Dark area in vision- NOT FLOATERS
Posted , 37 users are following.
Hello. I recently went through a relatively traumatic experience in August. I lost a pet that was very special to me and I lost her in a very bad way. After about a week of severe grief and even more crying, I woke up, went to work and noticed that there was this random dark spot in my peripheral field of vision.
This spot is located in the mid to lower left hand corner of vision in my right eye, just inside my vision next to my nose. When I would strain my eyes outward, the spot would grow. When I pull the skin down on my cheekbone, the spot grows larger and looks almost like 5-6 little hills that travel downward in an arc-like fashion. The hills are a thicker black towards the tops of the hills, and fade clearer towards the bottom.
Also, the spot grows more distinctive when my eyes stress upward and to the right. When my eyes are relaxed, I don't notice it unless I'm looking up and at a plain background, or I'm straining my eyes outward. The image I see almost reminds me of paint when you add water to it- where the bulk of color spreads in one direction and the rest clears.
When I am simply looking around the room as normal, I don't seem to notice the black arc, which again, is dimmer and barely noticeable when I am not straining my eyes (though it is still present). The times I do notice it when my eyes are relaxed and acting as normal, is when I am looking both up and to the upper right. During this scenario, the arc looks like a little sliver of a shadow like a crescent moon.
It almost seems as if the spot is dim enough so as I could ignore it in general, but I can't stop thinking about it or testing it. And when I test it, it gets bigger as stated above.
After obsessing about this and testing it frequently, I noticed there is an area in the same place in my left eye- though not as prevalent nor widespread. My left eye seems to house only 2-3 hill-like anomalies when I stress my eyes upward and to the left. It has been about a month and a half and seemed to have gotten a smidge dimmer, but definitely not going away.
Some days I can ignore it, but mostly it's always in the back of my mind and my obsession to test it resurfaces. It scared me enough, that after a week of it not going away, I scheduled an appt. with an ophthalmologist. He did a full check of my eyes: took pictures, did a thorough exam of the front, middle, and back of my eye and determined that there was nothing wrong. He said my vision was perfectly fine.
It isn't fine.
For I also have an issue where - in both my eyes - when I am looking up as far as they can or to the far left/right, there is a a little circle that grows the farther I stress my vision in both eyes that turns a different color. In natural light it looks more greenish, and in dimmer, fake light, it looks more blackish. Yet, the specialist found nothing wrong.
I am at a loss of what to do. I'm planning to go into my regular MD and have a physical done, tell them the story, and then see what they recommend doing.
The stress of this is starting to affect my life in a negative way and I have grown very anxious and panicky about it and other things. I just keep worrying this won't go away or that another strange anomaly will occur and one day my vision is going to be covered in issues and I will have no answers.
Has anyone out there ever experienced something like this before? I can't seem to find any single symptom online that relates to this and I have produced a RIDICULOUS amount of research on it. I have sorted through a glossary of every eye issue in the book- and not one matched the description of what I am seeing.
2 likes, 62 replies
hol1983 barb69591
Posted
Is the mark shadow getting bigger as that can be linked to retinal detachment, but it would always be there and growing. I would get a dilated eye exam as soon as possible to rule this out
barb69591 hol1983
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I've had my eyes dilated 3 times since this started last August with the results being nothing wrong at all with my eye anatomy,
hol1983 barb69591
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How bizarre, but also reasurring. With my eye problem they spotted it straight away and I only have a tiny hole, so I'm pretty sure you're fine on that front. Without wanted to worry you, have you thought there may be a problem with your nerves? It may be worth a MRI as that will check the messages from the brain to the eye?
barb69591 hol1983
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It's definitely something I've been thinking about. And I asked my opthalmologists if they thought I should go for one. But both of them said no that this point. Part of me still wants to anyway.
Noey813 barb69591
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Hi guys,
My retina specialist actually sent me to a neuro- ophthalmologist at UCLA. She ran every test and again, all came back healthy. Same with my MRI. I do suffer from migraines with aura, although, I know that this is not a migraine as it's in both eyes and has been present for 7+ years.
It may be worth a shot to get a referral. Perhaps they may fund something.
Initially I was so terrified that doctors would find something incurable. Fortunately that was not the case, however, at the same time, it got to the point where I was actually wishing they'd find something so I could begin to treat it and have some answers.
hol1983 barb69591
Posted
I'm sure you can request it, are you in the U.K.?
