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Avatar universal

I see veins.

I had laser treatment for a torn retina about 6 months ago. I don't know if that is related to the present condition.

When I close my eyes then open them, for a fraction of a second I see a pattern that could be the vein pattern on my retina. That's what it looks like anyway, like looking at a map of a river and its tributaries. This only happens in my left eye, the one that was lasered.

Has anyone seen something similar and is this any cause for concern?
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Avatar universal
Thanks Dr. Hagan, I'd also asked if you can you tell me if it will or might go away?  If so, any idea how long it might take?
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5 Comments
Sorry no way to  answer that question.
Oh well...I was hoping you'd heard of at least one person out there for whom it eventually went away....
Thanks
That wasn't your question. You asked how long it would take.      Many people that see light or flashes after last it eventually fades and stops.  In fact that is more common those those that are bothered for years or more.  
Thanks good to know! And not to be difficult, but my question included "tell me if it will or might go away?"   That's the *might * and you didn't answer that - if it even went away for one person, it gives me some hope.
Okay  yes it might go away
Avatar universal
Im 17 years and i see floaters/veins/some veins shaped like long snakes I;ve talked to many doctors they said its fine.but im worried and i also use my mobile phone to watch movies and to play games maybe thats what causing this.HELP!!!
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10 Comments
computer use and iphone use does not cause floaters but it can cause dry eyes and increase in incidence and amount of myopia.
I am 14 years old and i have lots of floaters veins and strings i also have awful anxiety which is affecting my mental and physical wellbeing it makes me feel better to know im not alone and you are not alone either i do not think mobile games are the cause ... just a queston do you ever smoke pot
Unlike using a computer or iPhone,  cannabis (marijuana, pot) can damage the eye. Follow this link:  http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/cannabis-eyesight-vision-damage-toxic-effects-study-a7463331.html
one day i see a brown color in the vision of my left eye, the doctor said a blood vessel is bleeding and will go away within 2 weeks, the brown color did go away but ever since i see a blood vessel and many spots around with blurriness, it has been 6 months and it is only getting worse.

i work on a computer all day and also smoke marijuana all day for many years already, i eyes would get very dry and i always rub my eyes, after seeing this forum i will consider giving smoking a break to see if it will help since the doctors do not see anything wrong and they cannot help me.
it was always hard to stop smoking and now even more since i get stress  from this aggravation eye condition and smoking helps me deal with my anxiety  
Try using a good brand of artificial tears every couple of hours at work or when on the computer. Also every 15 minutes look away from your computer screen, across the room or out a window and refocus at distance then blink you eyes firmly 10 times. That stretches the focus muscle plus re-moisturizes your cornea. I made this suggestion in an article for "O"  (Oprah's magazine) several years ago and got lots of favorable comments from readers who were able to work much longer and more comfortable at their computers.
I also had laser surgery for a hole in one eye and can see exactly what Harold, the original poster describes.  And like Harold, I only see that in the eye that was treated.  What you didn't respond to is: why it would only be in the eye that was treated and not the other? Sure I can recreate it with a pen light, but it never happened before the surgery, unless I used a penlight!   I'd like to understand the science behind it and I'd also like to know if it will go away over time. It is very distracting.  Thanks!
Read the section in wikipedia.com  on entoptic or entopic phenomena.  Seeing the veins is normal.  It's called the Purkinje Tree phenomena.  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entoptic_phenomenon     Laser can make the eye more sensitive plus people start paying more attention to the eye.   The other thing that is common is a bright or dark spot projected into the field of vision 180 degrees away from where the last was done. This is due to the cauterizing of the retina by the laser. over time for most people it fades and goes away.
I also had laser surgery for a hole in one eye and can see exactly what Harold, the original poster describes.  And like Harold, I only see that in the eye that was treated.  What you didn't respond to is: why it would only be in the eye that was treated and not the other? Sure I can recreate it with a pen light, but it never happened before the surgery, unless I used a penlight!   I'd like to understand the science behind it and I'd also like to know if it will go away over time. It is very distracting.  Thanks!
Oops!  Sorry for posting twice - I couldn't remove it. Thanks for your reply. I'm still left not understanding why it is only happening in the eye that was treated. I've been aware of this effect previously and played with it, but it was never like this before.  If nothing else, can you tell me if it will go away?  If so, any idea how long it might take?
I did answer that:   'Laser can make the eye more sensitive plus people start paying more attention to the eye. '  
177275 tn?1511755244
Yes that is a normal entopic phenomenon. Has nothing to do with the laser. If you want to know more read the section in wikipedia.com on entopic phenomenon.  
Helpful - 0
177275 tn?1511755244
That's a normal reaction. Nothing to worry about at all. It's one of several entopic phenomena that are frequently posted here because they alarm people.  That pattern is the arteries and veins on your retina. They lie over the rods and cones that we see with. When light comes into the eye at an angle its possible to see the inside of your eye, floaters are also visible this way sometimes.

If you want to really see the problem take a penlight, close your eyes and place the penlight against your eyelide (over the covered cornea). Don't use anything but very light pressure. Move the light especially in a dark room and you'll be able to see the vessels in both eye.

Also adaptation to and from "light" vision to "twilight" vision to "dark vision" systems in the eye are slower and less effective as we age, in diabetics, in smokers, in people with certain retina/macula problems.


