What is wrong with my eyes

[Kindachi]

Hi
1)When I look at an object indoor, I have an afterimage of an object even though I only look at it for less than a second. The afterimages is very brief, not too much of an annoyance. How can I cure this ?

2)When I go outside and look at the illumination of bright light reflected from the car(mirror, metal, plastic), I have the afterimage of the reflection and as I close my eyes, I see red and open my eyes I see green, purple, or yellow. Is there treatment for this ?

3)When I look from normal light conditioning(inside) to the bright sky, I start to see colored dots but it last very short. Is there treatment for this ?

4)Are the issues I described above serious ?

5) To give an example of my sysmptom. I have no trouble looking at light bulbs or reflected light from objects but trouble appear after I look at it. If the light is not so bright(television, computer) I see the afterimage of the object. However, if the light is very bright(flourescent, incandescent, flash light,, or LED), then I see green, purple, or yellow when I open my eyes.

6)Am I having light sensitivity?

7)Are these issues I have happened to other people?

8)Sunglasses help with outdoor light but does not help with bright light reflected from a car. My eyes don't feel hurt, sore, or pain from reflected light or with afterimages.

9) I also see rays of light from street light

Thank you

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

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[AnnaE]

That's a good observation about symptoms/roblems. In my case, the symptoms indicated a future gigantic problem, and they still ignord the symptoms.

I ask the doctors here so of like a second opinion, when it is something really important.
It's true that the doctors are always in a hurry. That is very irritating with retinologists, because they make a lot of money and should give patients more time. But then, what if there are not enough doctors in the area??

I guess I mean that wil all the problems I have, I must have my questions attend to, or I will get another doctor. Sometimes I am in shock when I get news from the docto, so I cannot ask questions and so I cannot take in information. So I go backanother day just for questions. It is so important to ask a DOCTOR the questions, only in one instance, three doctors could not answer ny question, but the assistant DID. So you can ask the nurse/asst a question sometimes, but also ask a doctothe same question,when you have a chance!.

I am heartbroken because I fear going blind so much. I have so much I want to see and do.

Watch that pressure!

[Nancy T]

Thanks, Anna. :) Yeah, it's always a little hard to know what to mention to the doctor and what not to mention. I don't want my main problem(s) to get lost in the noise of little stuff.

But often it's hard to decide what is important to mention and what isn't. I never pushed for testing or explanation of what was wrong with my ear when I lost my hearing suddenly--I thought it was something trivial that would clear up on its own. Boy, was I wrong--it was a severe and permanent hearing loss that SHOULD have been treated immediately. Not being doctors, we don't always know what is the important stuff--even in the day of the Internet. :) And you hate to bring up too much, because then it feels like you are obligating the doctor to perhaps run some tests or take time to discuss or rule out something that he/she knows is going to turn out to be nothing, and that didn't have time scheduled into the appointment, thus you're going to make the doctor run late. It's very hard to decide whether to bring certain things up.

The bottom line for me is, after being treated like a hypochondriac by some doctors, I realized that one should not go to the doctor about, or even ask the doctor about, SYMPTOMS--but only PROBLEMS that are seriously affecting your life or functioning. I don't know why I then proceed to ask such questions of doctors on the Internet... I suppose "because they are there," and because I always still wonder, and because they don't have any obligation toward me in the sense of having to order tests or spend more than a couple of minutes answering my question, if they wish to.

Anyway... I'll mention it to my ophthalmologist if there's time, i.e., if he doesn't seem to be in a hurry and if no other issues come up that need to be discussed. I am being followed for high eye pressure, so that will be the main topic, I assume.

Anna, thanks for your input and help on this forum! :) And best of luck with your eye problems. It's a bummer to have to have "a lot of practice" with them.

Nancy T.

[AnnaE]

That is your eye MD's work, to educate you on noting what symptoms are problematic, and which are not, more than it is the work of the doctor here. I understand why you are asking, and I have done the same. Don't be shy with the eye doctor; even if you cannot help being shy, ask the questions that are important to you.

I have had them look at me funny, as they miss serious problems. Make a list. Condense similar questions into one question. I find that as I consult with the doctor, a few of my questions take the foreground, and I decide the others are not important.

I see my doctor often, due to a serious condition, so I have a lot of practice with this.

[Nancy T]

That's interesting. I sometimes see brief afterimages after looking at an object for just a couple seconds, like a square metal hinge or whatever.

I just assumed this is part of getting older? (I'm 51.)

Should I mention this to my ophthalmologist when I see him next week? I already burdened him with my strange ghosting problem, and I'm deathly afraid of having him peg me as a hypochondriac. (He is one of only two doctors who has never given me that smirk but always treated me with complete respect, and I don't want to risk that over something that seems so trivial!)

Nancy T.

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

Your symptoms are not normal minor problem types (like dry or itchy eyes).  Those symptoms need a careful evaluation.

JCH MD

[Kindachi]

Is there something wrong with my retina? What do you think ?

Kindachi

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

See an neuro-ophthalmologist to evaluate these complaints esp #1. Find one at www.aao.org

JCH MD