I thought my eye pain was from too much screen time… it was the first sign of a harrowing disease

A woman who thought her eye pain was from too much screen time has revealed how she discovered that it was actually the first sign that she was battling a harrowing disease.

Amanda Hahn, 29, from New York, said there were little clues for years that something was wrong with her – including memory problems and random bouts of numbness – but she ‘brushed them off.’

The first big symptom that ‘made her pause’ was a ‘sharp pain in her eye’ whenever she ‘looked down and to the side.’

Still, it didn’t occur to her that it was something serious.

‘At first, I blamed it on my job. I work in digital marketing at an agency, so I’m glued to a computer screen all day,’ she explained during an exclusive chat with the Daily Mail. 

‘When I am not glued to my computer screen, I am on my phone. It felt natural to assume it was just eye strain.

‘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.’

But when her vision ‘started to change’ in 2019, she finally decided it was time to go to the doctor.

A woman who thought her eye pain was from too much screen time has revealed how she discovered that it was actually the first sign that she was battling a harrowing disease

Amanda Hahn, 29, from New York, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2019

‘Things looked blurry, colors seemed off, and my eye just didn’t feel right,’ she explained. 

‘I knew it wasn’t just screen fatigue anymore. That’s when I went to the eye doctor – and everything escalated quickly from there.’

After examining her, the eye doctor suggested she go to the ER for an MRI, and she soon learned that she was battling multiple sclerosis (MS).

‘I was completely in shock. My parents were out of the country at the time, and I had spent the entire day in the ER waiting for my MRI and the results,’ she recalled. 

‘When a nurse finally came in, she just handed me a pamphlet and said, “This is what your life will look like in 10 years.”

‘Honestly, I didn’t even believe her at first. My mom also has MS, so I was confused… how could this really be happening to me too?

‘I ended up going to several other doctors just to confirm the diagnosis.’

MS is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves.

She said there were little clues for years that something was wrong with her – including memory problems and random bouts of numbness – but she ‘brushed them off’

The first big symptom that ‘made her pause’ was a ‘sharp pain in her eye’ whenever she ‘looked down and to the side’

She said, ‘When I am not glued to my computer screen, I am on my phone. It felt natural to assume it was just eye strain’

‘In MS, the immune system attacks the protective sheath that covers nerve fibers, known as myelin,’ Mayo Clinic previously explained. 

‘This interrupts communication between the brain and the rest of the body.’

Flash forward to now, six years later, and Amanda has learned to live with the disease.

‘[Every day] I remind myself that MS is part of my life, but it doesn’t define my life,’ she explained.

‘There are hard days, of course, but I focus on what I can do and what makes me feel good, like staying active, connecting with others, and sharing my story. 

‘MS has also taught me that life can change at any moment, so you can’t let anything hold you back.

‘You have to live your life fully and do the things that make you happy. That mindset helps me stay grounded and positive.’

While she admitted that she was ‘not very healthy’ before her diagnosis – ‘late nights, bad food choices, and not much activity’ during college – she said the diagnosis ‘completely changed how she approaches her health.’

Flash forward to now, six years later, and Amanda has learned to live with the disease 

‘[Every day] I remind myself that MS is part of my life, but it doesn’t define my life,’ she explained

She often documents her journey with MS on social media, where she said she’s received a slew of positive messages

‘I try to walk every day, eat fewer processed foods, and stick to a low-carb lifestyle. I also do my best not to stress over things, especially the things I can’t control,’ she shared. 

‘I’ve cut toxic people out of my life, and I try to focus my energy on what really matters.

‘I’ve learned that my health has to come first. Thankfully, with treatment and lifestyle changes, I’m doing really well right now.’ 

She often documents her journey with MS on social media, where she said she’s received a slew of positive messages from people who have told her it helped them ‘feel less alone.’ 

‘That encouragement [gives] me the push to keep going,’ she gushed.

In the end, she hopes that people use her story as a reminder that ‘different’ can still be ‘beautiful.’

‘MS doesn’t mean your life is over, it just means life might look a little different,’ she concluded.

‘Different isn’t bad. It can still be really beautiful. I want people to know it’s okay to be scared, but it’s also possible to keep living a full and happy life. 

‘Most of all, I hope we can break the stigma that having a disease means you can’t live a ‘normal’ life. You can – you just create your own version of normal.’