JCH MD
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2 Comments
I am fifteen years old and have been seeing floaters for a few years. They got worse over the years. They're all transparent, some are larger because they are closer to the retina I guess and some are smaller. When a bright light is shone into the corner of my yes I see the purkinjes image (I believe thats the type of phenomenon it is from all the research that I have done.) but what it looks like is like blood vessels or veins. I think I have visual snow because I see the cable-like thingies (worse at night). When I tilt my head up I see black lines many of them but when I put my fingers in front of my eyes and move my head side to side its like I see a detailed network of veins in my field of vision. When I wake up in the middle of the night, if I go in a bright room then back into the dark room I see vague flashes or vague moving rings in my field of vision. I am very sensitive to light too. If I look at something bright then somewhere not as bright sometimes halo will be formed around the object/ person but ALL the time the shape of whatever it was will stay in my vision for a while. When I look up or to the side sharply I see a small circle in each eye. This one is pretty new. I noticed it when I was jogging and with every footstep of pressure if I looked up a certain way I would see it. its almost like the circle you see when you apply pressure to your eye, not so sure how to describe that one. Also like if I take a pair of glasses and move it up and down in front o f my eyes I see these small silver lines but a lot of them. I have astigmatism. I went to a really good eye doctor he told me my eye was very healthy. They aren't harmful floaters. He said that it was normal for me and of course I trust that but Im still scared out of my mind. I even saw the little black lines while looking through the microscope thingy. It gives me anxiety and makes me so depressed. I feel like I'm going to go blind and I'm just getting so anxious and its really having a bad impact on my school work , my mood my happiness EVERYTHING. I cry myself to sleep all the time because of it. IM SO SCARED. I don't want to go blind. I have some questions. Even though my doctor said it will all be okay, do I have a higher chance of retinal detatchment becauseof the young age  that I am and am already experiencing all of this.(nearsighted btw) Im so young and experiencing what 60 year olds experience and I just want know if I'm tuna go blind for sure :( please answer. This thought gives me anxiety attacks. Another question Is it even normal to be experiencing ALL of these symptoms so young ? Could I be experiencing this and I just get use to it? Please just tell me all I need to know about experiencing this at a young age. Thanks so much for replying whoever does!
I strongly suggest you discuss your anxiety, depression and concerns with your parents. Your problem is more in dealing with stress, anxiety, perhaps depression and somatic fixation than a true eye problem. I suggest you have them take you in for some counseling with a psychiatrist or psychologist as your coping mechanisms need to help.
Avatar universal
I'm experiencing something very similar. I'm diabetic type 2 for some 10 years now. I basically started experiencing the very same symptoms you describe. I noticed it when I went to the beach and I could see the "river pattern" when the sun hit my eyes in certain way (while my eyes were closed). I thought I was seeing my eyelids veins and didn't give too much importance. But now when the sun hits my eyes in a certain angle the pattern is more visible. I've also noticed that my eyes are too sensitive. I takes me longer to recover my vision when it's dark and I turn on the lights or when I look at bright or dark objects. I'm starting to get worried. Two eye doctors have seen me and performed tests with no results.
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Avatar universal
Harold, I'm experiencing exactly the same situation,  you make a good description "like a map of rivers", except I have not had eye surgery. Actually when this started to happen it was in both eyes: for a fraction of a second after blinking, particularly when looking at at a white surface I would see the "map of rivers", the right eye got better but the left eye is getting worse.  Guess what? My general practitioner had no clue what it was, sent me to an ophthalmologist, no clue either never the less she tested me for glaucoma so she could charge, of course. Since she had no clue she sent me to another ophthalmologist, my appointment will be next friday. Starting to feel hopeless .
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Avatar universal
i see veins in one eye when i blink.  why?  I am 63 and just started.  No surgery or injuries.
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233488 tn?1310693103
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
I would say you should see your cataract surgeon retina surgeon sooner than 1 month.
JCH MD
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757137 tn?1347196453
You can also see drusen.
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Avatar universal
Dr Hagan,

I had a vitrectomy 4 months ago, with follow-up cataract surgery two months ago.  I am still seeing a bright, complex vein pattern in the left third of my eye.  My surgeon is excellent, and told me we have to let nature take it's course.  The vein pattern is very sensitive to light, & sometimes seems to be flashing.  I have another appt in one month.  Should I be concerned before then?
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Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Normally tears in the retina occur is the extreme far periphery of the retina that is not a functional part of our peripheral vision. So it's very rare to have a person see the torn area. It is possible if the tear was in the functional part of the retina and there was a lot of laser for a big tear that it might cause a defect.  On the other hand if this "moon crescent" floats around and is near the center of your vision its more likely a "Weiss Ring" (this was discussed recently in the eye forum, you can access it by using the search feature on this page.

When you see your eye surgeon you might mention this. Two tests 1. an amsler grid and 2. a visual field test done together could tell whether your cryo scars are causing the thing your see.

JCH MD
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Avatar universal
hey
agreed completely that u might see veins in the operated eye......i had informed my dr bout the same and he had told me the same what harold replied.....

aaomd i got a query for u.....i was operated a cryo for my retinal detachment few years back.......now wen i raise my head i can see the cryo mark .....or wat i think is the cryo mark........is it possible to see the cryo mark with naked eyes......its like the moon crescent but not continuos......please lemme know......
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Avatar universal
Thanks.
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Avatar universal
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Harold. That's a normal reaction. Nothing to worry about at all. It's one of several entopic phenomena that are frequently posted here because they alarm people.  That pattern is the arteries and veins on your retina. They lie over the rods and cones that we see with. When light comes into the eye at an angle its possible to see the inside of your eye, floaters are also visible this way sometimes.

If you want to really see the problem take a penlight, close your eyes and place the penlight against your eyelide (over the covered cornea). Don't use anything but very light pressure. Move the light especially in a dark room and you'll be able to see the vessels in both eye.


JCH MD
Helpful - 0
3 Comments
Why does it only happen with one of his eyes?  It's the same with me.
Me too.
=
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