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Author Topic: Flashing lights in eyes  (Read 15215 times)

Tc

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Re: Flashing lights in eyes
« Reply #15 on: July 19, 2019, 04:43:03 PM »

Glad you're getting it checked out. It mustve given you a scare. Much love ❤
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jaycee

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Re: Flashing lights in eyes
« Reply #16 on: July 19, 2019, 04:54:28 PM »

Could be Occular migraine, my son gets this sometimes, no headache with it, no idea what causes it, his started after a stroke, but don't let that worry you, it can happen after a stressful time, or just happen for no reason
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jaypo

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Re: Flashing lights in eyes
« Reply #17 on: July 19, 2019, 05:38:44 PM »

Thank you groundhog,much appreciated xx
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shrosphirelass

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Re: Flashing lights in eyes
« Reply #18 on: July 19, 2019, 05:52:25 PM »

I get fairly regular visual disturbances which I guess are floaters. I try to ignore it, seems to be worse when I'm tired. Additionally I occassionally get flashing lights and was told by an optician they were silent migraines. Even though I know what it is, I find it quite scary. Mine lasts about 20 minutes and then gradually eases off, generally leaving me feeling washed out. I hadn't had an episode for a couple of years until last Thursday (whilst on holiday and on the progesterone part to the HRT) and I found it quite frightening.
I don't think the medics really understand what they are, but it does seem to be pretty common.
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jaypo

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Re: Flashing lights in eyes
« Reply #19 on: July 19, 2019, 06:11:35 PM »

Thank you for taking time to tell me Shropshirelass,it was scaring me,especially when this new floater suddenly appeared,I've been on the nhs site and apparently as we age the jelly in our eyes can turn more watery and this can also be a cause
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jaypo

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Re: Flashing lights in eyes
« Reply #20 on: July 19, 2019, 06:12:56 PM »

Thanks Jaycee,no reason for mine,falling to bits is all 🙄
« Last Edit: July 20, 2019, 08:15:29 AM by jaypo »
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jaycee

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Re: Flashing lights in eyes
« Reply #21 on: July 19, 2019, 07:02:27 PM »

No worries,it is a lot more common than people think but it is worrying if it has never happened before,i had it once years ago, never had it since,and yes another name for it is a silent migraine, but because it affects the eyes my sons Dr called it Occular migraine


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jaypo

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Re: Flashing lights in eyes
« Reply #22 on: July 20, 2019, 08:18:06 AM »

I was worried sick Jaycee ,we have glaucoma in our family and needless to say,I was panicking about that ,no flashing lights now just this black floater right in my vision 😡
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Jillm

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Re: Flashing lights in eyes
« Reply #23 on: July 20, 2019, 09:28:40 AM »

Jaypo,

Yes I have been have strange lights and floaters in my vision recently.
Couple of weeks ago, I ended up at the out of hours doctor at hospital as my eyes went blurry for about 3 hours. Couldn't find anything wrong, suggested I have my eyes tested & see my GP.
I did, optician found nothing wrong & GP said he was not in the least worried about blurry vision (Clearly I was). He thought silent migraine for the lights on my eyes. This was also suggested my optician.
Didn't give me any other advice. I still think it is down to hormones (or lack of).
I did suffer from really bad migraines around puberty, so to me it seems obvious, GP still not keen on HRT as in his words it brings it's own problems.
I have increased the eye drops to 4 times a day, using Hyco San Extra which was suggested
by optician, this seems to be helping.
Hope you are feeling better
Jill
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jaypo

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Re: Flashing lights in eyes
« Reply #24 on: July 20, 2019, 09:43:51 AM »

Thank you so much jillm,it's good hearing stories that drs and opticians are not concerned as if it was anything,surely something would show up?
My right eye has always been the weakest of the two,my glasses have a stronger lens in that one,heyho meno has a lot to answer for 🙄
Have a lovely weekend x
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jaypo

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Re: Flashing lights in eyes
« Reply #25 on: July 20, 2019, 10:48:10 AM »

Thanks Birdy ❤️❤️ Still got my black stringy floaty thing though 😕
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Eviepf

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Re: Flashing lights in eyes
« Reply #26 on: July 20, 2019, 01:22:50 PM »

Hi Jaypo

What you're experiencing sounds very much like PVD - posterior vitreous detachment, which sounds very scary but is in fact incredibly common as we age. A majority of those past a certain age have it, but most people don't notice it happening. I think this might be what you read about when you went on the NHS website - the vitreous humour in our eyes gets watery, instead of jelly-like, and detaches itself. For some people, it tugs slightly on the retina as it's detaching, hence the flashing lights. The fact that you've got a stringy floater is absolutely classic for PVD - it's probably the vitreous humour that you're 'seeing'.

This happened to me - I went to the optician as a same-day appointment, scared to death as I was having weird lights in the outside edge of my vision in one eye, rather like an arc-shaped light which I noticed when I blinked or moved my head suddenly. The optician examined me and said it was PVD but also arranged an appointment at the eye hospital the following day because they have to check that as the vitreous is detaching, it isn't tearing the retina (I gather it's pretty unusual for the retina to be damaged, but it needs checking to be on the safe side). The hospital confirmed PVD, but no retinal problems and arranged to see me again a few weeks later. They did tell me various things to look out for which, if I noticed, I had to go back to see them within 24 hours.

