Am I getting retina detachment?

[imported_goku]

http://www.visionchannel.net/retinaldetachment/riskfactors.shtml


I'm not really quite sure... I've be exhibiting a lot of those 'risk factors' but the thing I was wondering about is what could be the reason for seeing a flash or two or some other odd anomaly in my peripheral vision? Yes I'm tired right now and I've heard that people on this forum also have had this issue but I want more info as to what it is and why I'd see things like this at the corner of my eye when I never did before...?

 

[CrackRabbit]

God spoke to me. He said he had a message for you,"Stop posting and see an optometrist."
Then he started blathering on about how people just don't listen anymore.

 

[imported_goku]

I already have plans on seeing one but it would be nice to get feedback from the community.

 

[SonnyDaze]

Originally posted by: goku
I already have plans on seeing one but it would be nice to get feedback from the community.

Personally, I'd stick with feedback from a community of eye specialists, not ATOTer's.

 

[boomerang]

Opthalmologist, not Optometrist.

 

[CrackRabbit]

Originally posted by: boomerang
Opthalmologist, not Optometrist.

You are right, one looks at your eyes the other makes your glasses right?

 

[Savij]

Originally posted by: CrackRabbit

Originally posted by: boomerang
Opthalmologist, not Optometrist.

You are right, one looks at your eyes the other makes your glasses right?

They both look at your eyes. The Ophthalmologist is an MD specializing in eyes. The optometrist is not an MD. They can diagnose the same basic problems with you eyes, but in general, the Ophthalmologist will have a better understanding of what?s going on.

I would say Optometrist is fine for general checkups but prefer the Ophthalmologist when going in for an eye problem.

 

[j00fek]

go ask a doctor not ATOT

 

[shortylickens]

There used to be a thread called "What disease do I have?", but I cant find it cuz the search SUCKS!

Anyway, in it a fellow described some of his symptoms and asked for an analysis. About a hundred and twenty people blasted his butt and told him to go see a freaking doctor.

Please dont repeat this madness. Go see a doc and then give us updates, so we stop harassing you about it.

If anyone can find the above mentioned thread please link it. It had a ton of sigworthy comments.

 

[hpkeeper]

i happen to be taking ophthalmic photography classes... I can tell you that whatever you have is not a retinal detachment. If you had a retinal detachment you wouldn't be seeing anything out of certain portions of your periphery. When the retina becomes detached it kind of floats in the fluid in your eye called vitreous... as it floats, it passes over the macula (the part that gives you the most detailed vision in your eye) causing you not to see out of certain parts of your vision... so if you had a detached retina you wouldn't be seeing things in your periphery, it would be the exact opposite, you wouldn't be seeing anything at all in that portion that was detached. It would either be constant flashes of bright light due to your retina moving back and forth, or nothing at all.

What you might have could be several things... that vitreous I described earlier could have floaters in it... which are essentially pigment buildup... just like your skin, your eye has pigment and produces it as well. It also depends on when you have these "flashes" or "anomalies" in your vision... if you've ever had Lasic surgery and you're seeing these flashes at night, it's just a natural occurance... that would be the scarring of your cornea... nothing to worry about.

To make a true diagnosis you should see an ophthalmologist.

My Diagnosis: have no fear, you're probably just tired, get some rest and it'll go away.

 

[cjmtfd102401]

Originally posted by: Savij

Originally posted by: CrackRabbit

Originally posted by: boomerang
Opthalmologist, not Optometrist.

You are right, one looks at your eyes the other makes your glasses right?

They both look at your eyes. The Ophthalmologist is an MD specializing in eyes. The optometrist is not an MD. They can diagnose the same basic problems with you eyes, but in general, the Ophthalmologist will have a better understanding of what?s going on.

I would say Optometrist is fine for general checkups but prefer the Ophthalmologist when going in for an eye problem.

It sounds like retina detachment to me but I am no doctor. If you have a regular optmetrist I would go there first. It may not be anything to serious. If it is then he can refer you to an Ophthalmologist.

 

[imported_goku]

Originally posted by: hpkeeper
i happen to be taking ophthalmic photography classes... I can tell you that whatever you have is not a retinal detachment. If you had a retinal detachment you wouldn't be seeing anything out of certain portions of your periphery. When the retina becomes detached it kind of floats in the fluid in your eye called vitreous... as it floats, it passes over the macula (the part that gives you the most detailed vision in your eye) causing you not to see out of certain parts of your vision... so if you had a detached retina you wouldn't be seeing things in your periphery, it would be the exact opposite, you wouldn't be seeing anything at all in that portion that was detached. It would either be constant flashes of bright light due to your retina moving back and forth, or nothing at all.

What you might have could be several things... that vitreous I described earlier could have floaters in it... which are essentially pigment buildup... just like your skin, your eye has pigment and produces it as well. It also depends on when you have these "flashes" or "anomalies" in your vision... if you've ever had Lasic surgery and you're seeing these flashes at night, it's just a natural occurance... that would be the scarring of your cornea... nothing to worry about.

To make a true diagnosis you should see an ophthalmologist.

My Diagnosis: have no fear, you're probably just tired, get some rest and it'll go away.

Yes, it could be because of being tired, but WHY? Why now? Why not 2 years ago when I first began to see floaters in my eyes? I was seeing floaters pretty badly about 2 years ago and they've only gone away to the point where I don't notice them about 6 months ago, personally I see that as a bad sign, not a good sign. "Calm before the storm" so to speak.


Also I heard diabetes could be the cause of this issue w/flash of light 'nstuff, which if it turns out to be true, I won't be surprised...
(I've never been diagnosed with diabetes)

 

[biggestmuff]

Dude! Go see a doctor now! Walk in and tell them what's going on! Good grief!

 

[CycloWizard]

How old are you? Retinal detachments generally occur at later ages (>45) due to the loss of tamponading by the vitreous. The vitreous behaves as a solid-like gel and exerts osmotic pressure on your retina at younger ages. As age increases, it becomes more liquid-like and the pressure decreases, increasing the likelihood that the retina will become detached.

This is something that an optometrist should be able to see if it's happening. They should refer you to an ophthalmologist if you have a detachment. It could also be a vitreous detachment, which is very often a precursor to retinal detachment.

 

[Kaieye]

Originally posted by: boomerang
Opthalmologist, not Optometrist.

No, Ophthalmologist. Not Opthalmologist.

 

[boomerang]

Originally posted by: Kaieye

Originally posted by: boomerang
Opthalmologist, not Optometrist.

No, Ophthalmologist. Not Opthalmologist.

You're right! I've been spelling it wrong for ages. Weird spelling though, don't you think? Of course everything medical is spelled strangely.