Also are they the only symptoms, are you otherwise healthy?
barb69591 Noey813
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I'm glad that you went to all those doctors and got good results back. I too suffer from ocular migraines. I get a blind spot initially in my central vision, Then a zigzagging shimmering crescent appears. That grows, and as that grows the blind spot does as well. Then the zig zags dim, and the blind spot starts to go down. Eventually the zig zags goes away and my vision goes back to normal. This usually lasts about 30 minutes. sometimes less sometimes more. Usually followed by some form of headache.
barb69591 hol1983
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I'm in the United States. And according to my PCP, I'm otherwise healthy. I just had a physical a couple months ago.
hol1983 barb69591
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Not quite sure how it works in the states, but I wouldn't give up on it if I were you. Can you not go to a different hospital for another opinion?
momo1981 barb69591
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Hello Barb,
I have a similar experience with my eyes,
ive got a dark ovular shape that doesnt float,
did a few tests and saw 2 different doctors, they both said it's a blasted tiny vein in the retina that has created a micro swamp like area filled up with liquids.
at first i had this spot in my right eye, it disappeared after a few months, but recently appeared in my left eye and still isnt wearing off this time, which is worrying me. I dont want to end up with permenant damage or loss of eye sight and it is making me pretty anxious.
barb69591 momo1981
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I'm glad they were able to give you an answer! If it is happening again, definitely go back to the doctors. Maybe they can find a way to drain it, or in any case, they will be abel to let you know of any changes. I hope all is well with you.
lori84906 momo1981
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What do they mean by blasted tiny vein? I've had flashing lights for 10 years non stop and shadowing at one point that went away after two weeks. I had eye trauma. I fear it will never go away and docs see nothing. I'm going crazy.
daniel54639 barb69591
Posted
I have a family law Court case (that has been ongoing for years) next Tuesday that I'm not prepared enough for. Haven't been able to sleep more than a couple hours the last few days, and the same thing started a couple days ago. Today when I went to the store in the bright sunlight I had a solid circular blind spot right in the center top of my eyesight. It realy freaked me out, so the first thing I did when I got home was put an eyepatch on, then called my eye doctor. With the patch on (when home I realized it's only in my right eye, top far left) and both eye's open I can't see it, if I close my eyes I can. It doesn't float. With the eye patch off I still see it non stop. kind of like a black dot with a circular surrounding. In the past I have had migraines not in years though. This seems like a migraine without the headahce. I also have PTSD/anxiety/stress. I live in California.
My Dad has a Phd (not in the medical field, he's a smart guy is what I mean) and he lives in Hong Kong. I just got a response from him, and I thought it'd be appropiate to share it here, this is what he said verbatum:
"
Well, Dan, it sounds like you have developed the same kind of migraine that I often get. Sorry to hear that, as they're horrible. But yes, what you described is quite normal, especially on a sunny day or when I've been staring at bright lights for some reason. And yes, it is usually (not always, but the majority of the time) in only one eye, and so if I close the eye that is affected, then it helps me to be able to navigate my way around.
The first doctor I ever saw about the problem said that it was caused by stress, and is most likely to happen when you are relaxing (or at least relatively relaxed) between periods of stress. There are medicines you can take. I tried them for awhile but wasn't convinced that any of them worked well enough to be regarded as my standard approach to the problem. (I hate medicines, generally speaking.) So I normally self-medicate by putting my head below my heart, so that the blood rushes to my head. I started doing this because when I asked one doctor who prescribed a medicine what the medicine did, he said "it dilates the capillaries in your brain." I asked him: so, basically it has the same effect as if I were to stand on my head, and he said yes. So, well, I don't stand on my head, but I lay on a bed with my head hanging over the edge (usually laying on my back, as that way the heart is higher and the head is lower). If I catch the blind spot early enough, doing this will sometimes cause the spot to go away, and even sometimes the subsequent headache doesn't occur (or is far less severe than normal).
I hope this helps.
Love,
Dad
"
barb69591 daniel54639
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Thank you so for your response and to sharing your father's. Have you tried this tactic? If so has it worked for you? Im going to try it as well
tien16437 barb69591
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tien16437
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barb69591 tien16437
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Hello!
I found that as soon as I stopped constantly looking for them and testing my eyes all the time it got better. Also, stop straining your eyes to look for it. I know that this is difficult to do, but you have to try. I stopped straining my eyes and for awhile tried to not push my eyes too far in either direction. I would move my entire head with my eyes and I found this helped immensely. I think it may just be putting too much strain and stress on your eye muscles that they need to relax. It helped.
I'm not certain if the shadows are still there, I haven't allowed myself to check and look for them and I have been pretty okay since then. The anxiety is still there, but when it gets bad I just close my eyes and practice breathing techniques. That calms me down.
I have not had an MRI yet. No doctor has seemed keen to send me for one because they all think it is anxiety/stress based.
Noey813 barb69591
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Hi Barb,
That's impressive that you have not been checking the spots or shadowy-area!
Please keep us updated if there are any changes or info from the doctors.
lee12629 barb69591
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paxton barb69591
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Thank you I've been wondering what it was and it's nice to know its ok