Halos with vibrating circles inside, around every streetlight

[TinyDemons]

For the past few years my fear of having something wrong with my vision/eyes have taken over my life, as I have had several strange symptoms popping up now and then, but the one that still bothers me the most are halos with rainbow circles around streetlights at night.

I first began noticing them back in early 2015, and therefore I don't really know for how long I have been able to see them, as I never before went around at night time looking for them.
Of course a quick search on the net and very little help offered by Dr. Google as I only found negative information related, I still feel no safer.

Two years later and more than 20 (hopefully) unnecessary and rather expensive visits, to somewhere between 8-10 different eye doctors has resulted in absolute nothing but maybe even more worries.
As nobody have found anything wrong, but I still fear that they all have overlooked something horrible.

Since early 2016 I began noticing at night time, these vibrating circles inside streetlight halos, that looked a lot like
Newton's rings.
Sometimes, when I am inside a shopping mall with these huge bright lights, I often notice them circling outwards around the main light, and not inside a halo shaped circle.
I have tried to explain this several times but I fear that nobody will believe me.

I have a new visit to my eye doctor tomorrow, and searching for this kind of symptom has led me absolute nowhere.

Other symptoms that I have:

1 round circle (no color) in each eye that pops up if I look upwards very fast, or to the sides, and only in very well lit enviroment or in a white bathroom.
Not sure if this is normal or not, but it seems like a lot of people have these symptoms, but not one of my visit to any eye doctors has given me an answer to what it could be.

Sometimes notice a flickering/shaking vision in both eyes, for a couple of seconds when waking up or when squinting and looking at the TV/PC computer screen.

Small spots in vision (both eyes) when waking up, and looks very much like a cluster of small floaters. Disappears within seconds, and if I squint my eyes real hard, it seems like they appear as the shadow of my floaters if I look at the sky in bright daylight.

Starburst from cars (started last year), I only notice them when I look directly at the light.

I guess I could go on for ages, but all of these things have led me nowhere. Nobody have found anything wrong with my eyes, and as I have read about anxiety and visual symptoms, it seems like a lot of the things I see are often related to high anxiety/stress, and I begin to think that it is all just in my head, but then again I am not so sure.

[Scared2death21]

If you've been to many different eye doctors then I'd say you're definitely okay. With that being said, I have visual snow which can be accompanied by all kinds of different visual disturbances. I remember when my health anxiety started I began to notice these as well, many of the ones you're having. My anxiety toward this has subsided since, and so has the occurrence of the visuals. They still happen from time to time, which leads me to believe they've always been there, but in my time of hyperawareness toward them it seemed nearly constant. Visual snow and it's similar visual disturbances are completely harmless by the way. If you don't have the "snow" that doesn't mean you're still not in that boat. I hope this helps.

[Fishmanpa]

I have no doubt you're seeing these things. Many that you mention, most people have. As an experiment I tried a few and yes indeed, if I focus on it, I see some of these same things. I have floaters and if I focus on them, I see them. I guess my mind adapted and I just don't see them nor are they a bother.

It appears, due to your anxiety, you're hyper-focusing and creating something in your mind of normal anomalies we all have. If you've been cleared by eye doctors, that only leaves the mental aspect.

Positive thoughts

[TinyDemons]

If you've been to many different eye doctors then I'd say you're definitely okay. With that being said, I have visual snow which can be accompanied by all kinds of different visual disturbances. I remember when my health anxiety started I began to notice these as well, many of the ones you're having. My anxiety toward this has subsided since, and so has the occurrence of the visuals. They still happen from time to time, which leads me to believe they've always been there, but in my time of hyperawareness toward them it seemed nearly constant. Visual snow and it's similar visual disturbances are completely harmless by the way. If you don't have the "snow" that doesn't mean you're still not in that boat. I hope this helps.

Thanks for your reply. :)

I did once back in summer of 2014 wonder if what I saw or experienced was somekind of visual snow. One day I suddenly took notice of my venetian blinds and I thought that they where "bouncing" or flickering when I looked straight at them, but as all the other symptoms began showing up later on, I did not notice the visual snow symptoms anymore.

[Catherine S]

The venetian blind thing is quite normal, a bit like trying to look at lots of stripes on a TV presenter's shirt etc, our eyes can't cope with looking at certain things, but it doesn't always mean there's a problem.

