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Eye Care Archive  (Expert Forum)
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Dim Little Flares In The Central Vision
Our Ask A Doctor Ophthalmology Forum is where you can post your question and receive a personal answer from physicians affiliated with the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Dim Little Flares In The Central Vision

by Felis, Sep 12, 2006 12:00AM
I've been seeing dim little flares in the central & peripheral vision of my good eye since late July. They are blue or green. My regular ophthal and a retina specialist say that nothing is developing in the retina except that (1) my retina is thin due to my myopia, and (2) the vitreous is contracting (PVD).

I've seen peripheral flashes and gotten a couple new floaters, so it seems that I'm having a PVD. But I never heard of people seeing dim blue/green flares because of the PVD.

Should I seek a second opinion?

by Forum-OD-MP, Sep 12, 2006 12:00AM
a second opinion is never, ever a bad idea.  but retinal specialists rarely miss serious stuff.  just b/c you are having symptoms that you think are significant, that in & of itself is not necessarily diagnostic of some terrible vision problem.  the likelyhood of a retinal specialist missing some sight-threatening retinal condition has to be pretty small.
Member Comments (3)

by Felis, Sep 12, 2006 12:00AM
I just read that random firing from dying macular cells can cause flares/flashes. Is that plausible? Anyway, I'll see another RS.

by Ag-i-doc, Sep 12, 2006 12:00AM
possibly.  but you complained of "peripheral" flashes.  anything that affects your macula (like "dying" macular cells in macular degeneration) would show up in your vision as CENTRAL flashes.  right in the dead center of your vision.  not "peripheral" flashes...

by Felis, Sep 12, 2006 12:00AM
I complained about peripheral flashes but the main point that I was making is that I see "little flares" in CENTRAL as well as peripheral vision.
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