What the hell is happening to my eyes!!help?

[zandupancharisttarraam]

i am reciving floaters and flashes of light in both eyes since 3 months, quickly i got my OCT done and nothing abnormal came out,opthamologist prescribed me vitamin,drops and eat healthy food.i am 17 yrs old. MY OCT RESULTS-https://imageshack.com/i/2h5wdxp

ALSO, IT CAN'T BE MIGRAINE SINCE IT LASTS ALL THE TIME.

THIS GUY HAS SAME PROBLEM LIKE ME:-https://*****************/question/index...



I WANT TO KNOW WHAT IS CAUSING FLOATERS AND FLASHES IN THE TEENAGE???



ALSO I HAVE 20/20 VISION IN BOTH EYES!In january i noticed a sudden increase in floters and in february flashes of light came up



PLZ REPLY

[flossy93]

I am just a patient and unfortunately have no idea what is happening with your body.  

Please go see the various specialist doctors that have been suggested to you earlier in this forum thread to be sure you get treatment for everything that concerns you.

[zandupancharisttarraam]

since i have not been diagnosed with PVD but,will i develop it in future on bascics of existing symtomps,not by natural aging process.also i have been suffring from constipation from 1 year my stool is a miz of hard and soft.my intestinses doesn't feel pressure to pass stools.does constipation can cause vision problems?? i eat only healthy food,lots of fibers,drink 16 glasses of water a day but nothing is workin even laxative fails. What is going in my body i am very frustated.

[flossy93]

I agree with KayakerNC.  

Please seek medical help for your severe anxiety.  There is no reason you need to live with obsessive fear about medical issues controlling your life.  

Do not wait to contact a doctor regarding your anxiety.  If you want ideas about what kind of doctor to see, you can ask for suggestions from users and doctors on these forums:

Anxiety forum:
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Anxiety/show/71

Expert forum regarding depression and mental health:
http://www.medhelp.org/forums/Depression-Mental-Health/show/122

You are in good overall health and have 20/20 vision, but you still don't feel good.  Please don't wait to seek help for your anxiety.

[KayakerNC]

You have let your worries take over your life.  
Seek medical help to get your acute/severe anxiety treated.  You have to take back control.

[zandupancharisttarraam]

the part was petrion of skull,i am very scared plz help!flossy92

[zandupancharisttarraam]

no,, the pucnh didn't effected my vision,pain only lasted int the area of punch for 1 hr,then after 1 hr till today i am completey feling normal

[flossy93]

If you had no lasting symptoms at the time of the punch (i.e. no visual symptoms then) it's not likely to have damaged your eyes.  You have had three ophthalmologists study and image your eyes who all have said they do not detect any appearance of damage or disease process.

Be sure always tell your doctors about any such incidents (as well as any other times you were hit hard on the head, fell hard to the ground and hit your head, or similar incidents) when you visit the ophthalmologist, neurologist or other doctor.

Even if the punching incident didn't have anything to do with the vision problems you started having this year, it's important for your doctors to know about anything like that.

You probably know that hard blows to the head that result in a concussion are not good for anyone's brain health. As a teenager it's very important to monitor any risk of concussion and be sure to see a doctor anytime you have a hard blow to the head.  

This is why so many youth and school programs in soccer, football and other sports now have concussion protocols that mandate rest time for young athletes while their brains heal from blows to the head.  

If you received only one punch without symptoms in fall 2012 and had no lasting vision symptoms or headache at that time, it's unlikely to have caused lasting damage or be related to anything happening this year.  

If you want reassurance about this, please see a neurologist and ask about the punching incident, your migraines, your visual symptoms and any other current issues with your health.

[zandupancharisttarraam]

1.5 year ago a boy punched on left side of my forehead,the pain lasted only to 1 hour after that i felt totally normal,there was no bleeding or cut.

COULD THIS TYPE OF PUNCH DAMGE BTOH EYES,,PARNANOID!!


HELP PLZ flossy93

[flossy93]

I am only a patient and have no way of knowing whether you are developing a PVD.  

Three different ophthalmologists have told you no PVD is detected.  

You are very young and do not have myopia and have not had any eye or head injury.  This means it is EXTREMELY unlikely you are developing a PVD.  

Even if you did have the start of a PVD (which you have been told you DO NOT HAVE), for most patients there is no permanent impact to their vision after a PVD.  

