Hey everybody, just to inform all of you, I'm new here so don't get psised if I posted in the wrong board or something like that...

Anyways, I need help with some visual disturbances I've been having... I'd like to put a name on it. I'll start from the beg.

(5 and a half months ago)
I woke up with a really bad headache but against my better judgement, instead of going back to sleep, I turned on the T.V. 'Bout an hour later, I went upstairs and turned on the computer... I invited a couple a friend over... we were playing a video game when I saw a black curtain over my left periphery, flashing, over and over again. This lasted for about twenty minutes and everything seemed fine and all. Two days later, just to put me at ease, I scheduled to Doctor Appointments, one with my General Practition and one with my Opthamologist. The General Practition did some basic checks one my eyes and said everything looked fine and it was probably a Migraine and it was highly unlikely that I had a severe problem. The following bit of info. may be irrelevent, however, I'll post it anyways... he also detected a strange rash on my neck that lasted for about a month (it probably has nothing to do with it, but w/e.) Anyways, at my Opthamology appointment, my doctor did some very thorough checks and scans and said he found nothing wrong with either eye and my vision was still a good 20/20... however, he said that there was 2 possibilites. 1) it was an Ocular Migraine or 2) a Retinal Tear/Detachment. He said if I noticed anything else strange with my vision, then to see him again. He told me specifically to inform him if I began seeing a large number of floaters. Little did I know.... the next day, I had a very dramatic increase in floaters, from about 3 to 10. This got me worried but I tried to keep calm and tell myself nothing was wrong. However, one day, about half a week later, I looked up at the sky and noticed not only floaters but literally MILLIONS of electrically charged dots moving around in the sky. I scheduled another visit to the Eye Doctor. He did an even more thorough scan and still found nothing in either eye. I left very relieved. However, I began noticing that everytime I looked at something there was an afterimage. I knew it was normal for lights to set an after image but I saw one for EVERYTHING. When I looked at a person or a cellphone. This even happened in the dark. This was about two months after the first incident. I went to my General Practition again and he reccomended an M.R.I, just to cancel out any nerological issues. The results came back clean with no problems what-so-ever, however I saw another visual disturbance. When I looked at a white background, I saw shadowy things moving over the background. Also, when I was nodding my head very exaggeratedly (I know its not a word) I saw a semi-tranlucent black dot open in the center of my eye. And when I readjusted the postition of my head to normal, it was gone. I did not try this more than a few times because I did not want to damage my eyes. I went to a different doctor this time, an eye specialist. He found nothing. This has all spanned over about 5 and a half months and I still see these symptoms. Please, I know that all these doctors and scans have told me that I have no problems, but something has to be wrong. These are not normal. Everyone I know says that I am paying too much attention and if I ingore it, then it will be normal and that I am just paying too much attention. They also say that after 5 months, something more serious would have happened if I had a serious problem.

Any help would be much apprecieated. I am really worried... and anyways, thanks guys...

~shawn~

If your eye doc feels there is nothing wrong with a detached retina or damaged optic nerve, you are probably experiencing several of the many weird things that can happen with migraine. I recently went through a similar experience going to various docs trying to get a diagnosis. After ruling everything else out, I was left with a diagnosis of migraine, and I do not get a "headache" with it...it is all visual disturbances. If it would reassure you, you might want to try going to a headache specialist.

Hi:
All of those 'expert' doctors pronounced NOT to have any issues in your eyes, then mostly likely you might have some 'psychological issue.' But, of course, this is completely my assumption. I'm never close to dx with any of mental issues, but there is mental issue running in the family. Then, I know very well as to this area.

Sometime, folks who have 'psychological issues,' particularly 'psychotic episodes' that is not necessarily you have schziphrenia or any serious mental illness. Even, some depressive or other mental illness has those 'psychotic episodes.'

If there is someone in your family, even VERY distant cousin or great, great, great grandparent has/had mental issue, then you may need to visit a psychiatrist whether your eye problem is related to psychological issue.

Thanks for your input, Amanda, but there are no mental illnesses in either sides of my family. However, my parents did send me to a phychatrist (I don't know how to spell it) for anxiety but he did nothing for me, because it is not psychological: I can'te believe that.

~shawn~

Hi:
Unfortunately, most of psychiatrists do NOT touch any until you'd see psycho.counselor/therapist that handles at the beginning of your onset mental issue.

In my suggestion, ... try to make an appt. with different psycho. doc. who has a good reputation, most important 'caring personality' to listen the issue you're having.

One person I know is that she has 'visual psychotic episodes' that is 'gigantic/huge butterflies/many' crawing all over the wall, even though there is nothing for anyone/normal person to see that wall. Then, in her case, she was dx'ed with psychotic depression.

Even though, there is NO mental illness in both side of your family, it's a good idea for you to talk with psycho. doc. or psycho. therapist as explaining about your current situation. It sounds to me like your great concern over this is over-whelming. Particularly, you sound like a young person with good family background with a great support.

