Photic retinopathy

[SCN85]

Hi, my problem started three weeks ago after i had retina examination. My pupils were dilated and doctor said everything is fine. After i went home i realized i have a bright white spot flashing in front of my eyes and a terrible visual snow which makes everything flicker like an old tv screen. Also i realized it was hard seeing in dim light with central vision, there was something like a fog in my central vision. I could see letters clearly while reading but flickering, vibration or whatever you call it makes it difficult to follow a line. I also developed a focusing problem when i look at busy patterns like parallel lines. They were shaking and deforming. I have no problem focusing distant objects, no halos in lights, no pain in my eyes. I called my doctor and told her i developed a visual snow in my central vision. She said everything is fine and i should check my optical nerves or my brain. So the next week i went to have a detailed mri. Optical nerves and optical cortex in my brain was all fine. No problems at all. Now it had been threw weeks and my visual snow changed. There is a fast snowing little transparent dot in my central vison which i can see at dim light. And flashing big dots in my peripheral vision. I can see my central vision snowing when i look at busy patterns or during light changes (like entering a dark room after looking outside). And my visual snow gets worse if i look at something bright like computer screen or bright outside. It gets worse if i sleep and wake up in the morning. I got a few questions

1- whats my condition? If its not photic retinopathy than what can it be? They say its impossible to have eyes get damaged by slit lamp light but there are some articles in internet says the opposite. Maybe i am one of those unlucky patients? :)

2- its been three weeks i can clearly see a bright white spot when i close my eyes. Both of my eyes are effected. Is it gonna be permanent or temporary?

3- Is there anything i can do? Something i should avoid? (Like using computers or watching tvs etc) Or something i should do to make healing process faster?

[SCN85]

Thanks for your answer. My problems appeared at the same day after examination.

I live with entoptic phenomenon for 5 years or something so i know what it is. My new stuation is a bit different but i guess its impossible to put a diagnosis by just listening the story of a patient. Maybe just waiting will cure it.

[JohnHaganMD]

Not really sure I understand your comment or if there is a question there.

[JohnHaganMD]

1. Your eye was not damaged by the retina exam. Problems related to the exam would have shown up the same day or next day.  Damage from light comes from lasers, staring at the sun and formerly from eye operations that were extremely long and used a operating microscope. Now those have filters to prevent.
2.I suspect you have become aware of entopic phenomena. Read the section in Wikipedia and elsewhere. Your one description is like "flying corpuscle" blue field effect.
3. I have never seen a patient in my practice with "visual snow"    If you feel compelled to investigate further don't jump into MRI see a neuro-ophthalmologist.