For those with the bright spot when blinking symptom

[Astroturf]

There are several of us on here who have a similar eye complaint: seeing a bright flash, like the afterimage of a flash bulb, when we blink, and sometimes, on upgaze. This is  transient symptom for most of us, lasting anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. When the "spot" in our visual field passes over a dark background, the spot appears light. When the spot passes over a light background, it appears dark.

So far, the doctors haven't been able to diagnose us, and perhaps that means it is simply some idiopathic phenomenon. But, in any case, I'm wondering what other similarities we might all have that could bring us closer to a an explanation.

For instance, other factors about me which might be clues are:

I take 100 mg of Zoloft a day
I would describe myself as high-anxiety and stress
I clench my teeth, usually on the same side as the effected eye
I have alot of sinus problems around my eyes
I have double vision due to a weak muscle in one eye
I have many floaters and one very prominent one in the eye without the bright spot

How about you?

[Eleonorini]

Hi, I have the same symptoms as everyone in this topic. Today I finally got diagnosed after 2 years with these dots in the visual field. I saw a neuroophtalmologist who said that everything is connected with migraine and visual snow. She said that visual snow syndrome can create these spots, that are like tiny scotomas but that are not scotomas. I also have difficulties seeing in the dark, a lot of negative afterimage, bright lights hurt my eyes and tinnitus in ears. She said tht everything is relate with a migraine-brain in which the visual cortex is overstimulated and create these dots. She also said that neurologists who study this illness can give me a medicine tu reduce the symptoms. She also said tho get my heart checked because of migraines. Hoping I helped somebody here saying that she told me “everyone that has this disease says that they think they are crazy, but you aren’t”.

[Villain1981]

I forgot to say I also clench my teeth and have a misaligned jaw

[Villain1981]

I forgot to say I also clench my teeth and have a misaligned jaw

[Villain1981]

I also have a bright spot when blinking it is mostly when I first wake up and its getting light. I blink rapidly and it is like a camera flash. I have had two retinal detachments which have left me with distorted vision in my left eye and in the same spot I gave a flickers light that I can see when I go from one room to another that are differently lit. The consultant says I have drusen starting in both eyes and I can see the distortion on an Amsler grid.

[fromfinlandwithhate]

Hi,

Somewhat happy that I found this thread and reading about people having the exact same (hard to explain symptoms),  at the same time I don't wish anyone to have them.

Found these two images which you totally can relate to if you've had this phenomenon.

When one blinks:
https://i.imgur.com/tUMOWVG.gif

When one moves a finger in front of the eye:
https://i.imgur.com/NYIv2Hc.gif

Earlier in my life I've been suffering from ocular migraine (with the fireworks and all) those effects later disappeared and I was left with only the headache from time to time.

I have an undiagnosed ringing in my right ear which was not tinnitus and the doctor said he haven't had a case like this in all his 40 years (since it's almost always associated with hearing impairments).
It is very  difficult to explain the sound but very high pitch, changing in frequency, reminds one of morse code.

Now just randomly this spot occurred in my right eye (located slightly in the up/right direction in the visual field), visited an eye specialist whom could not find anything else than floaters (which I also have), but as we all know this is not behaving exactly like floaters and for (doctors) who haven't experienced the same, they mostly just rule them out as floaters, or age, or something else.

It has been ongoing for two weeks now, we'll see what happens.

Best regards!

[fromfinlandwithhate]

Hi,

Somewhat happy that I found this thread and reading about people having the exact same (hard to explain symptoms),  at the same time I don't wish anyone to have them.

Found these two images which you totally can relate to if you've had this phenomenon.

When one blinks:
https://i.imgur.com/tUMOWVG.gif

When one moves a finger in front of the eye:
https://i.imgur.com/NYIv2Hc.gif

Earlier in my life I've been suffering from ocular migraine (with the fireworks and all) those effects later disappeared and I was left with only the headache from time to time.

I have an undiagnosed ringing in my right ear which was not tinnitus and the doctor said he haven't had a case like this in all his 40 years (since it's almost always associated with hearing impairments).
It is very  difficult to explain the sound but very high pitch, changing in frequency, reminds one of morse code.

