sparks in your vision

[jude]

Hiya everyone,
I wondered if anyone else get sparks or sparkly dots flitting across their vision. Mine are sometimes very fast and bright and can turn into dark blobs when they stop. Iv had my eyes checked over and over again, to the point of silliness![:P]
This is really worrying me as no-one seems to know what is causing them.
Can anyone help?
Jude

[kate]

Hello Jude,

I used to get this years ago when I suffered from migraine. They stopped when I was about 16, I'm 42 now.

However, last year, after a particularly stressful morning at work, I had the sparkling lights again and totally panicked. The dark blobs made me feel as if I was going to just fade away, like I couln't see at all.

They went after about 5 minutes and I thought that it was migraine. I waited for the bad headache to begin, but nothing happened.

About 6 months later, after another stressful event, I had the same thing again. This time I didn't panic and it went after 5 minutes and yet again I didn't get a headache.

I went to the doctors and he put it down to high anxiety.

I haven't had this happen since so not really sure what to put it down to!

Kate x

[lainey]

Hi Jude

Yes, I sometimes get sparks at the outer edges of my vision even when I think I don,t feel anxious and they then send me into a right panic!
It's nice to know I am not alone and it's obviously a symptom, I also get lots of floaters espaecially when it's a bright day.

Hope this helps

Take care

Elaine x

[seh1980]

hello Jude,

I get that sometimes. It is caused by your blood pressure dropping. It is the same thing that happens when you stand up too quickly. It is quite normal so you have nothing to worry about!!

Sarah :D

[Rennie1989]

yes i get those when im hyperventilating (big word!!!)

i also get it when i have injections!

Scooter Girl AKA Jade

[Wiggins8472]

Try this website. It gives at least a possible explanation of your symptoms:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_field_entoptic_phenomenon

[WILLIAMthedude]

I can totally relate, I was outside with my brothers enjoying a BBQ when I experienced what Elaine described, I saw a spark out the corner of my eye toward my right side . . . it might have been a cosmic disturbance in the space time continum but most likely anxiety related.

My head feels congested atm, my ears, my inner nasal passages, urgh . . . can relate to the floaters too . . . they come and go.

[JoLu84]

hi im 23 years old and healthy except for my anxiety. I have gotten my eyes checked and everything is fine. I know i have a slight case of entopic phenomenon but last night around 3 am i just got an onset of this buzzing or spotty vision (dont know if its the best way to describe it) that i still have. I dont know if its a symptom of my anxiety. I have been very anxious for the past month. Has anyone else experienced this?

[noworriesnocries]

also sparks happen, if you are by the computer for too long... the eyes needs to rest...

[pi_panic]

I think what you have is called a visual migraine (look it up on google) - I had these too for the first time this year.

They are very disconcerting. They begin with several 'pings' of pinpoint light and then will sometimes become patterns, you'll see a 'blank' blob that slowly expands in your field of vision - it looks like things cease to exist and you feel like you're going blind.

Terrifying actually.

They go away in under 30 minutes.

I take magnesium citrate 400mg once a day, and i have extra strength tylenol - if i see even the slightest spark i immediately rest my eyes, do relaxation and pop a tylenol - so far (4 months) they haven't been back.

I think mine were caused directly by overwearing my contacts and eye strain. I wear glasses most of the day now and am much better. When I would overwear them I had dry eyes.

Migraines can be fairly serious things - the last one I had made me dizzy for a long time.

Hope this helps
;)

[tayside lassie]

hi jude ...i get the sparkly dots as well more if its really bright also if i look to the sky/at the beach /looking at white walls stuff like that ...the black blobs you mention could be "floaters " innocent bits of waste from your eye ...if you have had your eyes tested jude i would not worry yourself ..

sally

[tracy1972]

sparks and floaters when i am at the worst i can be in bad attacks but then another time when i am in mild ones so changes with everyone get bad congestion and cant breath through nose then panic and hyperventilate then get them

[judetheobscure]

Good Day everyone
I have just found this fantastic forum following a period of acute anxiety concerning my Glaucoma, and I can relate to so many of the comments and bizarre visual disturbances.

