Strange Eye Symptoms - Please Read

I have had strange visual disturbances for a long time now. It has been at least 0.5-1 year. I noticed most of it after I went on the medicine Paxil, and it hasn't gone away since. I was taking Paxil for an Anxiety Disorder, which I believe I still have (but I've been off the Paxil now for about 4 months).

When I was on the Paxil, I noticed drastically increased floaters, and flashes of lights in my peripheral vision that would catch my attention. They would only last a split second, but it looked like a quick spark. My vision is also sensitive to light. I get headaches sometimes, but a lot of the time it just feels like this pressure in my head that is hard to get rid of - lowering my concentration, increasing my anxiety, etc. There is one thing that is hard to describe, however. I don't know if I'm just sensitized due to the anxiety or something, but I notice over my entire field of vision a fine static. I can clearly see through it, it just looks like very very fine.. "static". I really don't know how else to describe it. I notice negatives in my vision quite often when looking at one thing for too long and then looking at something else. My eyes also seem to get very tired very easily.

It really has me worried, like its a brain tumor or something serious. None of this visual stuff has gone away since I've got off the Paxil which as me worried even more.

If anyone has any ideas, could you please reply? I'm quite stressed over this and I have been for a while, and its hard for me to afford to go to an eye doctor right now.

[Ray T Oyakawa, MD]

I do not believe the Paxil is related to you floaters and flashes of light.  This indicates vitreous traction and you need to see an ophthalmologist.