Now just randomly this spot occurred in my right eye (located slightly in the up/right direction in the visual field), visited an eye specialist whom could not find anything else than floaters (which I also have), but as we all know this is not behaving exactly like floaters and for (doctors) who haven't experienced the same, they mostly just rule them out as floaters, or age, or something else.

It has been ongoing for two weeks now, we'll see what happens.

Best regards!

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

This post is too long and I will not be answering further posts. You can always start a new question

[KentEJ]

Is there a way to read the most current responses on this subject without scrolling through all the years of posts?

[JohnHaganMD]

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[mrlega]

Why can't I just hop pages to see the latest replies?

[mrlega]

Don't know how to see the latest replies, so just gonna reply to this

[mustafa811]

i found a group on face book called "bright spot when blinking" please search and join

[geitje]

Just wanted to give some people some hope. I've gotten a spot a bit in my central vision, exactly the way it's been described here.. I was truly horrified. Ironically, it went away the day I had my appointment with the eye clinic to get tests done. The tests came out fine, and the spot lasted 6 days, while I was convinced it wasn't going to go away anymore. I do see tiny temporary spots daily though, but they go away within a second.. I just hope to not get such a clear scotoma/spot again that lasts so long.

[UnresolvedNate]

Anyone still reading this post?

[Noroy]

Hello to all my friends, unfortunately, I’ll say right away that I write through a translator because I live in Russia, and in this connection there may be inaccuracies in what was said. I want to tell my story and the possible reason for the appearance of permanent static spots.

This is a static spot on the periphery, like many here I had about a year ago, it appeared on the right eye, later, about the same place, only in the left appeared another static spot that was visible only with eye movement, for 3- 4 months, it gradually increased and became larger and more noticeable. I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with retinal dystrophy. About 5 months ago, I was subjected to laser coagulation of the retina, after which the progress in spot growth stopped, but its causes remained a mystery to me and the doctors at that time.

I continued to be examined by other doctors and
From 3 times, the apparatus recorded valve retinal rupture, it was located in that place of the retina, according to the doctor in which I saw this spot (on the right slightly above). And on the other eye in the same place (in the supposed spot of the second spot) Severe thinning (pre-fracture) she said that so far there are no devices in the world that could cure this, but laser coagulation stopped the growth of valve rupture and that it was soldered with a laser and cannot develop further and therefore the growth of the blind spot has stopped. From that moment I did not observe the development and appearance of new spots, but the existing ones impede me very much and I constantly suffer from it. I can’t say that what I’m saying is true, but so far I haven’t seen anything more believable

Thanks to everyone.

[nv1973]

Hello everyone,once again I had to look at the forum.Last week there was a new spot on the retina,I am very upset because doctors can not find the cause and prescribe sterile treatment.Now I'm getting injections right in the eye to relieve inflammation.From all this terrible depression.

[matt009au]

Has anyone identified triggers which cause their spots to 're-flare', and how long do people's re-flares typically last?  

The last 3 days I have had one of my old spots flaring badly, and DAMN it is annoying.  I really hope that it settles down ASAP.

matt

[JohnHaganMD]

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[mustafa811]

well lots of partcipants here joined the facebook group so we can have a better way of communication .. search facebook for bright spot when blinking

[JohnHaganMD]

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[matt009au]

Shame, unfortunately I don't have facebook

[matt009au]

Has anything come to light through the facebook group which hasn't been posted in this thread?

[matt009au]

Has anything come to light through the facebook group which hasn't been posted in this thread?

[JohnHaganMD]

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[matt009au]

Just wondering how everyone is travelling.  Been quite a while since someone has posted here!!  
Matt

[John C Hagan III, MD, FACS, FAAO]

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[xltjim]

Been perusing this thread for some time.  I may have something similar but maybe not.  When I first get up in the morning and look outside or at bright objects, I get a pea sized simmer/flicker just to the right of my central vision.  Its not a flash, more like a distortion that rapidly pulses.  I have had it long before a vitrectomy in that eye a year ago.  It goes away after about 15 minutes.  I have noticed it on occassion after taking off my sunglasses on a bright sunny day.  Eye MD can't see anything causing this.  Thinks it may be my blood pressure being lower i the mornings and I can confirm that my BP is low in mornings.  So, I don't know.  Its annoying but hasn't gotten any worse and some days I don't experience it.  Certainly not as bad as some of you folks have reported.  Regards, Jim

[matt009au]

Well unfortunantly i've continued to get a bucket load of spots since my last post.  I've never had a year like this one. I have so many new spots it isn't funny.  Disheartingly I have got one recently in my left eye which overlaps with one in my right. Just below center in the vertical axis. Makes life extremely frustrating as now i see one or the other everwhere there is a vertical line.

