Sudden strange eye symptoms including flashes and floaters. Help!

Thank you for getting back to me as well. I appreciate it. I only responded because you are a child and what you're describing is potentially very serious (but you also have to be careful to not let your imagination go wild). I am not an expert, but wasn't sure anyone else would respond in a timely manner. Because I know from my searches that what you are describing is potentially very serious (bear in mind that having symptoms does not necessarily mean having a particular condition: they could overlap with other conditions of a less significant nature... for instance, I have lots of black specks, nooses and a patch moving across my field of view and I haven't gone blind from it in over 15 years).

Regarding optometrists, their qualifications differ depending on country. It is entirely possible American optometrists are more reliable than others. It is also possible other optometrists are just as reliable. Without knowing which country you are in, I should assume the worst case scenario. Your eyes are too important to assume otherwise. Besides, I'm not convinced even the more qualified version of an optometrist is that reliable (you could take the other persons comments as being informative given their profession, or you could read into it that they have a particular bias because of who they work for... the person they work for could also be an excellent eye expert, but others not). Heck, I don't even trust othmantologists or doctors very much. I don't trust anyone who calls themselves 'experts', including non-medical (my experiences which shaped this opinion are from those who call themselves 'audio experts', least of all those whose chief profession is being a salesperson as with an optometrist who often come across as more interested in shepherding you away from your concerns into spending money at their shop. You should always be thorough and get a number of opinions if it pertains to something potentially life impacting because humans are fallible, and people throw out the word 'expertise' like loose change. Try not to get paranoid or carried away, you are too young for that, but be cautious.

Sensory death is IMO one of the worst fates possible for a living creature, especially a child. I'm sorry if I'm sounding dramatic, but the implications are potentially dramatic. I'd be upset if it was a kitten who went blind, let alone a person. I don't know the 'expert' you saw from a hole in the ground and it is always better to err on the side of caution in anything in life. It is unlikely you have a very serious eye condition, but there is always that possibility no matter how slim. There is also the possibility your concerns are not being taken seriously because of your age, that you are being talked down to. I am an adult, but even I get the feeling I am treated like a child by these people because I am not particularly assertive. For instance, I am getting segmented rainbow halos (BIG circles within circles (white, yellow, blue and then red) arounds lights) that precisely match the halos depicted by those suffering from severe forms of glaucoma in images they have produced online (I drew them down before I ever saw these images). I had a negative assessment years ago and went back in recently to an optometrist wondering if those years had taken their toll on my peripheral vision. I asked for a field test. He tested my eye pressure using 3 different machines. The first two came back as high pressure, but the third came back as normal so he determined: no glaucoma (if it is closed-angle glaucoma, the pressure comes in spikes called attacks so I am under the impression it may not always be detectable). He actually told me I had a 'chromatic aberration' caused by the abnormal thickness of my corneas and that tricked the other machines into recording I had high eye pressure. He could be right, it could be causing my halos (from what I know it doesn't seem to match what I see, they are not double-vision or kaleidoscopic outlines, but what he says about focusing issues seems to be correct) but I am aware there is always the possibility they could be wrong so wanted a field test to test my peripheral vision. That's what I went in for. Anything short of that would not diminish my concerns. He didn't give me it. And I didn't demand it, which I should have. Instead, as usual he spent most of the time getting new assessments on my general eyesight for a prescription to spend at his store. It doesn't deal with my issues that my peripheral vision may be diminishing (eg. I shut the cat inbetween two doors twice not seeing him there; he went totally like a Garfield suction toy standing up against the security door but was otherwise unharmed despite me me acting like Mr Magoo and trying to force it shut for some time). I ended up spending money on his glasses and every time I read is coming up double-visioned. I don't appreciate that kind of treatment.

When I was a baby, I had to be put on machines or something due to my asthma. Over the next few decades, I had several incidents with breathing that were extremely painful when lying down (like inhaling razors) preventing me from sleeping at all for several days each time. My mother didn't believe I still had asthma. I had an asthmatic brother who was on ventolin, but I was told I was imagining it. After one incident where I could barely breathe in my 20s, I went into the doctors and got a prescription but the way he spoke to me angered me, he seemed to imply I was imagining it and I threw away the inhaler in anger. Finally, last year I went through one of the incidents and went into the GP after several days. I was put on a ventolin machine for about 30 minutes and used up all the full dosage and then urged to go into hospital. A part of me was just finally happy to be diagnosed with ANYTHING as it is all a nonstop fight after being continually told everything I went through was just my imagination. It took me 3 decades, but I finally got an assessment and not the 'you're making things up' kind. This is just one example. I know the feeling of not having your concerns being taken seriously too well.

You should be young and carefree. I don't mean to make you health obsessed. But you should also be taken seriously.

Opthamologist. I was offline when writing and couldn't spell check. Whatever...

Even though I've never been vuluntarily admitted to hospital, I have heard you can show up like that and that they will test your concerns far more quickly than waiting for an 'eye expert' appointment. I was told that I could show up about my asthma and also get my heart checked out (there are concerns there as well).

I don't know about the swirls, but there are some things that are considered harmless. Like seeing flashing specks every now and then.

You're welcome. We can stay in touch through the process. It's nice to have other people who understand what you're seeing

Just read this:

https://nei.nih.gov/health/floaters/floaters

"Sometimes a section of the vitreous pulls the fine fibers away from the retina all at once, rather than gradually, causing many new floaters to appear suddenly. This is called a vitreous detachment, which in most cases is not sight-threatening and requires no treatment.

However, a sudden increase in floaters, possibly accompanied by light flashes or peripheral (side) vision loss, could indicate a retinal detachment. A retinal detachment occurs when any part of the retina, the eye’s light-sensitive tissue, is lifted or pulled from its normal position at the back wall of the eye.

A retinal detachment is a serious condition and should always be considered an emergency. If left untreated, it can lead to permanent visual impairment within two or three days or even blindness in the eye.

Those who experience a sudden increase in floaters, flashes of light in peripheral vision, or a loss of peripheral vision should have an eye care professional examine their eyes as soon as possible."

I knew it was an 'emergency' condition, but I thought you could probably could hold out long enough for the 'o' guy. They probably in all likelihood are basing their 'within days' claims on worst case scenario, but you should get it looked into promptly. Even if it's nothing, even if we're making you paranoid, you need to make sure. Not sure what would happen if you showed up at a hospital, whether it'd leave your family with a huge bill or not. Not sure how those things go. But I would feel more comfortable if you found some way of accelerating the time schedule.