eye scan

[Rachel_W]

Hello,

After a car accident in 2004 I had dizziness and was found to have suffered vestibular nerve damage.  I went through the rehab and the symptoms improved greatly but 4 years later decided to have a second opinion.  They mentioned that there could be ocular symptoms also that prevented 100% recovery and therefore went to an ophthamologist for a field vision test and eye exam.
My field vision and vision test were normal, except that I do have some distorted vision in my right eye which I noticed after the accident but never knew how to describe it until I looked at an amsler grid.

When I had my eyes looked at, the doctor said that everything was fine, but he noticed spots on my retina but that these were quite common in people with blue eyes.  He said that if I was older (I was 38 at the time), he would check more to make sure that it wasn't MD, but he was not concerned.  At that point I did not have a word for my weird vision or I would have mentioned my distortion.

The next day I looked up MD and an amsler grid and realised that I had distorted vision and go very scared.  I called the hospital and due to my concern they had me come in that day (the doctor was not there).

They gave me a full retina scan in both eyes, and also took photographs and told me that my retinas were completely normal and healthy.
I do believe that the distortion is from the accident as I first noticed it shortly after during a basic eye exam, and also during the summer following.  However now I am concerned about what the spots were.

As he mentioned that many blue-eyed people have them, was he referring to 'eye freckles'?  If there was any evidence of anything else, including chorioretinitis, would they have known the difference when looking at the scans and photographs?

I am now worried about what the doctor may have been missing.  

Thank you.

[Rachel_W]

Thank you so much for getting back to me.  I have a history of high cholesterol (due to being a vegetarian and eating a lot of dairy products).  I now have it under control due to change in diet.  I have absolutely no family history of MD at all, including 12 aunts and uncles and grandparents.

May I ask one more question just to clarify?  

I am not sure what he saw as he never described them and also after I had the scan and photographs two days later they never even mentioned them, just that my eye scan was text-book normal and my retina was 100% healthy and not to worry.

My question is, would they have been able to tell if the marks were just normal drusen or from other disease (including scar tissue from infection or the like)?  I assume that if there had been any evidence of retinal or choroid disease, past or present, they would have mentioned it?  I will call when I get home, but I am away until the end of October and so contacting them at this time is difficult.

Thank you for your patience with these questions.  

[Michael J Kutryb, MD]

I think you are getting worked up over something that might not even be there.  Ask your eye doctor to show you the pictures and scans and ask if your retina, and particularly your macula, is healthy or not.  You may perhaps have a few drusen, and there is no problem if the doctor wants to say that you are basically in very good shape but have a few drusen that are harmless now but could be a sign that when you get older you could be at risk for age related macular degeneratoin. That may be where you stand perhaps, just guessing.  Ask your doctor if you could take some eye vitamin supplements and extra lutein and omega 3 oil to improve your long term prognosis.

[Rachel_W]

In addition, the eye scan was the kind where they shine a very bright light into the eye and move it slowly from one side to another.  The took the photographs before I went in for the results so assume that they would have looked at both.  I am just worried that the marks in my eye may have been something else, e.g. cotton wool type, but would a doctor be able to tell the difference between these and other scars, to 'something seen a lot in blue eyed people - he never described them as far as I know).

Thank you for your patience with my questions.