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Original poster

Sudden eye issue

110 replies

Medievalist · 13/08/2021 18:26

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!

OP posts:
SezziBaybee · 14/08/2021 00:41

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn at the request of the poster.

Holothane · 14/08/2021 01:03

I remember 21 years ago the optician couldn’t find anything wrong went to Moorfields the rest is history, I hope your ok OP, I’m worrying as you are, the memories come back, I’ve was given a bed in a and e to sleep on I couldn’t afford two more taxis there and back, 2nd in line with eye department next morning, (very king story).

JustSumo · 14/08/2021 01:06

If you haven't done already, straight to A&E, do not wait until the morning to see optician. Definitely symptoms of a detached retina

OldGeezer · 14/08/2021 01:20

I had something similar 20-odd years ago - repeated several times over a period of 3 days - eventually attended Dr who referred me asap. Was diagnosed as a series of TIAs, and was put on the sick list for a month.
A week later I had a “proper”, but happily a relatively mild stroke. So 3 months on the sick list - I could have gone back to work after a month on shorter hours, light duties etc but as work involved a 50 mile each way commute and I had to hand in my driving licence for 3 months and I had 3 months “on the box”.
Dr said I’d had a final warning so once I was on the mend ( a stroke leave you SO tired - I slept 18+ hours a day! ) I started eating sensibly, long walks and swims. Best thing that happened to me.
SO GO AND SEE A DOCTOR ASAP

LoveFall · 14/08/2021 01:26

You absolutely must go to A & E asap. I had this and it was an emergency. I was seen by an opthalmologist within 2 hours. It could well be a detached retina. Do not put it off.

LoveFall · 14/08/2021 01:29

Sorry, skipped to the end as it was urgent. Mine turned out to be a posterior vitreous detachment. I still have big floaters. But my sister needed emergency laser surgery.

I hope you are seen soon.

Hugs to you. 💐💐💐💐💐

QuidcoQueen · 14/08/2021 02:16

I really hope you've had some treatment by now

Original poster
Medievalist · 14/08/2021 02:17

Well I got out at 1am by which time my phone had died so apologies for the late update.

Thank you for all the advice.

Dr examined my eye, having put dilating drops in, and couldn't find anything wrong, but has referred me to the eye clinic. I'm told I'll get a phone call to go in tomorrow or Monday. Wondering if I should still go to the optician at 9am tomorrow in case I don't get a clinic appointment until Monday.

Hoping I might wake up in the morning with my eye back to normal!

OP posts:
LosingMySh1t · 14/08/2021 02:24

I cant imagine the Optician will be able to do much, they could only give you a second opinion or refer you to the eye clinic.

Glad there is nothing obviously wrong.

Edamummybean · 14/08/2021 07:08

@Medievalist

Well I got out at 1am by which time my phone had died so apologies for the late update.

Thank you for all the advice.

Dr examined my eye, having put dilating drops in, and couldn't find anything wrong, but has referred me to the eye clinic. I'm told I'll get a phone call to go in tomorrow or Monday. Wondering if I should still go to the optician at 9am tomorrow in case I don't get a clinic appointment until Monday.

Hoping I might wake up in the morning with my eye back to normal!

It is possible to have a detachment where the tear is less obvious because of where it is positioned in your eye. If it is at the bottom of your eye, the weight of the vitreous gel with gravity can hold it down some of the time. The position of the bright flashes will be a clue. Your brain flips the image from your retina, so a tear at the bottom will show as flashes at the top. Sometimes the ophthalmologist needs to get a patient to lie down and apply manual pressure to the eyeball (yup 🤮) to distort the shape of the eye so they can see the tear clearly. Your symptoms are strongly suggestive of a retinal tear and it may just be that you need a wider range of tests for the surgeon to see it clearly if it is subtle or in a tricky place. The risk to your sight is still significant and urgent. Please don’t become complacent and put this off.
Edamummybean · 14/08/2021 07:14

Full disclosure: DH had a full blown detachment like shutters coming down as his retina peeled away from the back of his eye over the space of a few hours. I had a subtle one that was completely missed by the first optician who examined me and even the very experienced surgeon I eventually saw at the hospital struggled to spot it at first until he’d run more tests, including a high frequency pulsed ultrasound of my eye.

underneaththeash · 14/08/2021 07:20

Yes, go to the optician this morning, it’s very likely you have a small hole/tear in the retina.
They’ll be able to assess urgency (sometimes ophthalmology don’t even treat tiny holes any more.) and if you need seeing more urgently can sort.