My visual problems started with an apparent inability to focus properly on near and distant objects, it is difficult to describe but a distinct shimmering of the objects comes close. This is usually interspaced with flashing lights – both mono and coloured apparently from the corner of the vision. These effects are usually much worse in the morning and when I concentrate hard on any particular object.

The one ‘disturbance’ which has affected me greatly and which I can find no direct comparison in the messages I have read happens when viewing a bright light or a television screen in a darkened room. If I move my eyes from the image (light or TV) to a blank wall or dark area without blinking, the image previously viewed appears briefly on the wall. It is as though the retina captures the scene and when the view shifts, the image is presented before the eyes can refocus. If I blink before moving the eyes to the darkened area the effect does not happen. Does anyone out there have similar experiances ?

I have had a very thorough eye examination by a Moorfields Professor and given an all clear apart from the Glaucoma which is under control. However, he has referred me for an MRI head scan to ‘eliminate any other possibilities’. Having read the comments in the forum I am now convinced that all my disturbances are down to the original anxiety and I hope that once I get the OK from the scan, I can start to move on.

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the forum, it is very helpful and reassuring to realise that you are not the only one.

Luv Jude

[pi_panic]

Hey Jude,

I think many of us on here are 'ultra-sensitive' and even hypochondriacs at time.. At least I know I can be. Panic will do that to you.

When I first started wearing contacts (at 12yo) I had a horrid time with them, the whole world kept shifting and turning and I couldn't figure out why. After two exams with two different opthamologists - it turns out that when you blink your eyelids VERY subtly will pull your contacts up a bit and they resettle - most people don't notice or quickly adapt - but for me I noticed and magnified the problem out of all proportion and to me the whole world was shifting everytime I blinked.

I'm telling you this because I think this may be what's happening here with you. Everyone (as far as I know) sees after-images.. If you look at the TV, light or window and then turn away to a blank wall you can see the perfect image captured on your retina - at least until you blink and it starts to dissolve. I think it's just normal but when you fixate on it - it can be disturbing..

My panic lately has one of two evil heads; one is the palpitation fixation and the other is blindness.. When the palp-fixation happens i walk around scared of my heart and sudden cardiac death, when the blindness happens i constantly notice 'pings, floaters' and blind spots' and think i'm about to go blind.. Rarely are there any 'good days' where I'm fine..

If you've seen the doc, and have your issue under control - i'd forgo the neurologist unless u have the insurance. It may just freak you out more.

One thing that might make you feel better is to do something positive for your site - for me I've started drinking a ton of fresh organic pressed carrot juice every day - doesn't taste great but with each sip i know i'm helping my eyes, lots of fairly good proof that it works.

i DON'T like supplements and pills - but i've found that taking 1 400mg magnesium tablet a day has cut my panic and worry by 80%, i've never had another visual migraine and my palps are down by 60%..

maybe give it a go.

good luck

[divyg]

Hi everyone,

I've had both floaters and sparkles/stars in my vision for years now. Last year I became obsessed with figuring out how to fix them but I'm not sure that there is anything that can be done apart from limiting anxiety/stress.

I have been to see two opthamlogists both of whom said my eyesight was perfect. I have been to a neurologist and he said everything was fine and that the sparkles that I see may be migraine related. I don't get headaches or anything so all seems well. I also got an MRI scan which came back fine.

I generally see the sparkles when I am looking at a blank background or when it is really bright. I drives me mad when I am outside looking at a beautiful view and all I see are these sparkles darting around my vision.

I have also had blood tests done and they were fine so I don't know what to do about now. Is it true that magnesium tablets can help? Thanks for sharing all your info!

[OliviaD]

Hey, people :)
Remember, entoptic phenomena are normal (classic example is the bright things you see in the sky, Scheerer's phenomenon), we just notice them more acutely because we get hypersensitive to light. Adrenaline from stress make our eyes noticing more detail and taking in more light. Yeah, it sucks!

[humbug83]

I have been getting an intermittent spark of light in my vision for a few weeks. It's not just peripheral vision but central too. They come and go, it's not a case of flashing really. I find it hard to describe though.
I've seen two opticians from two different companies in the last month and both have said they couldn't detect any problems (I googled and was worried about retinal detachment).
I am short sighted and wear glasses most of the time. I'm also in front of a computer at work. I gave had sore eyes recently and I'm not sure if it's due to the atmosphere, eye strain or something else.