persistent flashes in the peripheral vision

[g3kamdbs]

One month ago, I had a nail gun accident that the nail backfired and hit my right eye. The nail was bent (C-shaped) and went deep into the bone of the right eyebrow and penetrated the lower eyelid. It did not penetrate the eye globe, but created a huge shockwave that caused massive vitreous herrmohage. By the time I was in the AE, I was only able to see hand motions  but it cleared up quickly within 2 hours. There were no other structural damage. Vision were slightly blurry but completely cleared up in a week.

After 7 days I started to see flashes around the upper right peripheral vision, which is also the area of the injury. It's been 5 weeks now and I am still seeing the arc-shaped flashes. It occurs quite frequently, sometimes as much as 7-8 times within an hour. There are also some new floaters but it does not bother me as much.

Also if I look downwards I saw a few crack lines that looks like spider webs at the extreme upper peripheral vision. It "wiggles" as I made small eye movements, which is different from normal floaters that move slowly across the vision field. The crack line always stay at the same place but "wiggles".

I already went to 2 opalmalogist and now under the supervision of a retinal specialist. According to him, my retina looks fine, no tears or detachment but the flashes still persist and show no sign of improvement.

Could you please give me your opinion on the following

1. Do you have any patients seeing flash as frequent as I do and last for more than 5 weeks and still could not find anything wrong with the retina?

2. What do you think those crack lines could be? My specialist suspects that is caused by the shadow of the residual blood that are floating around the vitreous.

Thanks
Ken

[AnnaE]

My daughter had no symptoms, she says. She may have had a big floater in the periphery and did not see it. It also seems that her ophthaomologist caught it very early, during a routine exam.

I am glad about the news from your ophthalmologist. I am crossing my fingers for you.

Marianne

[g3kamdbs]

I really appreciate your response to my post. I can see there are different extremes of the results from this forum. Some had worrying symptoms but die down over the months, others had no symptoms but yet proceed to a RD. I guess everybody's situation is different. The idea is awareness and I am definitely very attentive to any change in my symptoms and closely monitoring myself.

You are also absolutely right, had i not taken off the eye mask to clean up the fog and forgot to put it back on, I will not be writing this post!

Ken

[AnnaE]

Maybe you should post a new topic message to the doctors, and ask if they know anyone personally.

Thank you for validating my experience. I still cannot believe this has happened to me. It is such a profound and frightening loss. If I can help anyone else avoid it, It would be great.

I do not want to alarm you. But one never knows. It happened to my daughter in both eyes. Her sight was saved. It is incredible that it could have happened to both of us.

Your experience is a good warning to everyone else not to use dangerous equipment without protection. We all need reminders.

I hope you find a great doctor.

[g3kamdbs]

Just went to my ophthalmologist and she did not see any tears or problem with the retina so far. However she did notice a very mild inflammation around the anterior portion of the eye, which she left the choice to me if I want to be on steroid drops, which I decided to wait and see.

Since my injury I am doing daily visual check, with one eye closed to make sure the better vision do not  masquerade the symptoms.

I am also making another visit to the retina specialist on Fri, and based on your feekback,. I might ask for another opinion from a different doctor.

Anyone have some good recommendation of reputable retina specialist around the bay area, california?
.

[AnnaE]

I had been seeing flashes for two years and my doctors said nothing when I told them.

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

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[AnnaE]

I am on my second regular retina specialist. The first betrayed my trust. I could no longer trust him.

I have also consulted about five other doctors.

Hope this helps.
Take good care of yourself.

[AnnaE]

1. I had one episode; the doctors would not listen to me.I FOUND the detachment two months later. I don't know when it happened. I think it started right then. Also, my doctor says they need to correct detachments within 2 weeks.It was too late, really, when I went there. They either missed them when I was there, or they just would not believe me later. They had to laser the right eye, also. Looks like they missed increased lattice or tears in that eye.

2. My original ophthalmologists said they saw nothing, Yet I had been having flashing lights. Two days after I saw them, the black dots came. I called them; they would not return my call. I went to the ER; they would not believe me; another ER, same thing..

3. Yes. They improved. I think that what happened was the detachment had started and there was a large floater that I could not see, because it was in the periphery. I finally saw it when I woke up the next morning and it seemed like all my vision was diverted to the other eye. I looked, up, down, right, left, all the while covering the right eye, and found it. It covered 25% of my vision.

I always saw flashes, yet they subsided some after the black dots.

[g3kamdbs]

I want to ask you some questions.
1. Did you have only one black dots episode and then the retina was detached after two months?
2. Were there any tears that the doctors missed or the retina just detached by itself?
3. How frequent did you see flashes? Did it improved over time during the 2 months period?

Ken

[AnnaE]

I had this symptom when my retina was detaching, but my doctor would not listen. The shower of black dots did not last long but two months later I discovered my own detached retina. In fact 4 doctors did not listen. I also had flashing lights.

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

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[g3kamdbs]

Thanks for the prompt advice, I will give them a call tomorrow.

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

Showers of floaters (like soot in eye, like oil droplets in water, like block of blackbirds) are all common ways of desscribing a fresh hemorrhage in the eye. You are at high risk for RD. I would call their office and ask for direction tomorrow

JCH IIMD

[g3kamdbs]

Dr Hagan,

    Thank you for responding to my post, I have one more question. The retina specialist told me to go back to him immediately if I start to see shower of new floaters that appears across my vision. I am not sure if this is the case as I was actually seeing a showers of black dots that spread across my vision yesterday, however it lasted only 10 secs while I was in the shower during the morning after waking up. The black dots disappeared and never came back, unlike the regular floaters that are constantly there.

   What is your opinion on this temporary visual effect? I have digged through a lot of internet articles and none of them mention the "Shower of Floater" symptom to be temporary.

Thanks

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

1. I do have patients that see flashing peripheral lights after injuries. In one case (a doctor's wife hit in the eye with a tennis ball) it has continued for over 5 years  but she doesn't see them as often as you do. Continue under the care of the retina specialist and have your eyes checked with dilation and peripheral retinal exam frequently.

2. The cracked lines I believe are likely entopic phenomenona where you are seeing the blood vessels inside the eye.

JCH IIIMD