Shadow in corner of vision

[Liam1212]

Now this question may come off very odd but it is real to me so please bare with me.
I’m a healthy 21 year old guy from Australia, no medical issues, eye exam a year ago just as routine, everything was fine.
I do have extreme paranoia regarding health, I’ll explain. So if I go into a restroom with blank walls either side of me, and look around/straight my entire vision is perfectly clear and fine, although if I put my finger out and begin to dart it side to side (not fast) and follow it with my eyes, after a few movements the side corner of either eye I’m doing it too begins to create a blackish TEMPORARY spot, although if I continue doing it and then put my finger where the dark area is, it vanishes and I still can see my finger, it’s as if from doing the eye movement my brain/eyes are like “okay he’s looking at this no point using power to focus on these areas”. I don’t know, it’s never ever there unless I do this in these circumstances and takes a few movements to get it to appear even if I make my eye follow the same movement the first time, it’ll only appear after a certain amount of that makes sense.
I thought it was phosphenes because that’s what it looked liked but my eyes surely aren’t moving quick enough to be creating pressure???

[JohnHaganMD]

Liam, it is very odd.  Have a medical eye exam by an Eye MD ophthalmologist and run those symptoms by her/him. If you exam is normal spend your time more creatively, if you can't consider some professional help dealing with your OCD , anxiety and hypochondria.

[Liam1212]

Does it sound like something to you or does it come off like a phenomenon that only someone very hyperaware would notice? If it’s not there always and only when I do this - does that mean it’s not serious?

[Liam1212]

Hi JohnHaganMD, I will book a appt. Although, I've just gone and tested this, I notice once I ''create'' this breifly-exposed area, I firstly notice, it only emerges in a exact position, for example if I face my head down but look up, it won't appear, but if I look straight it will. if I move the skin around my face while this area is exposed, it dissipates - I think the time I'm giving my visual field to 'get bored' of it's still-blank surroundings, it creates a unfocused spot of my eyelashes/skin around my face because if I do it and then move my skin in the process, it vanishes, I notice with the eye movements there is a breif moment that my facial structure does infact enter my visual field but after doing it over and over, just like staring at something for awhile- it begins to darken and go unseen. Does that sound plausible?

[JohnHaganMD]

It's plausible but not worth the time and anxiety you are languishing on it.  There are many other posts like this over the years. Virtually none a sign of serious disease and almost all from pathologic obsession.  Unless something changes if you have a normal exam move on.

[Liam1212]

Thankyou... on a serious note, IF it is permanent it is a problem, if it is temporary does that mean it COULD be serious or does that mean it is self-induced/pathological? For example it would be a problem if where-ever I looked I saw a black-fixed spot. Although if I need to self-induce it (kind of like how you can recreate flashes straining your eyes) it is pathological.

[JohnHaganMD]

Things that are pathological you usually do not have to 'induce' them, they are just there and they don't go away.

[Liam1212]

Sorry I'll rephrase what I meant. if it's 24/7 it's something, but if it's not always there unless I go through a vigorous test to maybe be able to make it appear, it's just a hyper awareness/odd but not serious phenomenon?

What does pathologic obsession mean, is that bad.

[JohnHaganMD]

It means that to dwell on this (and I suspect you dwell on other things like this) is abnormal.  If that is a problem for you working with a psychiatrist or psychologist to learn to not do this (such as cognitive behavior therapy) would generally be helpful.