You are 17 years old and have 20/20 vision, with some visual symptoms for which no eye disease or eye disorder has been found.  Your eyes appear healthy to three different ophthalmologists.  

Please try not to dwell on an eye disorder that you have been told you do not have, and which does not typically impair vision even in patients who do have it.  

To help you feel better, I strongly suggest you:

1.  See a neurologist about your visual symptoms, eye pain and migraine,

AND

2.  Visit your primary care doctor to be referred to someone to help address your anxiety about your eye symptoms.

Lastly, if you begin to feel strongly depressed or suicidal, please do not hesitate to contact a suicide prevention hotline.  They are there to help you.  

There are also depression/mental health forums on this website which might help you with ideas of how to deal with anxiety about health matters.

I wish you all the best.  

[zandupancharisttarraam]

i just want to know wether i am develpoing PVD or not???
Since everything has a cause, PVD can only happen in this age if i have myopia or injury to eye or head,but i have neither.Also OCT results rules out my retina and vviterous problem.i am totally freaked and no i don't even want PVD even it is common until 50's or 60's.MY BEATIFUL VISION WILL BE DESTROYED HELP PLZ
I WILLS SUCICDE.......!!

I

[flossy93]

You have done everything you can do to understand what's happening with your eyes.  The one extra thing I would try is going to a neurologist.  I would also go back to the ophthalmologist on a regular basis.

Don't worry about your earlier unhealthy lifestyle.  Focus now on improving your health through good eating habits and regular walking, swimming or other forms of exercise that work for you.  Bringing your weight down to a reasonable level will be important for your overall long term health, as well as that of your eyes.

As I said before, if I were you I would:

1.  Visit a neurologist to discuss your migraine and visual symptoms.  Bring a list of all of your head pain and vision symptoms, when they start/stop, what the pain is like, what visual symptoms you see, in one or both eyes, that kind of thing.  Include on the list all of your health issues, meds, supplements and vitamins.

2   Go back to the ophthalmologist for an exam every 3-6 months or until the floaters and flashers stabilize or go away.  Go sooner if you develop any new vision symptoms.  Bring the list of symptoms, your medical conditions and your meds/supplements/vitamins.  

3.  Visit a primary care doctor once a year for a checkup, and more frequently if you develop high BP, diabetes or any other conditions beyond your eyes and your head pain.  If you have a skin condition due to a vitamin deficiency hopefully you are already under the care of a doctor who can oversee treatment for this issue.  If not, go see one.  Ask your primary care doctor what kind of specialist is best to treat that problem.

As Booklover10 says, it's up to you to be proactive about your health.  You have done a good job by getting your eyes thoroughly checked out.  

If you find you have severe anxiety or depression related to your health issues, please consider seeking treatment for that too.  Tell your primary care doctor about your concerns and ask for a referral to a specialist who can work with you to address anxious or depressing feelings.  Sometimes therapies like yoga for stress relief or meditation can help anxious patients manage their stress.

I'm sure this all feels like a lot to deal with at 17, but you are doing a great job of seeking out information and advice and if you act on it, chances are you will do great.  Best of luck.

[zandupancharisttarraam]

true i have exact same symtomps in both eyes and flashes are of blue and white colour,,,,,dcotor can't see my floaters,also when from around 14 yeras i lived a unhelathy lifestyle eating bad foods,sedentary habit due to which i had have constipation,i am obese,and don't know why i have had pain in area of eyeballs under lids from 5 years.i laso have sinusties.......!!


i think these whole mateer is contrubuting to floaters and flashes ........isn't it?????

what should i do, to know exactly what's happening in my both eyebalss?

[zandupancharisttarraam]

true i have exact same symtomps in both eyes and flashes are of blue and white colour,,,,,dcotor can't see my floaters,also when from around 14 yeras i lived a unhelathy lifestyle eating bad foods,sedentary habit due to which i had have constipation,i am obese,and don't know why i have had pain in area of eyeballs under lids from 5 years.i laso have sinusties.......!!


i think these whole mateer is contrubuting to floaters and flashes ........isn't it?????

what should i do, to know exactly what's happening in my both eyebalss?