I've continued to get sick every few weeks without fail (10 times since the end of June).  Each time i get new spots.

Every day i give myself eye aches from checking the spots. I know it doesn't make a difference, but i can't help it!!  Hopefully eye strain is not causing more damage ...

One of my other random theories is that perhaps the rapid transit elevator in my building is contributing somewhat. I've been working on level 30, and go up and down multiple times a day, always feeling pressure behind my ears and eyes on the trip up and down.  

It is funny how this disease has sapped all my lustre and joy for life this last 7 years.  To be honest, if I could go back in time and choose to never be born, i probably would.

[melinda68]

I hear you. This past year, my spots have become the least of my eye worries. The condition has morphed into something worse. I have an enormous shadow on the nasal side of my right eye, and the day before Thanksgiving a new arc developed in my lower right eye's visual field that is always there. I am at the point where I give up. I told my ophthlmologist about the huge shadow and I basically had to beg for her to dilate me. Then she just blew me off, told me to see a neuro.

[melinda68]

I hear you. This past year, my spots have become the least of my eye worries. The condition has morphed into something worse. I have an enormous shadow on the nasal side of my right eye, and the day before Thanksgiving a new arc developed in my lower right eye's visual field that is always there. I am at the point where I give up. I told my ophthlmologist about the huge shadow and I basically had to beg for her to dilate me. Then she just blew me off, told me to see a neuro.

[Muschroom]

I posted on Nov 19, 2017: https://www.medhelp.org/posts/Eye-Care/For-those-with-the-bright-spot-when-blinking-symptom/show/437885?page=63

Most people have the following symptoms:
* bright spot(s) in one of the eye(s)
* fades over days to match colour of background
* though brighter on dark background
* darker on bright background
* and which is much more easily seen when it passes over a high contrast edge or when blinking or quickly waving finger in front of eye.
* scotomas usually shrink in the first couple of weeks and either disappear entirely or if they remain then do not change after this initial 2 week period.
* most scotoma appear and disappear entirely in seconds, minutes, hours, days.  A much smaller number remain permanently.
* if a scotoma is first observed upon waking, then it is more likely to be remain and become permanent.
Anecdotal (I think only I have reported this so far):
* have observed scotomas are larger towards the periphery of their vision.
* have on at least two occasions, quickly (violently?) moved eyes to extreme to look to side or behind me and instantly (within a second) observed a bright scotoma that then fades very quickly.


Most people posting here report find the following:
* bending over will help a scotoma that's recently appeared to return to normal vision.
* bending over will not help resolve a spot that's appeared a while ago (usually those first observed upon waking).

My current hypothesis:
(though some people clearly have other conditions such as migraine with aura)

Excessive muscle tension in the muscles for moving the eye (https://www.aapos.org/terms/conditions/22) results in compression of the optic nerve by the annulus of Zinn (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annulus_of_Zinn).  This results in temporary collapse/constriction of blood vessels.
This would match with:
* bending down resolving recent scotomas (due to increases blood pressure in the head aiding the blood vessels to open)
* bending down not resolving older scotomas including those first observed upon waking (due to the nerves being permanent damaged / dead)
* correcting posture, relaxing and bending down making it less likely (due to decreased constriction of optic nerve and it's blood supply from releasing some muscle tension in back, neck, scalp, face and eyes)
* stress making it more likely (due perhaps to increased muscles tension, and secondarily from dehydration, tiredness)
* desk work and modern life style (due directly to eye strain and it's associated muscle tension and from bad posture)
This would match with anecdotal evidence:
* scotomas increasing in size towards periphery of vision (due to data compression meaning that a blood vessel near edge of optic nerve would affect a large area of vision near periphery vs one nearer the centre only affecting a smaller area of vision).
* moving eyes quickly (due to bending of optic nerve and reduction in blood supply as it is pushed against annulus of Zinn / some other structure).
Not sure how:
* illness makes it more likely (due to ?? )
* exercise makes it more likely (due to ? dehydration, ? lower blood oxygen so if there was a shortage in your optic nerve it's now "pushed over the edge", tiredness of muscles resulting in poor posture such as crooked neck.)


