Halos Around Eyes...Please Help!

[Jim123456]

For about two months now, I have had a sinus cold/infection. I don't know if that is of any importance. With that came a increased senstivity to light. But about a week ago, I noticed that I'd see halos around streetlights at night. At first, the halos were only white. But then three days ago, they started to turn rainbow colored. And just tonight, I realized I could see the normal halos & the rainbow colored halos...but indoors as well as outdoors. I see them on pretty much everything now...the computer screen, the TV. I'm 19, so I doubt it's cataracts...and I just got my eyes checked two months ago, so it can't be Glaucoma. Can anybody help...it's really scaring me. Thanks.

-Jim

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

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[Jim123456]

No, I think I'm done looking for now. I went to the eye dr, she said there was nothing wrong. My regular doctor just looked at me funny when i told him my eye dr said it could be sinuses causing the halos. My whole family thinks I'm either making it up, or it's "just my eyes." I don't have a car, or eye insurance, so they're the ones paying for it. So, whatever...if I go blind, I guess I'll say to them "sorry...it's just my eyes, I guess."

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

If you want to continue looking suggest seeing a neuro-ophthalmologist next.

JCH III MD

[Jim123456]

Well, I went to the eye doctor today, and she did a complete examination of my eyes. She checked for glaucoma, she checked for macular degeneration, and about 6 other things. After about an hour, she told me "I'm baffled. Your eyes seem completely normal to me. There's no swelling anywhere around your eyes, and you're too young for many of the problems that cause halos." I had mentioned to her that I had a sinus infection a couple of weeks ago, and she told me to go back to my regular doctor to see if the infection was 100% gone. She said that it's a very, VERY rare possibility, but sinuses can cause halos around vision. So I'm going back to the doctor on Friday; and I have a follow-up with my eye doctor next Wednesday. She said if she can't find anything then, and my sinuses are 100% clear, she's referring me to someone else. So I guess I'm having the same luck as everyone else my age with this problem...no one knows what it is!

[John C Hagan]

If you will look at questions from the two eye forums for just the past couple of days you will see this is a commoon complaint. Causes: needing glasses, corneal disease including irregular corneal astigmatism, cataracts, inflammation in the eye (iritis) are some of the causes. Angle closure glaucoma is almost unknown at your age. It usually causes halos but nausea, vomiting, smoky vision, red irritated eye and a mid-dilated non reactive pupil.

If you were not checked by an Eye MD physician (ophthalmologist) you need to schedule a real medical eye exam. You can find an Eye MD near you at www.aao.org

JCH IIIMD