White flickering spots in vision

[raindance42]

Hi,
Yesterday while I was working infront of my pc monitor my vision was affected.  It happened very suddenly.  I just couldn

[bell480]

A related discussion, white spots was started.

[Hegel]

Yes you two. I have exactly the same symtoms and I have had it for about a year only. Loss of vision (in the right side of the field) (no farming jokes).flaming tracks of light here and there but mostly as decribed by you two. Empty holes in the vision ( like after-lights from looking at the sun). Any way this time I got realy worried because I had a pain in my head afterwards for 4 days. I just came back from the check-up and the eye specialist sugests that it is this eye migrain. I was just searching the net now and I read and identified with both of you. I would be gratefull for some advice on medication.

[thepurselady]

Yep this is true I have heard the term silent migraine - so I know they can go without pain.  I think what happens is your blood vessels for some reason can contract and restrict blood flow to the eyes and this is the result.  I hear this causes no damage if this helps.  Im an odd one I have these strange things and nobody can tell me why or how?  So this was the thought as to what my problem was.  I would agree with the doc it sounds vascular!!  :o)  There are meds to help open the vessels I have heard of beta blockers and other meds if this becomes an issue for you.

Be well and keep us updated?

[raindance42]

Hi thepurselady,

Yip, mine also affects both eyes, but it does seem to be worse in my left eye.  My symptoms sound very similar to yours; it's just weird that it doesn't go pared with a migraine or something similar.  Forum-O.D. said that you can have symptoms without having a migraine.

Thanks for the reply :)

[thepurselady]

Hi if this makes you feel any better I had the same thing happen to me and it scared the heck out of me

I have been a migrain sufferer for years, but they have been vanished now for 11.. thank god!  miraculously they dissapeared yeah!!!

At the time I had this incidence I was 7 months pregnant.  I was sitting in front of the TV when things started to look distorted.  I just thought my eyes were tired when everything got real funky.  I closed my eyes and opened them, went to the bathroom mirror to look and I had ahuge white hole in the center of my face.  This was with both eyes not just one.  The spot grew and grew until I could not really see anything but white blurry visual loss - Both eyes.

It went away after about 30 minutes but it was the scariest 30 minutes of my life.  I rushed to the Er thinking it was some type of pregnancy complication but it was not.  The thought was visual occular migraines.  But I hear its uncommon to affect both eyes.

It only occured a few times in the pregnancy and its been almost 15 months and has not occured again.  But I get afraid anytime I start to see blurry vision.  If i could describe this its like starring into the sunlight and then looking at an object and having that big white sun hole in your visual field.

Im glad im not the only person it happened to.. try not to worry. Oh by the way I did get a horrible headache for like 5 days after this happened.

[raindance42]

Thanks for the replies.  I appreciate it.

I.M.O.:
Q. the white spots that you say that you are having, are those spots or more light white lights?
A. It is more blind spots, but i see white in those spots.  It is not like bright white lights at all.  

Q. and is it always this same area or does it move around.
A. It appears to be in the same spot.  The only movement is the flickering around one the edges of the one biggish 'blind spot'.

Forum-O.D.:
Q. vision loss that RETURNS (did it return?)
A. Yes, my vision returned perfectly again after about 20 or 30 minutes.

[I.M.O.]

Hi raindance42,
I think if this is something that is reoccuring that you should perhaps go to a doctor or an eye specialist to have it checked out. I am just curious to ask if the white spots that you say that you are having, are those spots or more light white lights?

If you go to the specialist/doctor, they might ask you if this incident occurs in one eye or with both eyes, does your vision come back to normal or is that area of your vision still missing? and is it always this same area or does it move around.

From my stand point it is hard to pinpoint what is happening to your vision, so my opinion is for you to go have it checked out.

kind regards.
I.M.O.

[Forum-OD-MP]

vision loss that RETURNS (did it return?) could be vascular related or migraine related.  what you describe sounds like a form of migraine, but you need an eye exam to rule out bigger problems.  and yes, you can have migraine symptoms w/o having a headache.  you need a visual field test and a pupil dilation to see if you've regained your vision and if your retina is healthy.