Test this theory yourself:
DO THIS WITH CAUTION - MAY RESULT IN PERMANENT BLINDNESS
Try to tense the eye muscles by looking as far left / right / up / down as you can.
To get decrease blood pressure then stand up whilst you are doing this.
To get extra tension you can move your head slightly in opposite direction to the one you are looking.
When I am experiencing many temporary (a few seconds) scotomas, if I hold that position, within a few seconds I start seeing many more scotomas appearing and staying.  Upon releasing the tension the scotomas resolve.  On one occasion I had to aid it resolving by bending down.  DO NOT MAINTAIN THIS POSITION FOR LONGER THAN A FEW SECONDS - MAY RESULT IN PERMANENT BLINDNESS.


Problems with theory:
I personally feel the tension around my eyes but also below them in my face... which does not fit directly with the annulus of Zinn theory unless there are longer range muscles / tendons / face structures that result in reducing blood supply to optic nerve / retina.


I'm very happy to say that although I have about 10 permanent (monocular) scotomas that my incident of permanent and temporary scotomas has decreased a lot.  Over the few months, per day I see between 0 to 1000 temporary, lasting from 1 to 30 seconds.  This is down from a max of 10 per second (or about 800,000 per day if you do that math).

I haven't changed diet, I haven't drunk less, I'm exercising about the same amount, I'm about as stressed, I get about as many colds etc, I'm as hydrated, I'm not taking any medication.

I am however a lot more aware of tension in and around my eyes (and the rest of my body).
I am more able to relax my face and eye muscles.
I am more aware of posture and correct posture can significantly aid relaxing.
I always try to relax before getting into bed, and whilst in bed, make my head angled slightly more towards my chest as this feels like it releases tension in my face around my eyes.
I am much more relaxed and content about going blind.

I aim to set up a small scale clinical trial in 2019 to measure with much high resolution, the electrical performance of the optic nerve and retina.  I already have a proof of concept.  I will post back here with an invitation of those in or who can get to London (UK) to join.  Or feel free to message me via this site in the mean time.

[melinda68]

You can't blind yourself with extreme gaze. Not possible

[makkaraa]

Hi! it has been some time scince I last visited here. For those who don't know, I got my first spots at winter 2015, earlier that autumn I had a zigzag aura on my eyes and haven't had zigzag scince then. But after that the spots started. My spots are bit different than the ones you guys have, I get them daily and they last about 2min at max, then disappear. I have gotten long lasting spots only twice and they have lasted for 2 days. I also have many visual snow symptoms, for example I have really intense afterimages and my eyes are quite sensitive to light. I start to see "stars" when I look at pure white screen. I have been at MRI january 2017 and nothing out of ordinary. I was at eye doctor last month and my eyes are completely normal. I have epilepsy though a really mild one scince my only symptoms ever were "deja vu" feelings which also stopped after I got medication for it. I have had huge, well spots... no more like uuhh... smudge (? is that a word) looking spots on my eyes 3 times, almost blinding my vision fully on one eye. Yeah I forgot to mention that, my spots seem to only come for one eye at the time, which would mean that the problem is not in the brain but in the eyes...  So weird. Im going to neurologist again hopefully soon cause im starting to get annyoed at these spots, there must be something that causes them and like I said sometimes they can be really big and scare me so I would really like to know what causes them. Sorry for bad english I post again when (or more like if let's see if doctors actually believe me) I get to the neurologist. My guess for these would be that they are somehow migraine related, seeing how mine started after I got the zigzag aura.

[Kookookachew]

Mine are exactly as you describe - usually just last minutes - mostly brief and sometimes very big! I usually get them around 5.30-7pm - don’t know why!

All my tests have been normal too.

The big ones bother me too.