[Booklover10]

I definitely feel your pain!!! If I let myself dwell on it, I seriously start freaking out. I know your way younger than me and you say you have perfect vision which is truly a blessing. I have SEVER high myopia and my symptoms started two weeks before I went into labor with my first child almost 4 years ago. I'm 29 years old now. My symptoms include heavy floaters, which I've had floaters for as long as I remember just not this bad, second the flashing started in the far corners of my eyes and gradually got worse from there. The flashes started happening maybe 20 times a day and now more like 500 in the almost 4 years since it started. My "flashing" or now I have "traveling" light that starts at one side of my eye and moves quickly around the outer edge either to the left or right. I started noticing "cracks" in my vision shortky after it started and I am terrified. I also have lost a lot of my peripheral vision. I went and saw 3 different doctors as well and no one could find anything wrong. I haven't been in over a year because it was so frustrating and heart-breaking to have these awful symptoms and be told that they don't see anything. I get flashes really bad going from a brightly lit room to a darker one. I also noticed that my flashes are more abundant during my ovulation cycle. Weird I know! Once I start my period the flashes recede greatly in numbers. Let me know if this is something you've noticed. I'd also like for you to go in great detail of what your "flashing" consists of. Where in your eye does it happen, how often, color, etc. I'm not a doctor, just curious. I know how upsetting it is to feel one way, get a flash and then your heart drops through your stomach and you start going down a dark road of all the bad things you think that are coming. I wanted to die too. Not really, because I just had a baby at the time it started, but I have been very low. I can still get that way if I dwell on it now. I thought I wouldn't make it past the 1st year. It's almost been 4 years now and I take it day by day. I try to live life to the fullest and not let it hold me back. I guess I've just gotten used to it (okay no way can you get used to flashes because they are scary, but I'm sure you get what I'm saying) and my symptoms have gotten worse over time rapidly. Just know I'm still seeing after 4 years. It's very frustrating. I hope you find your answer. I was suggested to see a neurologist too and I really need to go soon. Be pro-active and don't sit here like me getting worse.  

[flossy93]

I'm sorry you are feeling so stressed by your eye problems.  Try to take a deep breath and realize you still have excellent vision.  Many people on these boards have similar stress due to various eye/vision malfunctions, both problems which have been diagnosed and those not yet found.  You are definitely not alone!

What drops did your eye doctor prescribe?  I would be interested in this because I'm not aware of any drops to treat flashers or floaters.

Did you mention your vitamin deficiency to the ophthalmologists who saw you?  It seems unlikely to be related to your symptoms, but it's a good idea to always tell your doctors about all diagnosed conditions and all the medications and supplements you take.  You never know when something that seems totally unrelated might actually be related to your vision.

Please don't freak out about a potential PVD.  75% of all adults develop one eventually, most without any problems except for the annoying flashing episodes which eventually go away.  You are very young so this is unlikely to be happening to you.  To be clear, you should know PVD does occur in people with normal vision, not just those with high myopia.  It may happen earlier in high myopes, but if 75% of adults end up with one anyway you can see that it happens to people with all different visual acuities.

Regarding floaters, did any doctor say they could see the floaters?  Sometimes these are visible to the doctor examining your eyes - they can literally see clumps or strings of cells drifting in the vitreous.  Small floaters or ones that are just the wrong shape or color to be visualized by the doctor can still be seen by you, the patient.  And no, tugging does not cause floaters.  

You may have symptoms due to migraine or conditions outside the eye, especially since you have the symptoms in both eyes that began at the same time.  Think about it - what are the odds that both of your eyes developed a vitreous (floater) and retina (flashing) problem simultaneously?  If you can totally cover one eye at a time and see the exact same symptoms with both eyes, perhaps the issue is not in your eyes after all.  

I realize you think it can't be migraine because it is happening all the time.  Still, since you have migraine and head/nerve pain anyway, I don't see why you would not also visit a neurologist to see if they can shed any light on whether anything outside your eyeball could be causing these symptoms.  At a minimum you might get some good ideas for how to lessen your migraine episodes or severity.

Please do consider visiting a good ophthalmologist on a regular basis, like every 3 months, while your symptoms are continuing until they either go away or a cause is found.  I do know patients who had symptoms for a long while before anything was found.  That way in the unlikely event you do have an eye problem that is just starting, it will be found early on.

When you do go back to the ophthalmologist, bring a written list of your eye symptoms, including when they began and whether they have changed.  Be sure to also write down any other illness/disease like your vitamin deficiency and all drugs, vitamins and supplements you take.  This will allow the doctor to quickly review everything happening with your eyes and overall health, and maximize the chance for you to get a diagnosis.  Sometimes eye problems come from things happening elsewhere in the body.

