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Persistent visual change

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danielle316
danielle316

hi everyone,

ill try to make this brief, and i an not looking for a medical diagnosis, just wondering if anyone has experienced these symptoms or something similar.

for about a month and a half now i have had a visual disturbance in both eyes. through research, i have found that what i am seeing is called a scintillating scotoma. its basically a little ring of flashing lights in my central field of vision (i can still see and function normally, its just very annoying). i can recall that i have seen this in the past but only in certain lighting and it does not persist. however, over the past month and a half it has been constant and has not gone away.

i went to the eye doctor when it began and was told that everything in my eyes looks normal. they said that my symptoms are consistent with an occular migraine, but they were unsure why my visual symptoms were lasting so long, as visual disturbances with an occular migraine typically last for a couple minutes to hours. a few weeks later, the problem persisted so i went to the ER. they tested my visual fields and eye muscles and everything looked normal and they did not see a need to . they referred me to a neurologist, my appointment is on thursday.

i have been on the lookout for other symptoms as i have been extremely anxious that i may have a brain tumor or something serious that is causing this persistent visual disturbance. i do have daily headaches but this has been going on for many years as i have pretty bad diagnosed TMJ, my headaches have not been severe either. i have been experiencing random muscle twiching all over my body a few times per day but i have been under intense stress and am often dehydrated (i am a new nurse in a large ICU and dont have much time to drink during my shifts). my speech and balance have been normal. i have searched the internet so many times and havent found much at all about what i am experiencing. if anyone could provide any insight it would be greatly appreciated!!!

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3 Replies

  • jan34534
    jan34534 danielle316

    Posted

    sounds just about exactly what I’ve had on and off for many years. i’ve had the flickering and flashing,, blur, sometimes it would look as though I was looking through steam, etc. I would get a little headache afterwards. all due to stress and anxiety.

    so that was quite a while back when that was happening and then it stopped for a while

    I’ve had my eyes checked out numerous times .

    One thing I will say is that when I got into my mid to late 50s I had a sudden humongous black floater in my left eye. I had my eyes checked out and it’s something that can happen to middle-age people. I know you are way younger so you don’t have to worry at this time. You may already know about this but it has to do with the vitreous fluid in the eyeball that can sometimes pull on the retina. I did have lifting of the retina in several areas after I had a lightning show in my vision! It was an easy fix with the freezing that they do and since then I haven’t had any problem.

    I also have had muscle fasciculations for over 30 years but not consistently. Always when I am highly anxious.

    but basically yes, these visual issues can definitely be due to anxiety and stress. I highly doubt you have a brain tumor but if you want peace of mind so that you can relax just go get an MRI .

    I had MRI and MRA just to know for sure everything was OK.

    you’re going to be OK. See if there’s anyway you can get some help with anxiety management. That’s how my visual symptoms diminished significantly. Take care of yourself and best wishes for your new job!

    • danielle316
      danielle316 jan34534

      Posted

      thank you for the reply, much appreciated! back when you used to have the visual changes and flashing would it be persistent for days or on and off? my neurology appointment is today, i am nervous but excited to finally talk to someone.

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