What is the mystery disk?

Two retina specialists don't know what I am seeing. ONLY when I do close intricate art work do I see a quarter-size, colorless disk with a dot in the middle and lines that radiate out from the dot. After a while it might turn very pale yellow and just look like a disk of textured air, like crumpled celophane. After I stop working, it remains for 30 minutes. It is in the exact center of my vision and never moves. I don't think it's related to my PVD and I doubt it is a Weiss ring. I am an artist and this is driving me insane.

[Ray T Oyakawa, MD]

You are describing your macular area.  Usually, this is elicited by shinning a light through your eyelid.  You must be staring at the same spot for a long time and your retina photoreceptors are saturated by the light.  Then it seems like you are seeing an after image similar to the effect after a flash bulb.

Dr. O.

[Cessily]

Is this damaging to my macula? A little more info for you: Yes !!!, I begin to see the disk after 4 minutes or less of staring at nearly the same area. But, as I understand it, an after image resembles the thing your are staring at and goes away in a few minutes. My disk does not look like what I am staring at and it lasts a full 30 minutes after I stop working. Strangely, I could not make the disk appear when my eyes were dialated in the doctor's office. I do not have this problem in my non PVD eye, so does that mean the PVD is the cause? Does this new information alter your first answer? Thank you so very much. I am grateful for your knowledge.

[Ray T Oyakawa, MD]

I do not think this related to the pvd unless there is residual traction on the macula.  See if you can duplicate this using one eye at a time.  Also, when you were dilated in the doctors office your near vision focusing ability was decreased.

One other thought, make sure you are not vitamin A deficient.  This usually occurs in this country after gastric bypass surgery for weight loss.


Dr. O.

[Cessily]

About residual traction on macula: Retinal cup is normal on OCT, so please tell me, does that rule out traction? Would doctor have seen traction on examination of eye?

FYI: I am healthy, only a little overweight and age 59. I am very near sighted, more so in my problem eye.

Amazing!  When I just use good eye, no disk. When I just use problem eye, NO DISK. When I use both eyes, the disk appears. What does this mean?

Can I damage my vision by using both eyes?

Again, thank you, Dr. O.

[Cessily]

Just to clarify the above, when I use both eyes the disk appears ONLY in the problem eye, and it is always in the center of my vision. I am amazed that the disk does not appear if I just use the problem eye alone!  I also wonder why this just started in November when I've been doing close, intense work for years.

Thank you for trying to figure this out.

[Cessily]

I will take your advice to see a neuroophthalmologist, have an erg and find a place to have a visual evoke response test. I'll let you know the outcome.

Meanwhile, a very important question: Can I do my close-up art work with just one eye open without damaging my vision?

Many many thanks to you, Dr. Oyakawa.

Cessily