View Full Version : Petrified of an impending retinal detachment.
I have been absolutely obsessed with my vision for over a year now. I have had eye floaters since I was a kid but they were always clear and never really bothered me. However, during the last few months I have noticed that they have got darker, I'm not sure if they have increased. But there has been some change I am also seeing a blue flash in my vision, not all the time, but it happens. I can't count how many times I've had my eyes tested and I'm going again tomorrow to get these floaters checked.
So I'm convinced that these are warning signs and someone will find a tear of some sort. If not then they could mean that a tear or detachment might develop in the future.
I just wish I wasn't so scared all the time!
It is not good to know without a very good optician. I recently suffered a retinal detachment which went undetected for 3 weeks before i was rushed in for an operation to save the sight in my eye. I also thought I saw flash but was not sure as I also have another eye condition. Suddenly my eyesight went funny one night and the computer images were all strange. I then noted it also was the same on paper. I went to the optician straight away but as I said he then left me waiting at home for 3 weeks with a hole and 2 tears in the retina before I got to the hospital. Just get a proper check and if something drastic seems to be happening to your vision go straight to the eye hospital.
He left you with holes and tears! That's ridiculous! How is your eyesight now?
Yes the optician who failed to diagnose the retinal detachment and thought it was just my keratoconus. 7 months later I have sight although as the retina has been stitched back together and the macula was off, its wavy. I had to have a second operation as the artificial lens the surgeon put in stuck in my iris so I had to have that reset last month. I got through it and had to use steroid eye drops and now I have recovered. I have heard it takes at least a year or more for the retina to keep healing though.
I completely sympathize with you. Your eye symptoms sound identical to mine. I've also had floaters all my life and started getting flashes in my vision over the past few months.
A couple weeks ago when I went to the optician, originally for new glasses but when I mentioned my eye flashes, she referred me to a retinal specialist, just to be safe. I think it's important to get checked out by a retinal specialist rather than just an optician. I went to the retinal specialist a few days ago and found I'm not in imminent risk of retinal detachment, although my lifetime risk is higher than normal.
I have pretty bad myopia, have had it all my life. This is a risk factor for posterior vitreous detachment. My retinal specialist told me I don't have that yet, but I do have some vitreous syneresis. This is when the vitreous starts getting more fluid like and occasionally presses on the retina, stimulating it. It's this stimulation that causes you to see flashes of light. This typically happens in your 50s, but for me, since my myopia is so bad, it is happening much earlier at age 25.
I would bet your flashes are also due to vitreous syneresis. My retinal specialist told me I have nothing to worry about at the moment, but I will be checked out again in three months. If there's no changes in the meantime, then he will start seeing me only once annually. The syneresis will probably progress to posterior vitreous detachment, but that is probably not going to be a problem either. It's relatively rare for posterior vitreous detachment to lead to retinal detachment, and if it doesn't lead to retinal detachment, then it will probably only cause extra flashes and floaters for a few months and then stop causing symptoms.
I recommend you see a retinal specialist for the peace of mind, but you are most likely fine.
Thanks, I am actually quite scared by your comment lol. I will see what they say tomorrow. I don't have any of the risk factors though, I'm not short sighted ( I'm far, mildly) no previous surgeries or injuries so I'm not sure how my vitreous can be changing at 23! I don't think I could cope with it 'might' or 'might not' happen. That's just gonna send me into over drive!
If you're not short sighted and haven't had any injuries, then you are most likely fine. They'll probably tell you that tomorrow and then you can rest easy. And even if you are experiencing changes in your eyes, my comment was meant to show there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for eye flashes that do not involve retinal detachment, and your risk of retinal detachment will still be low.
If you don't have any risk factors, the next rational explanation is migraine. There are people who get visual migraine, or migraine aura, and never get the migraine headache.
I think with a greater understanding of what might be going on, you'll start shedding fear of the unknown. I was nervous about the flashing in my vision, but now that I got it checked out, I am informed of the physiology and the risks and am not that nervous about it anymore. I'll still be on the lookout for sudden changes in my vision, but for now random flashes and floaters will not be something I worry about.
Hi I have just been to my opticians, she dilated my eyes had a look and said she could see a few little floaters in the eye that I thought was OK. None in the one that I was worried about. Had my pressures checked (17 in both) which worries me because they were lower than this last time I had it done. Had a visual field test passed that in both eyes. Then she told me the warning signs to look for and go straight to A&E if I see them. I'm now worried that I'm constantly going to look for these signs and make myself feel even worse!
Lower pressure is good, though! You don't want high pressure in your eyes, you want low pressure every time
Don't worry, I have never heard a case of a person's eye going flat or deflating from low pressure!
You have to look at this with the information you've been given. Your optician thinks you're OK, so the floaters and other symptoms are not a sign of anything. And if you are going to be constantly looking for these signs, you will get bored and forget about it pretty quickly, since those signs will never come.
Use knowledge to dispel fear!
Thanks rsanchez I really love your last sentence that makes sense. Just wish I could take this all as a positive but the symptoms are there so I can't for the life of me stop worrying. It's ruining my life, I'm not sure if I'm imagining it. I just hat it so much
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.