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Ghost Images, starburst, halo, blurred distant vision and more
It all started around april of 2013
I noticed a slight change in my vision, My distant vision was blurred a bit and nothing more than that. I noticed a floating thing over my vision but i didn't mind it. After some few days, they multiplied and i was so worried but after many days of waiting for it to disappear, i just faced the fact that they will never disappear. Then after three months, we went to a beach vacation and the night after that, I was really feeling strange. The lights on posts were distorted but i din't mind it since I thought I was just tired. But the next day, we went home and that night I could still see these starbursts and halos (I've immediately searched on the internet about these symptoms) and i found out that excessive rubbing of the eyes might be the possible cause, and yes, I was prone to rubbing my eyes hardly as if I can't really stop it since my eyes were always itchy (maybe allergy). There were even times when i got sore eyes but I couldn't still help myself but rub it (this rubbing incident was like a year or a couple of months before i experienced haloes,glare and starbursts). I really find it VERY difficult to cross the roads specially in the night because all i can see are traveling stars on the road (car headlights). Then few months after that, I was lying on my room and i was worried because I could see a transparent image above an object. I've searched over the internet and found out that it was ghost images, and yes I was more worried. A year passed by and my distant vision got a little bit worse. I am a programming student and i find it hard to see what's written on the large monitor specially when I sit at least 10 feet away from the screen. Yes it is blurred (i think I could see what's written on the screen if i just didn't have this ghost images) but what makes it worse is the ghost images. I can hardly focus on the texts on the screen because of the distorted vision (ghost images of the texts in the screen). And also, i see these tiny white dots rotating over my field of vision. When indoors, it is almost unseen, but when i look up the clear blue skies,these tiny things are very visible
To sum it all up:
-blurred distant vision
-halos
-starbursts
-glare
-ghost images
(my ghost images are worse on black texts with a white background)
(i also find it difficult to identify people's faces because of the ghost images)
-tiny white dots rotating over my vision
(more visible when looking on the clear sky or bright screens)
-floaters
-headache
-negative afterimages
(afterimages from sudden exposure to bright light (car headlights) lasts for around 2 minutes, slowly disappearing)
I have never told my parents or friends about this and I have never been to the eye doctor. But I want to atleast have your words as of now. I am planning to have this checked, I can't keep this by myself anymore.
I have made this photo to give a clearer interpretation about my eye problems
http://i62.tinypic.com/2mxr444.jpg
I noticed a slight change in my vision, My distant vision was blurred a bit and nothing more than that. I noticed a floating thing over my vision but i didn't mind it. After some few days, they multiplied and i was so worried but after many days of waiting for it to disappear, i just faced the fact that they will never disappear. Then after three months, we went to a beach vacation and the night after that, I was really feeling strange. The lights on posts were distorted but i din't mind it since I thought I was just tired. But the next day, we went home and that night I could still see these starbursts and halos (I've immediately searched on the internet about these symptoms) and i found out that excessive rubbing of the eyes might be the possible cause, and yes, I was prone to rubbing my eyes hardly as if I can't really stop it since my eyes were always itchy (maybe allergy). There were even times when i got sore eyes but I couldn't still help myself but rub it (this rubbing incident was like a year or a couple of months before i experienced haloes,glare and starbursts). I really find it VERY difficult to cross the roads specially in the night because all i can see are traveling stars on the road (car headlights). Then few months after that, I was lying on my room and i was worried because I could see a transparent image above an object. I've searched over the internet and found out that it was ghost images, and yes I was more worried. A year passed by and my distant vision got a little bit worse. I am a programming student and i find it hard to see what's written on the large monitor specially when I sit at least 10 feet away from the screen. Yes it is blurred (i think I could see what's written on the screen if i just didn't have this ghost images) but what makes it worse is the ghost images. I can hardly focus on the texts on the screen because of the distorted vision (ghost images of the texts in the screen). And also, i see these tiny white dots rotating over my field of vision. When indoors, it is almost unseen, but when i look up the clear blue skies,these tiny things are very visible
To sum it all up:
-blurred distant vision
-halos
-starbursts
-glare
-ghost images
(my ghost images are worse on black texts with a white background)
(i also find it difficult to identify people's faces because of the ghost images)
-tiny white dots rotating over my vision
(more visible when looking on the clear sky or bright screens)
-floaters
-headache
-negative afterimages
(afterimages from sudden exposure to bright light (car headlights) lasts for around 2 minutes, slowly disappearing)
I have never told my parents or friends about this and I have never been to the eye doctor. But I want to atleast have your words as of now. I am planning to have this checked, I can't keep this by myself anymore.
I have made this photo to give a clearer interpretation about my eye problems
http://i62.tinypic.com/2mxr444.jpg
I’m 6 years late but if you ever see this I just want to tell you that what you’re describing are very common symptoms of Visual Snow Syndrome (look it up) and seeing tiny dots all over your vision (that look like static) is one of its biggest symptoms so I think you should really look into it (I have visual snow too so i know how you feel)
3 Comments
There is a new article on visual snow posted on my Blog Spot
Here 1 more case of visual snow and all symptoms described above. Can starbursting, glare and halos also be a symptom of some genetic retina desease? Already 4doctors saw my eyes and no one wants to make ERG. I am scared as I am not sure this symptoms come only from visual snow
retinal disease: No those are not typical of retina disease. There is no treatment for visual snow and in practice I have never seen a case, only on the internet
Hey letsstayanon I also have the exact same symptoms described above I would like to talk to you would you please email me at ***@**** so that we could interact and related our problem
Hello young man, I think you must go to an ophthalmologist. I have had retinal detatchment (back of the eye tears) and belive me, is not fun it can take a year to heal up and you got different positions to lie for days in sever medication. I don't want to scare you, but before anything happens, you must go to your doctor and ask for emergency before anything happens. it can also be something to do with a virus. be careful as it can also be something that if you leave it long you can loose your sight. I don't want to scare you, but have you watched a program called 'Monster inside me' is about the parasides that effect your symptoms a little fly or something. another thing is, virus with stress, computer, low immune system. please do ask your family to take you ASAP. LET US KNOW SOON PLEASE!