ISB :)

[TinyDemons]

I have no doubt you're seeing these things. Many that you mention, most people have. As an experiment I tried a few and yes indeed, if I focus on it, I see some of these same things. I have floaters and if I focus on them, I see them. I guess my mind adapted and I just don't see them nor are they a bother.


Over the few years I think that I must have asked about everybody I know, from family, friends to doctors and so on, and when I ask them about seeing rainbow/halos around streetlights at night, every single one of them have said "Yes, I see them too", or "I thought that was normal".

Still, some sick part of me think that they are all playing a cruel joke on me, cause Dr. Google says it is not normal to see them, and that one should run straight to the nearest emergency if you do.



It appears, due to your anxiety, you're hyper-focusing and creating something in your mind of normal anomalies we all have. If you've been cleared by eye doctors, that only leaves the mental aspect.

I feel bad about going to the doctor tomorrow, as I know that I must work much harder to avoid calling them up, everytime my anxiety goes to the roof, but it is very hard controlling it and the worst part is trying to live with the doubt afterweards, thinking there might still be something wrong and that the next time it will be too late.

By the way thanks for your reply. :)

---------- Post added at 18:10 ---------- Previous post was at 18:03 ----------


The venetian blind thing is quite normal, a bit like trying to look at lots of stripes on a TV presenter's shirt etc, our eyes can't cope with looking at certain things, but it doesn't always mean there's a problem.

I am glad to hear that I'm not the only one seeing this, and the stripes on TV shirts I have seen so many times before, that I never really thought about it, until the venetian blinds thing back in 2014.
Even the cleanest/clearest Blu-ray disc seems to have this going from time to time, where skyscrapers and stripy shirts are going all crazy, not to forget about the old VHS tapes.

Thanks for you reply. :)

[anonandafraid]

I have EXACTLY what you are describing - particularly the Newton's rings bit!!! The strange thing about mine is that they are shaped according to the original light source - eg, if it's a round car headlight, the rings will appear round within the glow, if the light is a straight line LED like some street lights, then it'll appear as straight artefacts from the light source.

You've described it better than I could have, when I look at a normal street light, it almost looks like muscle-like strands within the halo glow. I too have been hyper-focusing on this for the last while and it's driving me mad. I can't actually remember how long it's been like this or whether it's always been like this and my anxiety has driven me to here.

Do you get a glow around car brake lights in dim conditions? To me the full brake lights give off a glow as if my window is very slightly steamed up.

Please let me know how you get on with the eye doctor.

[Fishmanpa]

There's the key... you nailed it when you said "over the years". Then Dr. Google says....

I agree, if all of a sudden out of nowhere you started getting weird visual anomalies accompanied by other symptoms like debilitating head pain or vomiting then yes... get to a doctor immediately, BUT, knowing they've been there for years and you've affirmed most everyone else sees them should put your mind at ease.

But again, you nailed it when you said "some sick part of me".... Yes! that's it! Working on the "sick part" (anxiety) will be the path to healing.

Positive thoughts

[TinyDemons]

I have EXACTLY what you are describing - particularly the Newton's rings bit!!! The strange thing about mine is that they are shaped according to the original light source - eg, if it's a round car headlight, the rings will appear round within the glow, if the light is a straight line LED like some street lights, then it'll appear as straight artefacts from the light source.


I guess it is wrong of me to say that I am a bit relieved now, as it feels kind of good to know that I am not the only one on this planet seeing these weird things, and yeah they are beginning to drive me crazy.
I can even see them sometimes around the moon when it is full, and very cold outside in the winter time.

Edit: I think I know what you are meaning with straight arefacts from light source, as sometimes during the day I can see these things on cars when the sun is reflecting on them, and they seem to be taking a straight line that comes with these vibrating things on each side.



You've described it better than I could have, when I look at a normal street light, it almost looks like muscle-like strands within the halo glow. I too have been hyper-focusing on this for the last while and it's driving me mad. I can't actually remember how long it's been like this or whether it's always been like this and my anxiety has driven me to here.


I keep trying to avoid looking at them at night, but it is almost impossible, like I am in some kind of weird trance, I just stand there watching at them, and people walking by must think I am some kind of a nutcase.



Do you get a glow around car brake lights in dim conditions? To me the full brake lights give off a glow as if my window is very slightly steamed up.