OldHouseDilemma · 14/08/2021 07:24

Yes, definitely see optician this morning unless you are given an eye hosp appt for this morning. Opticians will be more likely to spot something amiss than an A and E doc whose speciality is not eyes.

They can speed up your referral if necessary.

Edamummybean · 14/08/2021 07:30

If you didn’t see an eye specialist in A&E last night, OldHouseDilemma is right that the optician is more likely to find the tear than a non-specialist A&E doctor. They have the right equipment and training for a start.

Original poster
Medievalist · 14/08/2021 08:02

Yes, definitely see optician this morning unless you are given an eye hosp appt for this morning.

Trouble is optician is at 9 so am unlikely to hear from the hospital before then. If the optician would just refer me to hospital then I'm not sure what the point would in be in going as I'm now in the hospital system.

Also a bit worried if I have dilating drops at an opticians this morning and then have to go to a hospital eye appointment this afternoon that will mean having the drops 3 times in 24 hours. Not sure if last night's have fully worn off yet.

Can't decide! But symptoms still there.

OP posts:
GoodnightGrandma · 14/08/2021 08:04

I’d go to the optician.

ineedaholidaynow · 14/08/2021 08:12

I’d go to the optician. Explain that you went to A&E yesterday so they are aware you have already had the eye drops in.

BoggisandBunceandBean · 14/08/2021 08:16

My original tear was right at the back of my eye and could not be seen by an optician. Several student eye docs were invited by consultant to come and see if they could "find" it when I was in the eye clinic but none of them did. I would def keep the optician appt on the basis that they likely have a lot more experience of this than an A&E doctor. I think (can't remember for sure) that with a posterior vitreous detachment there isn't really much to see because the jelly stuff is clear. It's the jelly pulling away from the retina that causes the flashing lights. If they can't see a retinal detachment or tear I think PVD is what is often diagnosed. Good luck anyway.

SunShinesBrightly · 14/08/2021 08:20

Go to the optician. Tell them what is happening, what has happened.

thelastgoldeneagle · 14/08/2021 08:32

Go to the optician. They are experts and will be able to help. They can also make urgent referrals to eye depts of hospitals.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 14/08/2021 08:35

Optician!!!

Bagelsandbrie · 14/08/2021 08:37

Another vote for optician.

GlitterBiscuits · 14/08/2021 08:39

Go, get a second opinion from something who looks at eyes all day long!

Karwomannghia · 14/08/2021 08:39

Go and tell them everything, they’ll be able to advise re drops

PeppermintMocha · 14/08/2021 10:22

If you weren't seen by a specialist eye doctor at the hospital, go to the optician, especially if it's a good one and not one that is just trying to get glasses sold. Even a specialist optician at the eye hospital couldn't find my tear at first, as it was on the nose side, way up high, almost backwards for the person looking for it. They were going to send me home saying nothing was wrong, until I insisted. then they got a different lens to look through, found it, said it was quite big and needed urgent treatment.

If they optician can find it, they can note where it is and that might help when you go to the hospital. I had to go back several times, and they always had problems finding it - the next doctor also questioned me as to whether it really existed, and needed the first doctor to show her - and they were both registrars in the eye department, not just general A&E doctors. So they can be really hard to spot.

Funnily enough, many of the admin problems I had with the dept were also caused by them using faxes (and losing them!).

You might be lucky and it's just a PVD causing the lights and floaters, but the risk is if, as the vitreous detaches, it also pulls too much on the retina and causes a tear in that, or worse, the retina to detach.

Hope you went to the optician, or if not, and you still haven't heard from the hospital, try and go later.