Sparkly sightings of light ?

[Hal.]

This phenomena has probably happened to a lot of people . When a person is sitting down and then stands up sometimes he/she sees small stars or sparkles for a few seconds whizzing across his/her view . How does this happen ?

[Marat]

If this occurs while the vision seems temporarily to fade out it is probably the result of orthostatic hypotension.

 

The visual images of sparks or flames, especially around the periphery of the visual field, are usually symptoms of retinopathy or some degree of retinal detachment or buckling. This apparance can be made more intense by activity.

[Hal.]

That sounds serious Marat . I'll just say that I think I am talking about the common term ' seeing stars ' which are small sparkles like meteorites of vision .

 

And Marat , this is not a joke question , do you have an opinion on what could cause the temporary vision of a rainbow covering 180 degrees of the outer peripheral vision happening to one eye ?

[John Cuthber]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scintillating_scotoma

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retinal_migraine

[Bettina]

What you're describing is the visual aura of a simple drop in blood pressure. You're not giving enough information to say much more.

 

Bee

[Hal.]

The first sparkly meteoritic effect I describe as being a common occurence never happened at the same time as the second arc effect .

 

Here are the best details I can give after reading the information in the previous posts . Bear in mind I am not manufacturing a situation based on what I've read , it just helps me to collate information .

 

An arc appeared from approximately the 6 o'clock position to the 12 o'clock position in the left peripheral field of vision of the left eye . The arc was large in diameter compared to it's width and consisted of a multicoloured zigzag which moved as I tried to centre it in my vision . When I stood up and looked in a mirror I couldn't see my leftside of my face but could see the right side . It lasted approximately 20 minutes .

Edited June 10, 2011 by Hal.

[Bettina]

The first sparkly meteoritic effect I describe as being a common occurence never happened at the same time as the second arc effect .

 

Here are the best details I can give after reading the information in the previous posts . Bear in mind I am not manufacturing a situation based on what I've read , it just helps me to collate information .

 

An arc appeared from approximately the 6 o'clock position to the 12 o'clock position in the left peripheral field of vision of the left eye . The arc was large in diameter compared to it's width and consisted of a multicoloured zigzag which moved as I tried to centre it in my vision . When I stood up and looked in a mirror I couldn't see my leftside of my face but could see the right side . It lasted approximately 20 minutes .

 

Everything you're describing (in your second example) is an effect of an ophthalmic migraine. (google that) At least that's my best guess based on what you're saying and it's not uncommon for those to last a long time. 20 minutes falls in that range. I've had the "sawtooth" crescent myself with a mild headache and I actually tried to "play" with it as long as I could. It was kind of cool when you experience it for the first time and I tried to draw it on a pad though, as you found out, they don't like to be tracked. . Mine last only three minutes or so and I only get them two or three times a year but have also experienced a "snowy" field of vision as this is taking place which makes it hard to read anything in that eye.

 

If I were you, to ease your mind, I would make an appointment with an ophthalmologist for a simple checkup. Also, I would bring this to the attention of your GP. So far, you've said nothing that I haven't heard before from other people. Check the video in this link...

 

http://www.knownjohnson.com/?p=73

 

Bee

Edited June 10, 2011 by Bettina

[Hal.]

These arc episodes have only happened twice , the other time being when I got off a bus one day and the arc suddenly appeared . Within 5 minutes I went into an opticians and they looked at my eyes with cameras . I went through colour contrast shade tests and afterwards they said they found nothing wrong .

 

A third event was without any arc when I gradually noticed that the left side of a television picture at approximately 4 metres was disappearing . I thought of doing the mirror test on this occasion and I couldn't see the left side of my face but could see perfectly well the right side with my right eye .

[Bettina]

These arc episodes have only happened twice , the other time being when I got off a bus one day and the arc suddenly appeared . Within 5 minutes I went into an opticians and they looked at my eyes with cameras . I went through colour contrast shade tests and afterwards they said they found nothing wrong .

 

A third event was without any arc when I gradually noticed that the left side of a television picture at approximately 4 metres was disappearing . I thought of doing the mirror test on this occasion and I couldn't see the left side of my face but could see perfectly well the right side with my right eye .

 

 

I can't help you anymore except to say that an optician is not a medical doctor. You should document everything (like you have here) and make an appointment with an ophthalmologist who can examine the eye completely. Make sure you list your medications, medical history, (last physical) whether you use social drugs....and what kind, pretty much everything you ingest.

 

Bee

[Hal.]

Thanks Bee ! It would be easy if I used social drugs . It could be blamed on that . But , I don't , so I'll see what conclusion myself and the professionals arrive at soon .

[between3and26characterslon]

If you stare at a brightly lit white wall or at clouds on an overcast day (not dark heavy clouds but ones that are almost too bright to look at) you can see lots of bright points of light squiggling around. I've also seen it when I've coughed too hard and is where the expression 'seeing stars' when you've been knocked around the head comes from. I've been told by an optician that this is caused by blood cells in the retina reflecting light onto the lens of the eye which is then reflected back onto the retina. A single white point in the corner of your eye can be caused by a slight thickening of the fluid in the eyeball causing slight tugging on the retina. I'm no doctor but I don't think it should cause too much concern but best get it checked out.

 

As for not being able to see the left hand side of your face, and I'm guessing you couldn't see the lefthand side of everything, this is a rare condition and could be migraine or indicative of something more serious.

 

http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/hemianopsia

[Marat]

I agree with the above. A normal but sometimes alarming appearance on the visual field is muscati fugitens, or 'floaters,' the little greyish pieces that can be seen floating about, sometimes when a person over 40 is especially tired. These are just dead cells detaching from the inside of the eye and have no serious pathological implications.

 

These have to be distinguished from very dark, somewhat larger blobs that squirt across the visual field, which are the result of bursts in the microvasculature of the retina, a symptom of retinopathy. These can also appear as clouds of ink which then seem to coagulate into a dark mesh of cells. This is a serious symptom and requires immediate medical attention.

 

Dull white objects, about the size of normal floaters, can also appear, and these are fat cells escaping from deeper layers of the retina, and are also a sign of retinopathy.

[Hal.]

The following supposed independent links are given so that those who follow may cross reference the meaning of some of the terms mentioned .

 

The human eye , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_eye

The Macula Centre , http://www.maculacen...com/macular.cfm

Anatomy of the Eye , http://www.larsoneye...-of-the-eye.htm

Optics for beginners , http://thierry.bauda...l/doc/index.htm

The human eye as a detector , http://www.astro.vir.../human-eye.html