When I look at traffic lights at night, they often have a small glow around them, but no halo or radiating circles though.



Please let me know how you get on with the eye doctor.

I will, and thanks so much for your reply, I really appreciate that. :)

---------- Post added at 18:55 ---------- Previous post was at 18:42 ----------


There's the key... you nailed it when you said "over the years". Then Dr. Google says....

I agree, if all of a sudden out of nowhere you started getting weird visual anomalies accompanied by other symptoms like debilitating head pain or vomiting then yes... get to a doctor immediately, BUT, knowing they've been there for years and you've affirmed most everyone else sees them should put your mind at ease.

But again, you nailed it when you said "some sick part of me".... Yes! that's it! Working on the "sick part" (anxiety) will be the path to healing.

Positive thoughts

That is a great post, and yeah I know, I have to work harder on the "sick part" as it has taken up far too much of my life through years of anxiety and fears, and 16 years later on, it still feels like Groundhog Day, everyday.

[Dave1]

I'm really surprised the check-ups by opticians haven't calmed you. The way I see it is that doctors are trained to spot illness and so they aren't as knowledgeable or interested in harmless symptoms. After a checkup I believe I don't have illness even if the doctor can't explain exactly what's happening to me.

[Mummybee]

Hello,
I don't usually post, just lurk, but I went to the effort of logging in for this one! I am exactly the same...
It started about 15 months ago, I noticed that when I first woke up I could see spots. Then I noticed dim lights flickering in my peripheral vision, Fluro lights flickering, haylos around street lights and rainbow starbursts around car headlights and other bright lights. I also see one round circle in my vision when I look up quickly or to the left and right extremes. I also feel pressure in my eyes and see the round circles much more clearly if I have been bending over or if I get up quickly from laying down. My vision symptoms are also more pronounced when I am not taking the oral contraceptive pill. I also get regular headaches when I have these bad circles. I'm a 32yo mother of two.
Here is what I know- all optometrists think my eyes are perfect and that my vision is perfect. My opthamologist says I have "subtle early cataracts" in both eyes. I have had two MRIs on my brain, both mostly normal. Aside from a slight increase in fluid around one of my optic nerves, was checked again by ophthalmologist who says nerves and optic discs are fine. I also have a rare thing called "empty Sellar syndrome" where my pituitary gland is squashed by fluid in its little house... according to two neurologists and a neuro surgeon this is incidental and many people have it without any problems but it can very rarely cause hormone variations or pressure on the visual cortex. My hormone levels are all normal and have been for 15 months.
This is what else I know... when I'm stressed about other HA issues my visual stuff flares up and is more noticeable. When I have a headache it's also worse. One neurologist suggested I have visual migraines.
I dont think it's a coincidence that I started noticing all this when I first experienced my anxiety disorder. I was originally convinced I had breast cancer, then MS (Hence the MRIs) then all the visual stuff started.
I'm still alive, still telling myself everyday that I'm dying of something else, and every time I come back here I am reminded of how many things I've convinced myself I have had! But the visual stuff is consistent unfortunately
Hope you're ok
Mummybee

[anonandafraid]

Just adding a bit of detail to my symptoms, beneath car brake lights, traffic lights and street lights I see a ghost image of the original light source.

I've noticed in the past couple of days that this ghost image is appearing lower down than it has been up until now. Is this something to be concerned about?

My vision is perfect with glasses apart from the hazy halos around traffic, brake and streetlights and the ghosting.

[TinyDemons]

Please let me know how you get on with the eye doctor.

Well, it turned out to be a rather stressfull and unpleasent day, as I last night ended up having a bit of panic anxiety attack, which was not related to any visual surroundings but instead another problem that have stayed with me for the past 8-10 weeks.

Since mid november 2016 I have experienced this kind of tingling sensation on my right side of my face, below the eye and in the sinus/upper jaw area, whenever I chew/eat food.
No other symptoms than that, no pain or pressure, just this tingling sensation which then made me do something very stupid, like searching on google and coming up with some true nightmare stories, which more or lessed killed any hope of a good nights sleep.

One problem switched 1st place with another and everything about todays check at my eye doc went down the drain, as I removed the appointment until next week, and ended up seeing 2 different doctors and 1 dentist within just a few hours.

