vitrous detachment

[maypan]

i am 44 years old, about 3 monthes ago, i began to see some flashes with no increase of floaters in my right eye. My eye doctor said the flashes are caused by vitrous detachement. But what is really bothering me is that i also saw "BLACK" flashes. A small size, rectangle shaped, black image quickly appear (right below my center vision, always happens in the same place) and disappears. The black flashes tend to happen when i move my eyes from left to right rapidly and it does not happen when i move my eyes smoothly. I have seen two eye doctors and none of them can tell me what caused the "BLACK" flashes. These flashes happens much more frequently than regular flashes and really bothering me.  Please help.  

[maypan]

John,

Thanks so much for your quick response.

What are you saying is that:

Vitrous traction triggers a bright flashe within the eye (because of its specific location, not perceived by brain as "bright" flashes) which in turn cast a "black" image (through entopic phenomena) on the retina.

Is my understanding correct?

Is there any way to verify this theory?

many thanks,

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

I suspect you are getting entopic phenomena mixed in with the bright flashes from the PVD.

Look at the posting on entopic phenomena from Wikipedia


JCH III MD