Eye test and cells on my eye.

[Itwontrainallthetime]

I had an eye test on Monday as I had been suffering with pain full headaches and my GP said to get my eyes tested again.
On Monday I had my eye test and explained what's going on. They did the usual checks and used a machine before the initial eye test with the letters etc.
I don't know what the machine is called but it had a thing you look in and another lamp thing that they were moving from left to right etc. The side where I'm getting the headaches had a through examination and then the optitian said he was just going to get the supervisor to have a look. The supervisor did the same thing and asked me a few questions, said to the optitian he doesn't think it's what he thinks it could be as when being sent for tests it comes back nothing and it's just the text book people go on. So the supervisor said that he's going to send a letter to the GP and it's not why I need glasses causing the headaches.
I asked about contact lenses and said that I could have a consultation and a free trial. So my consultation was yesterday, the lady doing the consultation looked at my eyes again and then she says "have you ever been to the hospital for your eyes " I said no which I haven't.
She then says that she's going to get her supervisor to come and have a look. She said it might be a while as she is with someone . So she said whilst we wait I'll put some drops in your eyes and look again. So we did the machine again with the drops and the supervisor didn't come in , she said I'll just have a look on Google for something while we're waiting. Then she says ,you have a few cells on your eye but I've never seen it before but it says on here that sometimes people have them it's just the way some people's eyes are. Then she said I could go.
Still didn't get the contacts as they weren't in stock.
But I don't know what to believe or do now as if I have cells on my eyes and she had to Google the answer it could be anything serious or not.
Has anyone had anything similar ?
I'm thinking of making an appointment with the doctor's but I'm a little worried as they were a bit vague.

[underneaththeash]

I’m an optometrist and to be honest it could be anything. There are 10s of conditions that could be described as ‘cells on the eye’ depending on where the cells are.

Just call the practice and ask them for more information. They can put it in writing if you’d like.

[Mumma1984]

I got told I had one cell on my retina pics, seen as I have anxiety I freaked out and asked if I needed to tell the GP etc and he said no it's one cell of probably sin damage just wear sunglasses .... @underneaththeash is that a thing? Haven't stopped panicking since! @Itwontrainallthetime they should of maybe explained to you more it sounds like!

[MostIneptThatEverStepped]

I have something called Map Dot Fingerprint Dystrophy which simply means that some of the cells on my cornea don't lie flat, they stick up which can make a kind of map like pattern when looked at with the dye and special light (technical terms).
It was picked up during a routine eye test. It doesn't affect me at all except that I can't wear contacts.
Maybe it's something like that OP?

[underneaththeash]

@Mumma1984 Your eye is made up of millions of cells, you can't image individual cells on any retinal pictures. Again it could be anything.
It is worth finding out what it is though - again just call the practice and ask.

[Itwontrainallthetime]

Thank you for all your replies and advice, I go again on Friday because they didn't have the type of contact lenses in for me so they have ordered them in for me. I'll make sure to ask more when I go as no doubt it will be a different person and they will do the check again.

[Mumma1984]

@underneaththeash he told me he thinks it's just sun damage and it's 1 cell, he also said the only other possible is that it has been there forever like a birth thing but that I've never had retina images so we have nothing to compare to, he said my eyes are 20/20 tho !

[Mumma1984]

He also said lots of people have things like that and don't even know because they don't regularly get eyes checked

[Mumma1984]

Oh and I e had laser eye surgery..

[Mumma1984]

@underneaththeash booked an app at specsavers Friday now because you got me all panicky :( thinking I have a neuro disease !

[Arnoldthecat]

Go to an optometrist that has an OCT scanner and knows how to use it and interpret the results.

[Mumma1984]

Ah god I'm seriously having a big meltdown about this now, I was told it was all fine and nothing to worry about!

[Itwontrainallthetime]

@Arnoldthecat I was offered an OCT when I was giving the details to the lady. I said no as I wasnt expecting them to find anything.
When the first optitian looked flustered and got his supervisor he didn't mention or recommend me to have one they sent me out to have my eye pressure checked though. And at the contact lense appointment the optitian didn't mention having a OCT.

@Mumma1984
I'm sorry to have set you off worring, I'm worried to as when she said cells and then googled it, I was a bit as it didn't sound good to me hearing cells and keep having different optiticans to "have a look". Then I stupidly googled it when I got home and what I found wasn't good. But as a previous poster said there are millions of things it could be.
I will ask this time though as I don't want to miss it if it's anything sinister.

[Itwontrainallthetime]

@Mumma1984 I'm with Specsavers, I'm thinking maybe I should of gone with someone else now. They are sending a letter to my GP so I'll be making an appointment to see what they have sent maybe I will be referred to the hospital for them to have a closer look.

[Mumma1984]

I went to boots last time! Need to go to a different one for the second opinion! @Itwontrainallthetime

[Arnoldthecat]

Dont be confused between an OCT scan and a retinal cam. The retinal cam is an extra that most optometrists offer and it is simply what it says ie a camera shot of whatever part of your retina is visible. As far as im aware, only a small number of high street optometrists will have an OCT scanner and the experience to use it. An OCT scanner snapshots the eyeball and a computer then processes the image,creating a 3d rotatable image and showing in detail individual layers of the retina which can be used to diagnose a vast array of conditions such as CSR,macula issues etc etc... My optometrist has one. He is an independent practice. They are a primary first line diagnostic tool at eye hospitals . Commonly you have eye drops to fully dilate the eye before it is used.

[Itwontrainallthetime]

I was with Tesco for my last one and it was the same eye that the optitian looked in twice but they didn't do anything at Tesco only the normal pre tests and look in the eye with a pen etc. Specsavers were very thorough as they had a good look with a machine, I've never had that done before. But it just the getting second opinions then telling me it's nothing then going again for the contacts and having the same thing happen again.

[Mumma1984]

I've had a test where they dilated my eyes a few years ago and that was fine- my local specsavers has a OCT machine maybe I will ask for that as well Friday

[Itwontrainallthetime]

It was deffinatly an OCT test I have a voicemail from them asking me if I would like one when I get to my appoiment, then was asked again when I was having the pre tests but it was £10 extra. I wish I had paid now.

[underneaththeash]

@Mumma1984. No need to panic. If it was anything even vaguely serious they would have referred you.
You just need to ask what the "cells" were.

[Mumma1984]

@underneaththeash thanks, I'm going to ask Friday - do you think I should have the OCT thing or for someone with health anxiety could that just throw up something that would never cause me any issues to worry over!?

[Mumma1984]

Had an OCT at specsavers with the guy I usually see, lesson learnt ! He said the guy who scanned me at boots is renowned for making errors and needs to retire! No sun damage ...