Entoptic Phenomena and Eye Shape

Dr. Hagan-  I've noticed that you have been interested in and have responded to many people who complain of visual snow like symptoms. I have a question pertaining to it that I was hoping you would comment on.

I'm a healthy 23yo male with a history of odd visual symptoms for the past 2-3 years. Most of them are centered around entoptic like phenomena (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entoptic_phenomenon) and spontaneous flashes/afterimages (for a detailed description, see my past posts). I know these are normal phenomena, but they are very intense and obvious in my case. I will even go far as to say that they sometimes interfere with my daily life. Like most people with these visual snow like symptoms, I've been to retinal specialists and a neuro-opth who said that there is no pathology involved. Retinas are healthy and a completely normal neuro exam (including MRI).

My question is this: Could this be something simple that the doctors are just overlooking? It is possible that the specialists are only looking for zebras but fail to see a simple problem.. like eyeball shape?

Here is why I am asking: My vision has been slowly changing (myopic) over the past years as well as a gradual increase in these entoptic phenomenon like symptoms over the same time frame. Could these symptoms be due to the shape of my eyeball changing in another axis?  

Before you quickly dismiss this theory, take a look at these two Pubmed articles that discuss entoptic phenomenon with respect to physical characteristics of the eye. PMID: 5646037 and 9014354

Any thoughts?

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

What I have said in previous posts is that I do not claim any special expertise in visual snow. I have a very large practice and in 30 + years I have not had a patient come in complaining of symptoms that suggest visual snow.  The only experience I have are questions on this forum.

Thus I cannot offer a valid opinion about your theory. Sorry I'm pressed for time and cannot look up those two articles.

JCH MD

[kjelltp]

http://www.visualsnow.com/

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

-