Eye problem - possibly neurological

[deb201102]

I'm a 40 years old female and I'm having a strange problem with my eyes.  About a year ago I started seeing flashing lights.   A few months later I began seeing a lot of floaters.  I went to the opthamologist for both problems and my eyes were fine.  Soon after I started seeing the floaters I began seeing after images of objects.  If I look at a dark object against a light background and then look away I see a flash of the reverse image.  Lights also seem to burn into my vision more quickly as well.  I just went back to the opthamologist with this complaint and she did a thorough eye exam.  She saw nothing wrong with my eyes.  Then she had me do a visual field test, retina scan, color test and finally the test where they inject dye into your arm and take photos of the blood vessels in your eyes.  Everything has come back normal.  I had an MRI and it came back normal as well.

So now my opthamologist says that I can try seeing a neurologist.  I'm wondering if a neurologist will be able to help.  If there anything that a neurologist can do to help make these after images stop?  Or will they just acknowledge that the problem is there and offer nothing further?  Should I bother pursuing this any further or just learn to live with it?  I'm just frustrated knowing that there's a problem and no one can tell me what's wrong.

I would appreciate any advice.  Thanks in advance!

[deb201102]

Thank you very much for your response.  

I know that it is normal to see reverse images and burnt in lights, but not to the degree that I do now.  It's definitely not normal and it occurs constantly throughout the day.  I did have an ocular migraine once last year.  This is nothing like that.  Sometimes I also see dark spots that are very similar to when you look at a bright light and that light burns into your vision, but they just appear with no bright lights around.  I thought that maybe those where migraine auras, but I never have headaches with them.

My ophthalmologist called me the other day and urged me to visit a neurologist.  I had an incident when they photographed my eye.  It seems that I may have had a possible seizure right after they took one of the photos.  I thought that I had simply passed out, but the tech believes it may have been a light induced seizure.  In any case I'm now looking for a good neurologist in my area.  I'm hoping that he/she can help me.  I just want this to stop, or least to know what's going on so it won't scare me anymore.

Thank you for taking the time to answer me.

[Shazia Alam, DO]

Thanks for using the forum. I am happy to address your questions, and my answer will be based on the information you provided here. Please make sure you recognize that this forum is for educational purposes only, and it does not substitute for a formal office visit with your doctor.

Without the ability to obtain a history from you and examine you, I can not comment on a formal diagnosis or treatment plan for your symptoms. However, I will try to provide you with some information regarding this matter.

Your symptoms may be suggestive of ocular migraines.  The aura can also be associated without a headache. These are called acephalgic migraines. If you have a history of migraines, I would be more suspicious of this. A neurologist can help you in this case.  

Otherwise, it is normal to be able to see the reverse image after looking at a dark object against a light background.   It is reassuring that you have a normal eye exam and even more that your MRI is normal.  

Hope this information was helpful.  Good luck!