One of the doctors said he was gonna call me back after talking to a ear/nose/throat specialist about my symptoms but told me that he was not too worried about my situation.

I hate when things like this happens, symptoms that just won't go away, and stay there for weeks and months, while trying to think logical that it is nothing wrong, but everytime these sensation pops up, I am right back in the mess.

---------- Post added at 16:09 ---------- Previous post was at 15:44 ----------



Here is what I know- all optometrists think my eyes are perfect and that my vision is perfect.


I think I have lost count on how many times I have been told over the years that "you have fantastic and very healthy eyes" or the classic "you have the vision of an eagle or a pilot".
Yeah, until I take off my glasses, then I am suddenly blind as a bat.

I am near sighted, and have what I think it is called astigmatism or myopia in both eyes and have been wearing glasses since I was 5 years old.
And by the way I am also 32 years old.

Since 2009 I have had 1 Cat scan of my head and two MRI of my head and face, the last one back in december 2015. All came back negative and no changes or anything to worry about.
In november 2015 I had a OCT scan of my optic nerves which also came back negative.
And just a couple of months ago I got the all clear by 2 different eye docs and one optician plus a fundus photo which also showed nothing wrong.

Everytime I try to ask about if some eye disorder could be behind all my symptoms, still no one have found anything. But one eye doc said something about Visual phenomenom when I told him about the halos and newton rings circles but I think he just wanted me to leave his office, as I guess I had taken up too much of his time.



I'm still alive, still telling myself everyday that I'm dying of something else, and every time I come back here I am reminded of how many things I've convinced myself I have had! But the visual stuff is consistent unfortunately
Hope you're ok
Mummybee


Yeah, it is crazy to see over the past 16 years of how many things I should have died of or that should paralyzed me, and everyday when I look into the forum I see at least 1 or 2 new threads that could be me just a couple of years ago. Actually one of the newest about the awful feeling of choking when i eat, that is one of those strange ongoing symptoms that I have encountered several times a year, since 2011, but there is no question that the anxiety is behind it, as I begin to fear of choking, it all comes back. Sometimes for a day, others a week or two, but it always go away in the end.
I just wish I could say the same for the visual stuff.

Anyway, now I think it is time for a good sleep and hopefully some positive dreams for once, thanks for your time and your input, I really appreciate that. :)

[TinyDemons]

Please let me know how you get on with the eye doctor.

My appointment with the eye doctor went well I guess, as I had another OCT scan of my optic nerves, which came back (once again) negative.
Also did the usual checking with dilated eyes, having the bright light shining on my eyes etc, and in which the doctor told me to work on keep stop reading about halos/different visual stuff on the net, as he could not find anything wrong with my eyes and no signs of anything unusual.

One part of me is relieved (for now) while the other part are still half-way in panic-mode.
Anyway, I did mention that I suffer sometimes with slightly dry eyes, so I got some eyedrops and hopefully it will help a bit, but the visual disturbances are still a mystery to me.

[Fishmanpa]

the doctor told me to work on keep stop reading about halos/different visual stuff on the net, as he could not find anything wrong with my eyes and no signs of anything unusual.

That's exactly what has been said here as you're hyper-focusing and taking something that is a normal part of life and finding fault in it. Everyone sees these things yet as you've said "some sick part" of you is finding an issue in it. The "sick" part is your mind and the way you process and think about this. That's what you need to get help for.

Good luck and as always...

Positive thoughts

[TheGroundhog]

I have had more weird optical things and vision problems than I can list here. I can still see, my brain still appears to work, don't know why I get them.

I also had a tingling face thing, that developed into the whole of the left hand side of my face and scalp going numb in the way it feels when a dental injection is wearing off. This lasted for 9 months, no-one knows what it was, still don't know, sometimes it comes back a bit.

The thing you have to accept is that while your symptoms are probably due to anxiety, you can't be sure, the uncertainty is the bit we all can't bear, that's why we seek reassurance. But actually you have to learn to live with the not knowing. There's something going on, you don't know whats causing it, go about your day.