I'm just a patient, not a doctor, but I have some suggestions for you.
Your symptoms could be caused by more than one thing. Personally I think this is likely. Here are some thoughts:
1. Distance object blurring can be caused by nearsightedness, obviously. That you have never been to an eye doctor for an eye test makes me wonder if you have developed slight myopia. It could have been coming on as you were a teen; then you get to a particular class or situation and all of a sudden notice things in the distance are blurry. As a programmer it could be more likely. Time for a visit to an optometrist to ask them to test your visual acuity and assess your overall eye health.
2. Rubbing your eyes can cause swelling of the tissue across the front of the eye. This can sometimes cause ghosting, starbursts and other visual problems. There are good allergy eyedrops that can help alleviate the urge to rub your eyes. There are also eyedrops that can reduce swelling in the front of your eye if you have this problem. If you have scratches in your cornea from lots of rubbing you may need different drops. A optometrist or ophthalmologist can look at the front of your eye with microscope and a special dye (also an eyedrop) to see if there are scratches on your cornea and to look for swelling.
3. Floating things and white spots = could be what are called 'floaters.' Read about them online. Many of us have these, and just learn to ignore them. They have lots of different appearances (white/black/clear dots, 'strings,' etc). You are a bit young to have traditional floaters, so you should still see an eye doctor to be sure nothing else is going on. If you notice a sudden 'shower' of new spots (that look like a swarm of bees somewhere in your visual field), see an ophthalmologist immediately as that can be a sign of retina detachment. Not likely, but just be aware of that possibility.
4. Negative afterimages from sudden bright light - This is a normal response of a normal eye. At night it's worse because your pupils are dilated and your retina gets blasted with more of the bright light before your pupil can contract to cut down the amount of light getting into your eyes. The afterimages can persist for several minutes. They should dissipate within 10-30 minutes (varies a lot per person and per brightness of light source).
To conclude: you should definitely see an optometrist, and possibly an ophthalmologist as well. FYI an optometrist can test your visual acuity, prescribe corrective lenses (glasses or contacts) if you need them either for certain situations or all the time, look at your eye for signs of swelling, scratches, dilate your eyes to look at your retina to make sure everything appears normal, and answer questions about your overall visual symptoms. Bring a written list of your symptoms to the appointment so you can quickly show the doctor all the things concerning you.
The optometrist may refer you to an ophthalmologist if he/she suspects there is anything else going on with your eyes. Ophthalmologists often specialize in one area of the eye (retina/vitreous (back part of the eye) specialists, cornea/refractive/lens (front of the eye), etc.) while some treat all aspects of eye disease.
You've done a good job of cataloging the defects in your vision. Now it's time to see a doctor to ask them to review the issues and evaluate your eyes for problems. Good luck!
Your symptoms could be caused by more than one thing. Personally I think this is likely. Here are some thoughts:
1. Distance object blurring can be caused by nearsightedness, obviously. That you have never been to an eye doctor for an eye test makes me wonder if you have developed slight myopia. It could have been coming on as you were a teen; then you get to a particular class or situation and all of a sudden notice things in the distance are blurry. As a programmer it could be more likely. Time for a visit to an optometrist to ask them to test your visual acuity and assess your overall eye health.
2. Rubbing your eyes can cause swelling of the tissue across the front of the eye. This can sometimes cause ghosting, starbursts and other visual problems. There are good allergy eyedrops that can help alleviate the urge to rub your eyes. There are also eyedrops that can reduce swelling in the front of your eye if you have this problem. If you have scratches in your cornea from lots of rubbing you may need different drops. A optometrist or ophthalmologist can look at the front of your eye with microscope and a special dye (also an eyedrop) to see if there are scratches on your cornea and to look for swelling.
3. Floating things and white spots = could be what are called 'floaters.' Read about them online. Many of us have these, and just learn to ignore them. They have lots of different appearances (white/black/clear dots, 'strings,' etc). You are a bit young to have traditional floaters, so you should still see an eye doctor to be sure nothing else is going on. If you notice a sudden 'shower' of new spots (that look like a swarm of bees somewhere in your visual field), see an ophthalmologist immediately as that can be a sign of retina detachment. Not likely, but just be aware of that possibility.
4. Negative afterimages from sudden bright light - This is a normal response of a normal eye. At night it's worse because your pupils are dilated and your retina gets blasted with more of the bright light before your pupil can contract to cut down the amount of light getting into your eyes. The afterimages can persist for several minutes. They should dissipate within 10-30 minutes (varies a lot per person and per brightness of light source).
To conclude: you should definitely see an optometrist, and possibly an ophthalmologist as well. FYI an optometrist can test your visual acuity, prescribe corrective lenses (glasses or contacts) if you need them either for certain situations or all the time, look at your eye for signs of swelling, scratches, dilate your eyes to look at your retina to make sure everything appears normal, and answer questions about your overall visual symptoms. Bring a written list of your symptoms to the appointment so you can quickly show the doctor all the things concerning you.
The optometrist may refer you to an ophthalmologist if he/she suspects there is anything else going on with your eyes. Ophthalmologists often specialize in one area of the eye (retina/vitreous (back part of the eye) specialists, cornea/refractive/lens (front of the eye), etc.) while some treat all aspects of eye disease.
You've done a good job of cataloging the defects in your vision. Now it's time to see a doctor to ask them to review the issues and evaluate your eyes for problems. Good luck!
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