[starryeyed84]

Hey everyone! Its been a long time since I've been on this board and I thought I'd come back to share my positive news about the big improvements I've been experiencing. To quickly recap I'm female, white, 33 nearly 34 and in good health. In 2014 I developed a mild visual snow after experiencing my first ever migraine with aura. I am not on any medications and have been off the birth control pill for a year. I developed the bright spot when blinking in my right eye in March 2017 and shortly after a few in my left eye so have had this condition for 1 year and 5 months. I like some of you have both the permanent spots which are very bright when they first appear and fade to scotomas and the transient bright spots which last minutes to hours and can be removed by bending over and allowing blood rush to the head. Since October of 2017 I've seen such an improvement with this condition and my visual snow that I forget that I have them and only remember when the odd bright spot pops up which is becoming increasingly rare! The very first bright spot I got has faded/healed so much that I no longer see it in everyday life and I have to really look for it when passing my eye over high contrast areas eg blinds, edge of the computer screen. The other spots in my left eye are on the mend as well and the transient spots have all but stopped! On average I see 1 transient spot every few months which only lasts a few minutes. So how did I see such a big improvement? I radically changed my diet, but not for this condition for yet another condition I experienced alopecia areata. In October 2017 after yet another heavy cold I went to the bathroom and caught a glance of myself in the mirror and there right on my hair line was a perfectly round smooth shiny bald spot about the size of a 5p (British currency) Which hadn't been there 2 hours before. I went to my GP who wasn't concerned about it and said it would grow back but if it didn't she wanted to test my blood for iron deficiency and to see what my thyroid was doing. Unsatisfied I went to the Belgravia hair loss clinic in London where a trichologist confirmed that it was alopecia areata and informed me it was my bodys immune system attacking my healthy cells. I asked if it could have been due to the heavy cold I just had and she said yes alopeica areata sometimes has a trigger like a virus. She said she thought it would grow back so did not offer me any treatment like topicals or injections. I went home and started researching for hours about auto immune diseases and people who had successfully treated them with out medication. This when I discovered the Auto Immune Protocol, Dr Wahls and her Wahls protocol for putting multiple sclerosis into remission and the ancestral health movement. Some of you have probably heard it being called the Paleo diet. I put myself on the Auto Immune Protocol Diet which has permanently changed the way I eat. The Auto Immune Protocol is about healing and sealing the gut which is where 80% of your immune system comes from and getting rid of inflammation in the body. I'm not going to go into great detail here but in a nut shell you remove all know food allergens and once you have seen improvement in your condition slowly reintroduce foods back into your diet. After completing the protocol I have switched to a Paleo diet and have never returned to my original eating habits. The health benefits I've seen are astonishing, In a month I lost 1st and my weight has remained stable ever since, I have never experienced effortless weight loss which stayed off in my life. After a while I started to realize hey I'm not seeing as many spots as I used too, I've even come off the very high doses of Magnesium I was taking orally and via Epsom Salts and now only use magnesium spray a couple of times a week. I am so pleased with what I have experienced I wanted to come back and share this with you because maybe it will help someone else. This has really got me thinking about all my weird conditions and if they could all be related in some way? Could migraine with Aura, visual snow and alopecia areata all be linked to inflammation in the body and to an over reacting immune system damaging healthy cells. I really hope so and I really hope that by using this diet I have put my bright spots into remission. If you are unconvinced about how powerful this way of eating is I want you to go to youtube and put in Minding your mitochondria | Dr. Terry Wahls | TEDxIowaCity and watch how this amazing woman reversed her sever multiple sclerosis. I am happy to answer any questions anyone has for me about my diet and how it has improved my life, the best thing is is feeling like I have taken back control of my body and all my anxiety about all my conditions has gone which is liberating. I really hope this will help some of you out there that are feeling down about this. There is hope xxx  

[mreyeball]

Hey starryeyed84.

Thank you so much for coming back and sharing your experience. I'm really happy to hear that you had such a great success.

Personally I am convinced that at least for some of us it's the way to go. Background: The spots appeared first when I got — simply spoken — fatter. At the end of last year, I started a low carb diet (which can be very similar to Paleo depending on what you choose to eat) and also began to work out. I lost weight, became fitter etc. And in retrospective, I had almost no new spots appearing.

I then got a heavy tonsillitis that was treated with antibiotics (Amoxicillin, Penicilline). Unfortunately I developed a quite bad allergy reaction, followed by a flu. When I started recovering, two permanent spots, that I still have today, appeared. Long story short: Due to the illness, I stopped the diet and working out, and have since then been too lazy to start again, and instead gained weight again.

Now reading of your great success, I feel super motivated to start with Paleo as well. Thanks!

[mustafa811]

please all join facebook group "bright spot when blinking"