Keep practising that, get better :)

[Clint1993]

Thank you for people like you guys who are keeping the rest of us sane. I have been having all these problems since I suffered my first anxiety attacks in May. After the chest and neurological problems receded my symptoms moved to my eyes. It started with floaters, then I had dry eyes. Light flashes and flickering peripheral vision ensued for months till this very day. Went in to a frenzy and thought I was getting a tear/detachment thanks to dr. Google. Went to see an opthalmologist did dilation, OCT, Angiogram. Everything came back clear. For some reason that made me feel worse because I didn't find the cause. One month later I felt like the symptoms were getting worse with flashes/floaters etc becoming more profound. Went to a second optha did dilation, field test still said "you have perfect vision can't see anything wrong" Told me to stop obsessing but the symptoms will recede.

As the months went on I developed even more eye symptoms; I get flashes every time I turn sharply in the dark. I also get this eclipse looking arc/full circle right in the centre of my vision when Turning quickly in the dark. I get night time closed eye hallucinations, continuous shimmering peripheral vision. When I squint my eye lashes courses double vision around any thing luminous. I also get this weird phenomena that feels like I can see my actual lens sometimes and light that reflects on it. Recently I started noticing Starburst and halo effect. Went to two different Opthalmologists again who did dilation and checked the nerves and said they were perfectly fine as I feared I was getting glaucoma. I feel like the starburst and halos are continuing to worsen. During this period too I have had two blood works, x-rays, CT Scans and an MRI and EKG.

Unlike the other anxiety symptoms I have had these all along. I need some help and advise. How do I cure myself. How do I let these symptoms go. I have tried everything apart from SSRI's. Every time I feel like getting better something somewhere shows up that makes me fret. Is anyone taking medication? Does this help? Does it take the symptoms always?

[JamieRR6]

Hi bud, I am experiencing the exact same symptoms as yourself. I find most anxiety symptoms are easy to ignore and push to the back of your head, but visual disturbances you just can't, being your primary way of experiencing and interacting with the world.

I have the same symptoms, floaters which can get incredibly distracting, flares/ circles from lights, perioheral flashing and bluriness the list goes on. I find when I am least anxious, and distracted I am fine, when I am over thinking and anxious it is worse, which gives me some relief I guess. Been told my vision is perfect by optometrist, neurologist had no problems when I saw him a year and a half ago. Just one of those things I guess we have to endure whilst in an episode, and enjoy when not.

I have long-since visited this forum for relief, but only just created a membership and interracted with everyone. I really find that us all coming together and discussing our problems helps for us to realise that these are just quirks of our bodies, and where most people will ignore and move on, we will 'home in' on problems, exacerbating them greatly. Good luck, and feel free to PM me if you want to chat to someone with similar symptoms!

[Vites987]

Depending on how old you are, this may just be cataracts.

[Clint1993]

Depending on how old you are, this may just be cataracts.



I am 24

[swajj]

How did Fishman put it "hyperfocusing", I like that. Of all my experiences with HA the fear I always come back to is my vision. I think I just basically feel terrified that I will go blind. I remember one time when I was worrying about my vision, the sun was shining brightly through my kitchen window and I happened to look in that direction briefly. I got up and walked into the bedroom and I had all these after images in the form of black dots. They disappeared within a few minutes but I was sure it had never happened before. Now I am sure that it probably had happened many times and I just never noticed it. I have been to the eye specialist many times for vision related issues. Not once has there been anything wrong. I now go to the eye specialist once a year. I know we aren't supposed to seek reassurance but I allow myself that one.

[TinyDemons]

Depending on how old you are, this may just be cataracts.
I am 32. I did however ask my latest visit to the eye doc about what you have suggested above, and he said that he could absolutely see no symptoms/signs of anything unusual/wrong with my eyes
And since I have for the past 2 years been to somewhere between 8-10 different eye docs, along with almost 20 appointments, I feel that as of now, if I cannot feel "safe" and trust what they have told me, that there is nothing wrong with my eye/vision, I will just keep on being stuck in this horrible everlasting vicious cycle that is health anxiety.
But on the other hand, I do kind of wish they would have found something, so I at least had some kind of a solid proof of what is going on.

Anyway, I guess I will try to wait this one out for a while, and maybe book another appointment in a year or more, but with my luck and the anxiety going all crazy, it will probably be a lot sooner.

[Simone01]

Thank you thank you and thank you again!!!! I cannot explain to you how happy I am since I’ve found this post! I am awaiting a neurologist appointment to come through as I have been suffering with an identical trail of symptoms since Christmas 2015! Hoping it’s just my anxiety too!!!!! Crazy what the mind can do!