It's good that you're going to get it checked on Monday, but I wonder if the fact that your flashing lights have stopped means that the vitreous humour has now fully detached itself (which would be a good thing)!  I had very noticeable black stringy floaters in the affected eye (like nets in my vision) which really bothered me for a while but now I don't see them unless I really try. They're still there but my brain now seems to mostly ignore them. A year or so afterwards, I noticed the same floaters in my other eye and the optician confirmed that the other eye had 'gone' - I hadn't noticed.

Good luck for your appointment on Monday!
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jaypo

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Re: Flashing lights in eyes
« Reply #27 on: July 20, 2019, 01:32:11 PM »

Thank you so much Evie,how kind of you.what you're describing is exactly what I had,an arc shape almost like round the iris,it,really puts my mind to rest to read this,the light sensation has gone now and yes,I'm just left with this stringy floater,I've lots of floaters,have had so for years but this is definitely a new one but I dare say I'll get used to it.
Thank you xx
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Eviepf

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Re: Flashing lights in eyes
« Reply #28 on: July 20, 2019, 01:38:40 PM »

I'm glad to have helped! x
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Wrensong

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Re: Flashing lights in eyes
« Reply #29 on: July 21, 2019, 10:27:27 AM »

Hi Jaypo, great posts already on this thread with lots of helpful info & reassurance.  Just to add I also have ocular migraine (as well as classical with visual disturbance aura) and have had floaters & flashes for good a few years, since around start of menopause proper (ie after final period).  The classical migraine started around age 18 & the ocular in late 30s.  No classical migraine at all in the 7 years since last period - so hope this gives hope of possibly seeing an end to the horrible things, to anyone who's a migraineur.

The floaters, flashes & visual disturbances of migraine can be pretty unnerving  :o, especially when you first get them & have no idea what's going on.  As the other ladies have said, always wise to get them checked out, but floaters & flashes are usually nothing to worry about.  When you go to the optician/Ophthalmologist, they will tell you what to look out for as regards changes that need checking out more urgently. 

Floaters can appear as tiny, floating translucent bubbles, grey-black specks, crooked strands like fine hairs, or like chains of cells viewed through a microscope.  There can be many, littering vision, or just one or 2, in one or both eyes.  Many years on, though I know they are nothing to worry about, these still freak me out on bright days, so I understand your concern, Jaypo.

For me, the difference between the visual disturbances of ocular migraine & the flashes that come with floaters, is in the length of time I see the lights & their brilliance/darkness.  With ocular migraine the moving bright-dark spots last between 10-20 mins & seriously impair vision - they're like the after-image you get when you accidentally look straight at the sun or a naked light bulb, but they move in the visual field.  Although the entire field of vision is affected, if you cover one eye during an episode it's easy to see which of the two eyes is affected.   The visual disturbances of ocular migraine & the aura part of classical migraine, for me, look simultaneously bright but dark (sorry, hard to describe), move around & block out a large area of vision. 

The flashes that tend to come in middle age & are associated with floaters, are for me at least, more instantaneous - like a bright aerial firework going off briefly in your vision & they are just brilliant lights - none of the darkness associated with the visual impairment of migraine. 

As another poster said, after ocular migraine, though thankfully the severe headache of classical migraine doesn't follow, you can feel out of sorts afterwards - tired & not quite right!  A very mild headache does sometimes follow ocular migraine.

The dry eyes, again, are very common in midlife, though can start much earlier.  I've had them for around 30 years & have been on artificial tears for the duration - currently Clinitas, which are a stronger, more effective solution than some lubricating eye drops.  Only recently have medics started to show any concern about this condition - 2 Ophthalmologists have recently stressed the importance of using drops regularly (every 2 hours in my case) & have advised using a heated eye mask for 10 mins a day as well.  You can get these from Boots (mine is Eye Doctor brand).  The mask encourages better function of the Meibomian glands in the eyelids, which secrete lubricating oil.  Apparently, failure to use drops regularly can cause damage to the cornea & when this happens, the nerves can be affected, so that sensation is reduced, meaning it feels as though the condition has improved, so patients wrongly stop using the drops.  This is not meant to scare anyone - just to stress the importance of treating dry eyes for anyone who has them. 

The dryness can be caused by Sjogren's, in which case it's often systemic (affecting lady bits, mouth, sweat glands & exocrine glands throughout the body) but can also be associated with other autoimmune conditions.  Can just be part of ageing with no other underlying cause.  More women than men tend to develop DES (Dry Eye Syndrome) & it's thought to be associated with androgen deficiency.  Still only learning about this, but seems there's some thought that oestrogen-only HRT regimes make DES worse - it's said that women on combi regimes fare better, but that surprisingly, those not on HRT do best.  An optician told me a few years ago that HRT is bad for DES & at that time I thought he'd got it wrong, as I'd assumed that oestrogen at least would help dryness anywhere in the body. 

One of my reasons for starting HRT was in hope it would get rid of floaters, which I'd been told are a result of the decline in collagen, which as has already been said, leads to changes to the viscosity of the jelly-like vitreous humour that fills the area between the back of the lens & the retina.  HRT hasn't helped yet!  Waiting to see a Rheumatologist, where one of my questions will be whether Testosterone can help DES/Sjogren's.

Interested to know whether anyone's floaters have improved on HRT, or whether Testosterone has helped anyone with DES.  One of the first changes I noticed on Evorel Conti, before I knew anything about Sjogren's, was that I suddenly had far more saliva!  Assuming that was due to its Norethisterone being Testosterone-derived.   :)
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