View Full Version : Flickering vision
Hi, about 3 weeks ago I noticed a darker patch in the centre of my vision, though sometimes it looked more like a ring shape than a blotch. I thought this might be a scotoma, but I'm too young for Age-related Macular Degeneration (I'm 22) and I would've thought that 3 weeks is too long for an optical migrane.
I've also noticed a flickering in the centre of my vision. I thought that it might just be the odd wave patterns that I've occasionally seen since I was a child (I would see them sometimes when looking at a bright blue sky or another blank colour, and by that I don't mean the sun), but this is in the centre and thus more prevalent.
I've been tested with an Amsler Grid (which tests Macular Degeneration) and I can see all of the lines fine and they aren't curvy. The only time I've had trouble with the Amsler Grid is when testing with a white-on-black one and looking at it in the dark, the dark patch would slightly cover the white spot. Though some medical sources say that the tests should be done in good lighting (and indeed the one at the opticians was)
I went to the local opticains and they said that my eyes were fine. Afterwards I went for an eye test at the hospital eye clinic and they said that they could see something near the macular but they weren't sure exactly what it meant, and the test which uses a laser to scan the rear texture of the eye came out fine. For the flickering in my vision I'm going to try and get another test tomorrow, though I'd still appreciate any advice you could give here.
I'm very worried if it'll get worse causing me to be unable to read. :(
I get floaters in my eyes, is this what you mean? Like swirlys, dots, or odd-shaped lines n swiggles? If so then this is caused by your adrenalin levels being high where it affects your nerve endings in your eyes and brain. So basically its just anxiety. I get this sort of thing a few times a week, ive had numerous eye tests and CT scan, all normal. Good luck x
Okay, what you have is something called Central Serous Retinopathy. It is a very, very small hole in the retina which leaks into the space between the retina and choroid layer. The result is a small brownish to reddish central scotoma in the vision that can constitute either detection of changes in the color spectrum alone, or can distort the vision because it is slightly altering the refractory distance between the lens and the retina. This can be determined by placing one hand first over the unaffected eye and then the affected one while staring at a fixed point of fine print in a book or similar material where discrete changes in size and shape can be distinguished when alternating between one eye and the other. If distortion exists, the printed fonts will appear distorted, typically smaller, in the affected eye.
The flickering that you see is the source point of the leak of the fluid. The phenomenon is generally unilateral, or affecting one eye, but can sometimes be observed to occur in the unaffected eye at a later point in time. Stress is thought to have a central role in the development of CSR.
Your doctors are using the wrong tests to detect the problem. They must use a Fluorescein angiography test, in which a small amount of flourescein is injected into a vein and then the retina is examined under black light that will produce the exact location of the small hole in the retina.
You need to have the test performed by either a opthalmologist or a retina specialist and what they will likely initially do is simply wait and watch because the condition very often self-resolves within a few weeks. If it does not, they will simply use a YAG laser and direct a cautery effect to the hole, sealing it. The visual field will consequently have a small spot in your visual field that will gradually be cancelled out by the cortex to the extent that it no longer appears.
Best regards,
Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)
The flashing is in the centre of my vision and its there 24/7 even when I have my eyes closed. :(
I don't think its a floater, as I thought floaters maintain their shape and moving semi-independently rather than strictly in one place.
The flashing is in the centre of my vision and its there 24/7 even when I have my eyes closed. :(
I don't think its a floater, as I thought floaters maintain their shape and moving semi-independently rather than strictly in one place.
Edit ah RLR you just posted, I was responding to crazyhayz (reads your post)
Okay, floaters are not caused by "adrenalin levels or nerve endings." They are created when a small space develops between the vitreous humor in the eye and the retinal wall, producing a small wrinkled space that moves about when the patient attempts to directly visualize them. While they are not produced by anxiety, stress has been a factor in patients who have more prominent floaters.
They are entirely benign and do not constitute pathology except in instances where the appearance of the floaters is sudden in nature, indicating potential problems with the retina. Regardless, it would not constitute the problem being described.
Best regards,
Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)
I see your response. In instances of central serous retinopathy, the flickering can be visualized with your eyes opened or closed. Again, it is the source of the leak into the choroidal space.
Best regards,
Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)
Okay, what you have is something called Central Serous Retinopathy. It is a very, very small hole in the retina which leaks into the space between the retina and choroid layer. The result is a small brownish to reddish central scotoma in the vision that can constitute either detectioin of changes in the color spectrum alone, or can distort the vision because it is slightly altering the refractory distance between the lens and the retina. This can be determined by placing one hand first over the unaffected eye and then the affected one while staring at a fixed point of fine print in a book or similar material where discrete changes in size and shape can be distinguished when alternating between one eye and the other.
The flickering that you see is the source point of the leak of the fluid. The phenomenon is generally unilateral, or affecting one eye, but can sometimes be observed to occur in the unaffected eye at a later point in time. Stress is thought to have a central role in the development of CSR.
Your doctors are using the wrong tests to detect the problem. They must use a Fluorescein angiography test, in which a small amount of flourescein is injected into a vein and then the retina is examined under black light that will produce the exact location of the small hole in the retina.
You need to have the test performed by either a opthalmologist or a retina specialist and what they will likely initially do is simply wait and watch because the condition very often self-resolves within a few weeks. If it does not, they will simply use a YAG laser and direct a cautery effect to the hole, sealing it. The visual field will consequently have a small spot in your visual field that will gradually be cancelled out by the cortex to the extent that it no longer appears.