Lastly, keep up the great work with your overall health.  By not smoking and by maintaining good overall health (low BP, no diabetes, etc) you are giving yourself the best opportunity for a lifetime of good vision.  

[zandupancharisttarraam]

ALSO CAN "TUGGING" CAUSES FLOATERS TOO??

[zandupancharisttarraam]

this means i would develop pvd after this?? but why, i have perfect vision and after 3 months of symtomps i get my pupil dilated eye exam and OCT but everything seemd fine.but why it's happening to me, i have no trauma to head or eye.
i have no high BP,diabetes,alcolhol consumer,smoker etc. i am helathy but have lack of certain vitamins due to which i have bad skin problem.

ALSO A PVD CAN NEVER HAPPEN IN BOTH EYES AT SAME TIME AND CAN'T HAPPEN UNLESS ONE IS HEAVOLY MYOPIC!!

PLZ HELP I WANNA DIE!!!PARANOID

[flossy93]

Were the dilated eye exams after the symptoms began?  If so, the retina has probably been checked thoroughly for tearing or detachment.  

If I were you, given your symptoms you should probably be seen each 3 months while the active floaters and flashers are going on, until the symptoms settle down or something diagnose-able shows up in your eyes.  Of course, I am just a patient, not a doctor, so that's just my opinion.  You may feel differently.

As far as the vitreous 'tugging', it's is the very beginning of the detachment process, and can go on for many years before the vitreous actually detaches.  I don't know what causes the vitreous to pull away from the retina over time, but the beginning of that process (which usually happens later than age 17) can cause flashing and eventually leads to vitreous detachment.  

A vitreous detachment (PVD) is NOT the same thing as a retina detachment, and does not necessarily have any effect on vision other than the temporary flashing.

If I were you, I'd see an ophthalmologist regularly, use an Amsler grid to check for any distortion in your vision from week to week (you can print one off the Internet; just tape it to the wall at head height), and be careful not to receive blows to the head.  

Obviously, if you have any new symptoms be sure to revisit the ophthalmologist right away.  I hope your symptoms go away soon.

[zandupancharisttarraam]

i got pupil dilated eye exam 2 times with opthalmoscope and slit lamp,and both doctors said my eyes r fine,also why a non-detached viterous will pull retina,,can this happen to me plz help

i also doubt that i may have ocular migraine since my head's nerve pain while running but not always.

[flossy93]

I am sorry about your flashers and floaters.  I have both of those, along with ocular migraine, so I can understand how you feel.  It's frightening.

FYI migraines, whether ocular or the normal kind with visual aura, do not show any symptoms on OCT.  So it's possible that you are having visual symptoms due to migraine and these do not register on an OCT.  An OCT is only a 'side view' of the retina and if your visual symptoms are due to a neurological process in the brain, nothing will show up on the OCT scan of your retinas.

You might consider consulting with a neurologist about migraine diagnosis and treatment, particularly if you are having migraine headache along with the floaters and flashers.

It is possible to have floaters without PVD too, which typically occurs due to aging.  The vitreous jelly inside the eye 'clumps' as it ages over the years and this can result in floaters or strings in the visual field.  However, this would be unusual in someone who is only age 17.

Lastly, it is possible to have 'flashing' symptoms without retina detachment or PVD.  Even if the vitreous does not detach, it can 'tug' on the retina from time to time, and stimulate the photoreceptors on the retina.  The brain interprets this 'tugging' as flashing lights.

I hope that all of your ophthalmologists did a dilated pupil retina exam to check for any areas of detachment or tearing of the retina. If you saw the doctors recently (after the increase of symptoms in January) then they probably did.  If you haven't been to see an ophthalmologist recently, I would go again and have them check your retina carefully for any sign of tearing or detachment.

In the absence of a diagnosis, please be smart about protecting your eyes.  Try to avoid any high-impact activities where you might receive a heavy blow to the head (boxing, MMA, high-speed ball sports, extreme sports, etc).  It's not worth the possible risk to your vision.  

Vision problems can be subtle and elusive to diagnose.  It's frustrating but you are not alone.

[ash009]

i think u need to meet better MD ophthalmologist

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

I cannot help you any further.

JCHMD

[zandupancharisttarraam]

i have already consulted with 3 opthalmologists and all have same say that is to eat healthy

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

Your best bet is likely to get second opinion from a different eye MD ophthalmologist