Sudden eye issue

[Medievalist]

I was sat at my pc this afternoon. And suddenly started seeing flashes of light around the outside of my left eye.

An hour or so later I had a dark vertical line across the field of vision in the same eye. I've now got literally hundreds of tiny bubble like floaters in the same eye, about 3 or 4 bigger black ones that look like small flies, and a squiggly one like a fine thread scrunched up.

I've had what I thought was the odd floater before. But there are so many of these and they look like they're about 4 or 5 feet in front of me.

I've got an appointment at the optician in the morning. But I wondered if anyone had any idea what might have caused this. Feeling quite freaked out!

Call 111 now.

You appear to be describing the symptoms of a detached retina

Hi, I have had visual migraines, you could look those up. The first time I had one I lost quite a lot of vision and was terrified. But the optician was unfazed.

Check this page as it says to ring 111 in certain circumstances: www.nhs.uk/conditions/floaters-and-flashes-in-the-eyes/

Good luck

That is what the optician told me to seek help for asap. Ocular migraine goes fairly fast and retina issues last longer. I wouldn't even bother with 111 and go straight to A and E.

OP you need to be seen now, call 111 or A&E because you left retina could be detaching.

I get optical migraines and always have lots of floaters. I would call someone to be seen urgently in your position - I’m sure my optician told me if I suddenly got a lot of floaters I needed to see someone quickly. Would def get that checked out sooner than tomorrow.

Sorry lots of typos there

Yes agree on seeing someone promptly - I did go immediately to the optician when it first happened, I wouldn;t have wanted to wait overnight

If you cannot get anything out of 111 then opticians absolutely first thing in the morning or a local eye department if you have one.

My optical migraines never last longer than an hour, usually less.

Optometrist here - this sounds like a detachment- please go to your local eye A and E tonight or first thing tomorrow

I have an opticians appointment at 9am. If I go to A and E now, are they likely to do anything this evening?

The optometrist tomorrow will just send you straight there - hopefully if consultant sees it tonight they will be able to reattach with laser. Do you have a local eye hospital?

Yep, ring 111 or better still go to A&E. if it's a detached retina then an optician appt tomorrow morning won't be soon enough I'm afraid. And they would only refer you to the eye department anyway. A&E is your best bet. Good luck and let us know how you get on. (I work in a hospital eye department)

You need to go to A&E , you have a retinal tear or detached retina , both needing medical attention.

But will the eye dept in a hospital be open on a Friday evening? Will they do anything this evening? I don't want to sit there all evening and then be told to go back tomorrow or Monday!

A&E, if any hospital you can get to has an eye A&E even better. You have described some of the signs of a detached retina, if it is and you are lucky and get it seen quick then it may be repairable with laser. If not you'd need surgery, which is fine and only mild discomfort but has a longer recovery and more possible side effect.

Just go to your nearest A and E now and they will direct you from there if you need to go somewhere else.

@Medievalist

But will the eye dept in a hospital be open on a Friday evening? Will they do anything this evening? I don't want to sit there all evening and then be told to go back tomorrow or Monday!

If you're on MN, look it up.

You possibly risk going blind in one eye. This is an emergency.

Call 111 at the very least.

If you go to a&e they will have an on call optical consultant if necessary. Did you tell the optician what the symptoms were or just ask for an urgent appointment?

-lease get help and help now, nearest eye hospital

Get to your eye hospital a&e now! Detached retina.

Go to A & E right now. If you don't you could go blind in that eye.

Definitely go now. I had a retinal tear that started with flashes of light, black splodges, and floaters. Luckily they were able to treat it before it progressed to a detached retina. I was told to go straight in if it happens again in the other eye (which is likely at some point).

I didnt know that the first time, and faffed around with opticians, referrals, lost appointments etc, and wasted days in the end that could have been really serious at any point if it had started to detach. I was lucky that it didn't.

If you have an eye department, see if they have an A&E, or if not, just go to the regular one, and they will arrange a specialist. It can take ages, as they have to dilate your eyes, wait a while, look with various lenses, and in my case, then also do a first treatment there and then as emergency. Every time I went in, it was about 6 hours, so prepare someone at home to look after things just in case. (You also can't do a lot while you wait, as the dilated pupils make it hard to read or look at your phone much!). You can listen to things though, so take headphones.

Honto a & e now ..this sounds like a detected retina..this happened to me and had urgent laser treatment..urgent !!! Go

Okay. Understood! Am at a reasonably big A and E now. It's actually not too bad when I'm in subdued lighting. In a well lit room I can see hundreds and hundreds of tiny bubbles floating a few feet in front of me