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Bilateral ring scotomas paracentral vision; new symptoms
Hi doctor and everyone,
My vision problems started 3 years ago. I was 29. I woke up with a bright spot in my left eye vision. It was very near my point of focus, but to the upper left. It reminded me of the afterimage of a camera flash but was shaped like a small candle flame. I was actually out of the country on vacation at the time, and had to rush to find any eye doctor that would see me. I found one about 3 hours later and by the time I went in, the spot had spread to a C shape around my fixation point. Peripheral was fine, and in my fixation point was still clear. The eye doctor said it looked like inflammation and that I needed to return to the US and see a doctor there.
I immediately changed my flight to leave the very next morning. Well upon waking, I found the exact same type of bright spot had appeared in my right eye, just off to the upper right of my fixation point. I was STARTELED since I knew the spot in my left eye had quickly spread. I got on my flight and 4 hours later when I landed, it had already spread to a C shape going the opposite way. So I have C shape in left eye and a backward C shape in right eye facing each other...
Meanwhile those spots lost their bright appearance and became a grey blob type of color, but then started scintillating. It's worse when I come from bright light to a more subdued lighting. Anyway, my retina specialist said I had some sort of vasculitis of my reina and put me on steroids. I was on them for over a year. It seemed to control it for a while, but I started getting other shadowy type spots in my peripheral. They weren't bright like the original ones but just dark and shadowy. They'd be there for a month or so and then fade.
I was checked for everything under the sun, systemic diseases, tumors, viruses, etc. nothing was abnormal. Up to this point I ha always had perfect vision. Never worn glasses or contacts.
I finally just got tired of the whole situation and constantly seeing doctors that couldn't tell me anything. Not on steroids, and have been off them for about a year and a half now. I noticed a few months ago that the natural blind spots in both eyes have gotten larger and darker. I could see them all the time. Now they are even larger and if I close my left eye and look with my right, and turn my head... It spreads out even more, and pulses with my heartbeat.
I also have tons of little sparkly (looks like insects flying around) things all across my field of vision. Most noticeable when I look at the sky or bright background. In addition, more shadowy spots in peripheral. New ones all the time.
What could be causing this? What is happening to me?
Like I said, up to 3 years ago I had perfect vision. 20/15. My vision is still very sharp and clear at my fixation point... But I am terrified I am going blind, or something is terribly wrong. No one has been able to give me any clue as to what this could be.
Any info you can give would be immensely appreciated.
Thank you!
--Stephanie
My vision problems started 3 years ago. I was 29. I woke up with a bright spot in my left eye vision. It was very near my point of focus, but to the upper left. It reminded me of the afterimage of a camera flash but was shaped like a small candle flame. I was actually out of the country on vacation at the time, and had to rush to find any eye doctor that would see me. I found one about 3 hours later and by the time I went in, the spot had spread to a C shape around my fixation point. Peripheral was fine, and in my fixation point was still clear. The eye doctor said it looked like inflammation and that I needed to return to the US and see a doctor there.
I immediately changed my flight to leave the very next morning. Well upon waking, I found the exact same type of bright spot had appeared in my right eye, just off to the upper right of my fixation point. I was STARTELED since I knew the spot in my left eye had quickly spread. I got on my flight and 4 hours later when I landed, it had already spread to a C shape going the opposite way. So I have C shape in left eye and a backward C shape in right eye facing each other...
Meanwhile those spots lost their bright appearance and became a grey blob type of color, but then started scintillating. It's worse when I come from bright light to a more subdued lighting. Anyway, my retina specialist said I had some sort of vasculitis of my reina and put me on steroids. I was on them for over a year. It seemed to control it for a while, but I started getting other shadowy type spots in my peripheral. They weren't bright like the original ones but just dark and shadowy. They'd be there for a month or so and then fade.
I was checked for everything under the sun, systemic diseases, tumors, viruses, etc. nothing was abnormal. Up to this point I ha always had perfect vision. Never worn glasses or contacts.
I finally just got tired of the whole situation and constantly seeing doctors that couldn't tell me anything. Not on steroids, and have been off them for about a year and a half now. I noticed a few months ago that the natural blind spots in both eyes have gotten larger and darker. I could see them all the time. Now they are even larger and if I close my left eye and look with my right, and turn my head... It spreads out even more, and pulses with my heartbeat.
I also have tons of little sparkly (looks like insects flying around) things all across my field of vision. Most noticeable when I look at the sky or bright background. In addition, more shadowy spots in peripheral. New ones all the time.
What could be causing this? What is happening to me?
Like I said, up to 3 years ago I had perfect vision. 20/15. My vision is still very sharp and clear at my fixation point... But I am terrified I am going blind, or something is terribly wrong. No one has been able to give me any clue as to what this could be.
Any info you can give would be immensely appreciated.
Thank you!
--Stephanie
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Well you saw a well trained retina ophthalmologist and a diagnosis of vasculitis was made. Likely associated with some neuro-retinitis. All your symptoms could be explained on that basis. Your enlarged blind spot could be scarring around the optic nerve. Millions of tiny dots could be the "flying corpuscle" entopic phenomena (read the section on Wikipedia.com about entopic phenomena).
There is much we don't know about why people get vasculitis and neuroretinitis. The treatment is imperfect. Sometimes it can be recurrent or persistent (chronic).
You would do well to remain under the care of a retina ophthalmologist.
JCH MD
There is much we don't know about why people get vasculitis and neuroretinitis. The treatment is imperfect. Sometimes it can be recurrent or persistent (chronic).
You would do well to remain under the care of a retina ophthalmologist.
JCH MD
3 Comments
Hi stephanie, any updates on your progression? My case is identical to yours!
Did you get any treatment or other diagnosis?
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