Negative Afterimages

[alnaveri232]

I have began to see afterimages for a couple of seconds, i notice them when driving and seeing lots of reflections off other cars and metal etc, i see blue/purple dots which last no longer than 3 seconds but are quite vivid. i also see them sometimes when on my computer when im looking at the screen and then look down at my keyboard. I do not seem to see any positive afterimages but seem to be easily seeing these negative ones, on an overcast day i do not see them at all unless i see the bright red tail lights of a car. i sometimes see them inside if i glance past a bright light. these do not last longer than a couple of seconds but they seem to be happening more easily than before. I have had bad anxiety prior to noticing the afterimages. is there any way that i have trained my eye to notice them all the time? i went to an optometrist a week before i had them and they said my eyes were fine, I had a field test and this came back normal. what do you think? thanks
andy

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

I don't know anything about that. Never had a patient complain of it. Never read an article about it. Only place I see people complain is here.

JCH MD

[yojit]

Doc! I suffer from palinospia i just want to know that i should be alarmed by it or i just let it be and is there any cure for it?thank you

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

I'm signing off this discussions. I can't give you specific answers.
JCH MD

[shyamshyam]

Dr in your other posts you had mentioned that we geta grey spot im the cwnter if it is damaged by light...never heard of negative afterimages ...and also my oct is normal...

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

No way to tell JCH

[shyamshyam]

Thank you doctor i will try ignoring these images but one last question....i read that negative afterimages happen because of bleaching of photoreceptors. Im my case has excessive light exposure made my photoreceptors sensitive to get bleached quickly?

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

That's a game plan that would work for just about everyone. However no one can live a stress free life, the important thing is to deal with stress in a healthy and efficient manner.
JCH MD

[shyamshyam]

So Doctor i should ignore these afterimages and live a stress free life ...is that what you recommend.

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

Yes it is as I type if I look carefully I can see the "flying corpuscles"  all over my monitor. Read the section in Wikipedia on entopic phenomena.

JCH MD

[yojit]

Your responses hv been very helpful !i just needed to know that seeeing blue entoptic phenomen on a very bright computes screen normal?

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

=

[rward80]

Trust Dr. Hagan.  I am 33 yrs. old and have had three surgeries due to retinal tears.  My anxiety almost overcame me having to deal with all this at a young age (I don't care what anyone says, 33 is still YOUNG), and I experienced the same "symptoms" you described, plus more.  Getting help for your anxiety will help.

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

Light exposure from eye examinations including photographs of the inside of the eye will not cause damage or injury.

If you have seen 12 "doctors" had multiple tests and nothing abnormal turn up it is unlikely anything serious and your anxiety may need treated.

JCH MD

[shyamshyam]

Thank You for your reply.
i Have already been to an eye md and he checked the fundus ans also did a oct. He said that everything was fine. But still i see thwse afterimages as a result of car headlights or sun reflections of cars.

I will just add a bit of history.
8 months back while driving around noon i was just casually seeing my floaters kn the sky. after driving for quite sometime i realised that i have been looking at tjw bright sky and would have hurt my eyes. I really thoughto might have got some solar retinopathy. So i almost went to some 12 doctors ans they tested and told me that it was fine. they alao did the fundus photography which really was bright. Now my question is has all this excees light exposure from the doctors instruments to the sky watching episode could be the reason for my afterimage problem?As even if a headlight beams in my eyes i get these images, so please tell me if i am frawing tjw right conclusion for my afterimages.. Your comments will be very helpful for me to get over this anxiety.

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

In most instances its not a serious disease. Often a sudden awareness of physiologic after images. (entopic phenomena)   See an Eye MD ophthalmologist physician to evaluate your problem.
JCH MD

[shyamshyam]

Doctor what serious problems can cause negative afterimages as i am suffering from it since the past two months....i see purple on sunny days and also see purple while driving at night.

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

If you have had cataract  surgery and an intraocular lens put in your eye then the IOL is the likely cause.  

After-images are normal part of vision in healthy eye.  When people become aware of this and fixate upon it then it can cause anxiety.

Only rarely is it a sign of a serious problem. Start by having an eye exam with an Eye MD ophthalmologist-physician.

JCH MD

[yojit]

I been seeing only black and white negative afterimage is that ur case 2

[yojit]

Doctor! Is seeing negative afterimage really a symptom of any eye problem or u caused it a neuro problem?thanks

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

You can access many discussions of after-images using the search and archives features. Many people that have this complaint have high anxiety and stress levels.

Since you saw only a non-MD optometrist I would suggest you see a ophthalmologist if possible a neuroophthalmologist Eye MD physician

JCH MD

[kjelltp]

People seem to get this problem for different reasons, however this is how I started to notice something was definitely not right.   In my case they seemed to get worse.   MDs will just claim "this is normal", and it is to a certain extent.  But if you get them by just glancing at a normally "bright" source of light, and it sticks, you're easily getting photostressed, and for a reason.  I still have this problem, and have learned to deal with it...in my case i had Autoimmune Retinopathy for unknown reasons..