Hey everybody, just to inform all of you, I'm new here so don't get psised if I posted in the wrong board or something like that...

Anyways, I need help with some visual disturbances I've been having... I'd like to put a name on it. I'll start from the beg.

(5 and a half months ago)
I woke up with a really bad headache but against my better judgement, instead of going back to sleep, I turned on the T.V. 'Bout an hour later, I went upstairs and turned on the computer... I invited a couple a friend over... we were playing a video game when I saw a black curtain over my left periphery, flashing, over and over again. This lasted for about twenty minutes and everything seemed fine and all. Two days later, just to put me at ease, I scheduled to Doctor Appointments, one with my General Practition and one with my Opthamologist. The General Practition did some basic checks one my eyes and said everything looked fine and it was probably a Migraine and it was highly unlikely that I had a severe problem. The following bit of info. may be irrelevent, however, I'll post it anyways... he also detected a strange rash on my neck that lasted for about a month (it probably has nothing to do with it, but w/e.) Anyways, at my Opthamology appointment, my doctor did some very thorough checks and scans and said he found nothing wrong with either eye and my vision was still a good 20/20... however, he said that there was 2 possibilites. 1) it was an Ocular Migraine or 2) a Retinal Tear/Detachment. He said if I noticed anything else strange with my vision, then to see him again. He told me specifically to inform him if I began seeing a large number of floaters. Little did I know.... the next day, I had a very dramatic increase in floaters, from about 3 to 10. This got me worried but I tried to keep calm and tell myself nothing was wrong. However, one day, about half a week later, I looked up at the sky and noticed not only floaters but literally MILLIONS of electrically charged dots moving around in the sky. I scheduled another visit to the Eye Doctor. He did an even more thorough scan and still found nothing in either eye. I left very relieved. However, I began noticing that everytime I looked at something there was an afterimage. I knew it was normal for lights to set an after image but I saw one for EVERYTHING. When I looked at a person or a cellphone. This even happened in the dark. This was about two months after the first incident. I went to my General Practition again and he reccomended an M.R.I, just to cancel out any nerological issues. The results came back clean with no problems what-so-ever, however I saw another visual disturbance. When I looked at a white background, I saw shadowy things moving over the background. Also, when I was nodding my head very exaggeratedly (I know its not a word) I saw a semi-tranlucent black dot open in the center of my eye. And when I readjusted the postition of my head to normal, it was gone. I did not try this more than a few times because I did not want to damage my eyes. I went to a different doctor this time, an eye specialist. He found nothing. This has all spanned over about 5 and a half months and I still see these symptoms. Please, I know that all these doctors and scans have told me that I have no problems, but something has to be wrong. These are not normal. Everyone I know says that I am paying too much attention and if I ingore it, then it will be normal and that I am just paying too much attention. They also say that after 5 months, something more serious would have happened if I had a serious problem.

Any help would be much apprecieated. I am really worried... and anyways, thanks guys...

~shawn~
hi..wow you must be exausted from worry...personaly i dont think you should worry anymore...you have had all the tests and something would have come up by now..i do think that you are so much more aware of everything now..i had visual migraine and it was scarey..now i seem to always conscious of my sight just nerves i think..waiting for the flashers and zigzags...keep thinking of all your positive test results..your going to be fine..im sure of that..

hey good luck ..keep in touch
with warmest thoughts
shanny88

Shawn - First off: floaters are normal, although usually permanent, and vary in quantity & intensity from one person to the next. They are usually NOT indicative of any eye disease, and are not retinal in origin. Second: those thousands of lights you see against the bright sky are actually the movement of fluid through your capillaries, and can be seen best by those with 20/20 vision. Third: the after-image problem (palinopsia) though uncommon, is a real phenomenon, not imaginary as people are apt to tell you. The origin isn't clear but the process is believed to be NEURO-ophthalmic - meaning not your eye itself, but some kind of 'electrical short' or overstimulation of the neurons in the optic nerve or visual cortex BEHIND the eye. So the bad news is, it's fairly subtle, complex, and not 'visible' to eye specialists; the good news is, it has no effect on your visual acuity, either central or peripheral. In other words, it will never lead to blindness or any degree of decreased vision. It's just annoying and distracting at times. I should know, having had it for over three decades now, to one extent or another and STILL see fine without glasses! Recently my symptoms (or level of awareness of them) seem to have become more noticeable again, but THIS time I will be seeing a Neuro-ophthalmologist right off the bat. Most eye-specialists have no experience with these kinds of 'subliminal' problems and have virtually nothing to say; this specialist should know a LITTLE more, I hope! That's a recommendation I'd make for you too!!

the spot you see when you "exaggeratedly" nod your head soudns like your blind spot which is simply where your optic nerve connects to the back of your eye it is totally normal everyone has a blind spot most are not even aware of it unless you do strange head manuveurs or test for the blind spot