meteor-like flashes after vitreus detachment resolved

[JoBug111]

I was hit by a soccer ball in my right eye, the upper right side.  Immediately I had a bright greenish light covering the bottom left quadrant of my visual field - this went away in about 10 minutes.  My optometrist said it was probably a "vitreous detachment", but she was unable to see any problem.  For about a week I had a dark spot in the lower left (towards my nose) - I saw a retina specialist for this - he was unable to see anything but said that it was probably a bruised retina.  As he predicted, the dark spot gradually faded.  My vision was fine after that.  But now a couple weeks later, I have started having bright flashes in my peripheral.  It is usually a bright spot that starts in the upper right and falls like a meteor streaking in an arc.  A few times it has happened on the side towards my nose.  Sometimes they happen in rapid succession.  I noticed it only happens as I am waking up, either in the morning or in the middle of the night.  It seems strange to me that I am seeing these things mostly on the SAME side that I got injured.  And what's with it starting weeks later, and only seeing them upon waking?  I'm planning to make another appointment with the retina specialist, but it feels a little extraneous since he didn't see anything even when my injury had just happened.  Any theories or advice would be appreciated.  Thank you!

[Adamno]

OMG, this exact thing happened to me this past Monday.  My eye is currently coming down from being dilated.  It makes me very nervous to read that its coming back after a couple weeks.  I had the same soccer incident and the same symptoms. I was told it was a bruise and to stay off of activity until I se him next week.  I am a pretty active guy, but any idea how long before regular activity can resume?  I play soccer and softball as well as run and workout.  doing nothing is not really something I am comfortable with but done want to risk vision loss.  

[JoBug111]

:-) Thank you for your quick responses!  The dark adaptation explanation makes a lot of sense, and I continue to have these flashes only at night or when I first wake up.  I set an appointment with the retina/vitreous MD, so it will be checked out next week.  Meanwhile, I may try an experiment during the daytime in a windowless room with the lights out...
After reading about it, some kind of pressure phosphene does make sense, too.  I assume my vitreous jelly deformed quite a bit when a quarter of my visual field was affected by the impact.  I would not be surprised if it is still a little lopsided and could account for this.  *Something* must be rubbing or pulling on my retina to make these flashes... the retina looked OK the 2 times I've been dilated since the ball incident... I just hope it didn't somehow progress into something that might yank the retina hard enough to tear.

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

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[jms1182]

You may want to research pressure phosphene too.  Your flashes sound similar to mine - it's like a small circle of light with a dark center swoops into my vision and out again every so often.

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

Since things have changed and new symptoms have developed a repeat exam by the retina Eye MD is important. Your retina is more sensitive to light and traction on the retina when you awake once you're up the retina becomes less sensitive as it moves from dark adaptation to light adaptation.

JCH III MD