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Are these spots phosphenes?

I have noticed that when I blink my eyes in a semi darkened room, ie early morning, I can briefly see a very quick "spot " in both eyes at the same time, which quickly fades away. In normal daylight this cannot be seen at all. I had a recent very thorough check up at my opthamologists which was fine, no problems at all with pressure, optic nerve, peripheral vision  etc.  Provided it is harmless it doesn't really bother me, but I just wondered if this was what is known as a pressure phosphene?
Best Answer
233488 tn?1310693103
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Likely yes, what you describe is normal for an observant individudal looking to appreciate entopic phenomena. Read the section on entopic phenomena at www.wikipedia.com its quite good

JCH MD
17 Comments
Is it possible that a sign of going blind is a lack of phosphenes? I used to be able to see white specs at night. Can't see them at all
Not even when I run my eyeball
No, not everyone can perceive them, also they grown fainter as we age.
This was sudden. I'm only 21. Had an eye test and everything was fine but now I can't see them
And my eyes feel really really dry throughout the day. Glares and halos are constant
Dry eyes are a cause of glare and halo, one of the most common.  Read the section on dry eyes on my home page.
My eyes also hurt really bad as if I've had lasik and never have had surgery before. With glares and halos they get worse even without eyedrops
I've had my retinas tested as well as my corneas and they can't seem to find anything wrong. No mention of dry eye. Tested by an opthomologist
YOUR QUOTE:  "And my eyes feel really really dry throughout the day."  That means you have dry eye.  Every case of dry eye cannot be diagnosed by looking at the eye. Most cases are diagnosed by history.  This is especially true if you are female, older than 40, on any of the many medications that cause dry eye (BCP, estrogens, antihistimines, diuretics, etc)    As I said read the section on dry eyes on my home page and start treatment with regular eye drops, keeping track of brands so you find the one that works best for you, environment modification.  
I will definately try. Because I don't have a problem with a glares/halos/starburst until I go outside. It's worse at night
Also , parents have no ocular issues other than general age related problems
And I take no medication
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Oddly, it hurts less when I lay down face forward
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I also cannot see afterimages the way I used to
Things change over time, usually not for the better when the body is concerned.
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233488 tn?1310693103
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
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Avatar universal
I'll do that thanks.
Helpful - 0
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