Best regards,
Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)
Thanks for the reply, and that is much more reassuring than Macular degeneration. I'll mention what you said when I go to the eye clinic tomorrow. :)
As far as I can tell it is in both eyes. And Indeed have been very stressed; the problems first started around the time that I was awaiting one of my university module results.
Sometimes I do see a little pin-prick of distorted light, which could be the tear that you mentioned
Also, don't head into a panic over the circumstances. Central Serous Retinopathy is extremely common and will not result in any type of long-term sequelae or blindness. In the world of opthalmology, it's a low-concern type of issue, okay? While the flickering may appear to be in both eyes, it is more than likely only one eye and if you stare at a white surface and cover one eye, the brownish scotoma should appear in only one eye. This will naturally be the eye where the flickering is occurring as well. As stated, the disorder typically presents unilaterally, although rare cases of bilateral CSR have been reported.
You'll be just fine. Let me know how your tests turn out.
Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)
One thing I am worried about is that the green/black picture shown in this wiki article http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_serous_retinopathy is the the test that I apparently passed during my eye test. Perhaps they were looking for the wrong thing?
Or I could be mistaken. The test was measuring the rear texture of my eye, kinda like land-mapping. And I remember seeing something like that.
While it's not altogether unlikely, I doubt that they performed a tomography. A green contrast light is part of a retinal examination to better highlight the retinal vasculature and I would suspect this was more likely the test performed.
The Flourescein Angiography will reveal the problem if it's CSR. Again, you'll be fine.
Best regards,
Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)
I wouldn't want to celebrate too early, but what you've said has certainly given me alot of hope and somewhere to further direct the clinic staff.
Thank you very much. :D
I'm worried that they did use Optical coherence tomography, as it involved a laser going in two directions across my eye and they commented on my healthy double-curve. :(
But they also commented on how the exudate-like thing (I say "like", as they said that they weren't sure if it was an exudate or drusen) in my eye was one small clump rather than being scattered, which I believe is closer to Central Serous Retinopathy.
I've still yet to see the consultant, as my apointment is on the 18th or 11th of june.
You're too young for macular degeneration to be of issue. I'll still put my money on CSR.
Best regards,
Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)
I have seen the retinal consultant's registrar (not the consultant himself, to my surprise). After a another fundus photograph and what I think was an OCT scan, the registrar said that my eyes are fine and he can't see any signs of Macular Degeneration or Central Serous Retinopathy.
I showed him the yellow/white mark that the previous doctor thought might be drusen, as well as the yellow/white ring or crescent around my macular and he said that it was natural and not a problem. I was given the referral because the previous doctor wasn't too sure, but I'm still worried by the contradiction as well as the fact that I'm still getting symptoms.
As well as the flickering and mild scotoma, I'm getting an aching pain in or around my right eye. Sometimes it's an aching that happens when I blink or move my eye, but often it's a barely noticeable ache around my eye socket. I do have a kind of repetitive strain injury of the neck, and a symptom of that is a painless slight 'click' sensation on the front right side of my skull (though not audible from the outside, as it's not as extreme as clicking fingers etc), so I'm worried if that would cause somekind of incerasing tension near my eye or if its to do with stress, or both.
Considering that "flickering" can be quite a vague term, I'll try to explain it here. It seems to be in the centre of my vision, with a small flashing light that sometimes seems to be a very tiny spec if I focus on it. It's more like a pulsing effect that changes colour (dim to light) to a fast frequency but not to the extent that it actively changes colours of the objects I'm looking at. The gaps between lines of text would sort of flash slightly, but the words themselves are not distorted in any way.
Now I'm worried if it could be somekind of brain tumour. :(
Well, this type of visual aura would be entirely inconsistent with a space-occupying mass such as a tumor.
While the description you provide of the flickering light has been observed by patients with ocular migraine syndrome, it is typically transient in nature rather than static.
Unless they've performed an actual flourescein angiography and have ruled out central serous chorioretinopathy, then I still believe that is what is taking place here.
Best regards,
Rutheford Rane, MD (ret.)
Thanks for the reply again.
I have booked a 'second opinion' with the eye clinic at a different hospital via my GP, so I'll suggest that central serous chorioretinopathy to them (though I don't know exactly when the appointment will be, as I'll get the date through the post). Considering that it might be a form of ocular migraine or other strain, I've tried to cut down on my computer use (especially at night) and I recently noticed that my bedroom light in my university accommodation was flickering slightly, so if that light has anything to do with causing a ophthalmic migraine I'm fortunately at my family home now for the summer holidays.
I've recently noticed that my right eye (the one that is aching) feels like it has somesort of spasm or pulsing when I lightly touch the eyelid. I wondered if this is something similar to Blepharospasm, particarly as I had eye twiching problems before I got the main eye problems. But I didn't think that would give a flickering light effect and the mild scotoma, and my eyelids do not visibly twitch unless I'm keeping them closed.
I also wondered if it might be somekind of tension caused by my Repetitive Strain Injury in the neck and related to the clicking, but it does sound odd to have an effect on the eyes.
Did you ever find the answer for you problem ?
Did you ever find the answer for you problem ?
Despite having numerous eye examinations (both commercial and medical), I never found what was causing it; which is good and bad. It's annoying not knowing what it is and how to stop it, but it's also comforting that it hasn't got any worse during these 6 years and the Doctors think that it's nothing.
I think that health anxiety can make the symptoms feel twice as bad, as at the time the worry was more about "why are my eyes like this?" "will it get worse?" rather than the symptoms themselves.
Hi, I have this going on at the moment and it's been 8 days since it started. I haven't got my appt through yet for the hospital but was wondering if it still ongoing for you?
Many thanks.
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