Strange Ring of Light/Orb When Waking Up

[anxiousandconcerned]

For the last couple of months, I've had a weird thing happen in the mornings.  When I wake up, like when I open my eyes for the first time in the day (or sometimes at night if I get up to go to the bathroom), I'll see a ring of light, or almost an orb of light, for a second or two, and then it goes away.  It's almost like a flash or light, but it's in a circular shape.  It seems almost like I'm seeing my eyes open from the wrong end, if that makes any sense.  Like as I blink and first open my eyes, I'll see it, but not really when my eyes are open, just in the split second as I open them.  Then it'll fade quickly.  If I blink hard after that, I'll see it again for a split second.  I would say I don't really see it when my eyes are open.

A few things about my eyes in general: I often have dry eye, and I take meds that cause dry eye.  I've been sleeping lately face down on my pillow, so I thought it might have something to do with that.  I get flashes in the middle of the night as well, like in the corners of my eyes.  I don't have excessive floaters.  Because of the dry eye (I'm assuming), my eyes usually feel heavy and crusty in the morning, like they're tired or worn out or something.

I went to a retinal specialist cause of the flashes, and he looked behind the eye and found no problems.  He said it was just normal age-related vitreous detachment, and to look out for the dry eye.  But he couldn't give me a specific reason for the ring/orb, and he'd never heard of that happening before, so I wanted to see if anybody else has had this experience, or knows what it is.

I know my description isn't the best.  This tends to happen first thing in the morning, so I'm not really that conscious in that moment, and it's gone so quickly it's hard to describe it exactly.  I am the anxious type, so I'm aware I might be freaking out about nothing.  But it's been consistent enough in the mornings that I wanna try and figure out what it is.  Thanks!

[anxiousandconcerned]

Thanks for your reply.  Are you still waiting for an appointment?  How are your symptoms?

[76jayhawk]

This sounds very similar to what I've been experiencing over the past 2 weeks.  Before I open my eyes in the morning, I can see a crescent-shaped, half-ring of multi-colored dots.  This is similar to the after-image one sees after a bright light is flashed in the eye except it is in this particular crescent shape.  The shaped is made up of hundreds of smaller shimmering dots or pixels.  

The crescent tends to fade rather quickly upon opening my eyes, probably after 15 seconds or so.  BUT it will reappear at other times while I'm awake, usually when lighting conditions change.  For example, if I am working on my computer, then a coworker approaches me to talk, when I look up at him or her, the crescent appears for about 5 seconds, super-imposed on his/her face.  Or if I suddenly look down at my phone to send a text, the image will appear over the white background.

I saw my ophthalmologist 2 days ago, and he discovered that the optic nerve in my right eye is swollen and there is evidence of hemorrhaging in the right eye. Papillitis he called it.  He also said there was evidence of inflammation, but I'm not sure which portion of the eye he was referring to.

My case is different from yours in that I have also been recently diagnosed with anterior uveitis.  It cleared up after a few weeks of pred forte eye drops, but now this complication has arisen.  

Eye doc was stumped and referred me to an inflammation specialist at a nearby university hospital.  Unfortunately, they cannot see me for 5 weeks, so I guess I just have to try not to perseverate on this...easier said than done!

I'm sorry that your doctor wasn't able to determine why you are experiencing something similar.  It can be very frustrating when you experience a symptom, but the medical community is not able to explain it.  We still have a lot to learn about human biology and health!  Good luck to you!

[Timothy D McGarity, M.D.]

That helps. This sounds more like retinal stimulation from eye muscle strain. If there is any type of focal pressure on the back of the eye, your retina will have a stimulation. Try this: close your eyelids and look left; keep your eyes shut and with your right index finger, gently exert pressure through the eyelids to the right outer aspect of your eye. Does this stimulate the same type of symtoms? If so, then your eye muscles, which attach to the wall of the eye, are pressing on your eye.
Best wishes,
Timothy D. McGarity, Medical Doctor, Ophthalmologist

[anxiousandconcerned]

Thank you for your reply.  I should note that I can sort of replicate a similar flash of light if I close my eyes and look up and then open my eyes while tensing my eye muscles.  Not sure if that makes sense.  But often in the morning that's how I wake up, because my eyes feel strained (perhaps from the dry eye?), and I don't just open my eyes -- I kind of tense them as I open them.  Like blinking hard.  Could that have something to do with it?

[Timothy D McGarity, M.D.]

I don't know what to make of it either. It could be corneal edema causing the orb. Typically this will last for a few seconds more, maybe even a minute.
I think you've done all the right stuff for now. As long as your vision is otherwise good, then try to not get too anxious. We can all experience aura. I just don't know the cause of your symptoms.
Best wishes,
Timothy D. McGarity, Medical Doctor, Ophthalmologist