)