So, I've been getting weird blurred after images of things lately. Like moving my hand across the computer screen when it's off leaves a (short-lived) trail in the air. When I blink at the curtains in the bathroom I have the spots on the curtains stand out in a negative after image for a few seconds. If I look up from a cup of tea at a slightly darker wall I'll see an outline of the cup rim for a brief moment. That sort of thing. I don't recall this being the default behaviour for eyes.
Meetings with one optician [Specsavers] have so far been unproductive. Apparently the eyes are structurally sound, but beyond that we didn't get a whole lot of useful information. He didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with it - just made sounds about after images varying by person, which is about as useful as dogshit. My thoughts are some sort of cellular decay or possibly a visual pathway lesion or something like that.
Anyway, certainly going to get a second opinion - not normal eye behaviour.
Gathering ideas, potential tests that we might try to get out of someone.... So, yeah - if you've any thoughts, beyond the obvious - you're screwed -, do feel free to weigh in. Eyecare being, seemingly, the domain of private industry here the standards aren't exactly high with opticians.
Though it may well be time to go and track a real doctor down - register for one of them. Not sure whether GPs are meant to deal with this sort of thing or not.
"Slippery slopes can be fun - kind of like a water slide."
- Larry, Burn Notice
Last edited by Nemmerle; October 8th, 2012 at 10:54 AM.
Could it be stress maybe? I've known it can cause sight problems.
I think (And I'm not trying to scare you or be negative in any way) it might be also a good idea to get one of those... Scans, ultra-something... To check if you have anything dangerous in the brain or so.
It might be stress I suppose, I've waited a fair bit to give it time to clear off on its own though. I wrote down noticing it on September 11th, so it's been around at least that long. On the plus side it doesn't seem to be getting markedly worse either, or at least if it is I haven't noticed it - for whatever that's worth, not having much of a visual memory.
"Slippery slopes can be fun - kind of like a water slide."
- Larry, Burn Notice
Last edited by Nemmerle; October 8th, 2012 at 11:25 AM.
Similar symptoms can occur if you look at very bright light such as a welding arc. The effect is usually temporary though.
Could also be the result of exhaustion or sleep deprivation or stress?
It might also be the result of pressure on your visual nerves, something like a glaucoma or tumor. Testing for glaucoma should be relatively simple, I'd start with that as it seems to be a common problem. Tumors usually cause other symptoms, from what I know (and that is not a whole lot) such as loss of peripheral vision.
Do you have a normal sleep cycle? If you don't, in my unprofessional medical opinion, I always recommend a proper sleep cycle. I speak on this from experience because one summer of barely sleeping and staring at a computer screen all night in a darkened room I developed vertigo or something, my eyes begin to dart around violently and uncontrollably. I tried to go for help but immediately fell to the ground and had to crawl, but I got too nauseous that I had to just lay there with my eyes closed until it stopped, which seemed to go on forever. It was frightening and spurred me into being very serious about a proper sleep schedule and I've never had a problem since.
Anyways, what your describing isn't particularly uncommon, it happens to me from time to time, as Fancypants says, usually after looking away from something bright. If it is happening all the time though, in normal lighting, it could be something worth seeking a professional about.
Though it may well be time to go and track a real doctor down - register for one of them. Not sure whether GPs are meant to deal with this sort of thing or not.
You ring the GP or go to him/her they will just tell you to see an optician. Don't even bother wasting your time. From personal experience and friends a lot of GP's are bastards who are too quick to prescribe or say that there is nothing wrong and it's just you.
Why not just go to an optician? A proper one, not specsavers they just want your money too badly. Private ones aren't that expensive at all and you don't have to sign on; you can just pay for a quick couple of check ups. Plus they will actually take their time, if you get that sods law of a bastard one tell him that there IS something wrong and you want something done/more tests. Same goes for doctors. If you don't want X form of medication tell them no you want something else. A lot of people just take their word for law.
Sources: Personal experience, (step) Grandma works in a private opticians.
Do you spend a lot of time in front of backlit screens and florescent lighting?
Would you say that your diet is varied and contains the appropriate quantities of the numerous vitamins and minerals necessary to good overall health, optical health particularly?
Do you get enough exercise? Do you perform eye exercises?
Do you routinely and violently poke yourself in the eye with a wet wooden spoon?
Get a second opinion, anyway. Unless the symptoms are particularly serious and/or indicative of a surgical issue, your GP will probably just refer you to an optician - probably the one you've just been to, just to be ironic. Try Vision Express - various members of my family have all used them for years and find their service to be professional and knowledgeable. I've always looked at Spec Savers as the Aldi of opticians, personally.
So the leads are sleep deprivation, stress, increased eye pressure [glaucoma], vitamin deficiency, lighting. Oh and lack of exercise.
Sleep deprivation - I get reasonable hours of sleep 01:00 or so through to 08-10:00
Stress - I assume wouldn't have continued this long consistently. The stress in my life is fairly variable.
High IOP - makes sense I guess. My eyes do have rather swollen veins when I wake up (not sure whether that's normal for people or not) and the after image aspect of things is worse immediately on waking.
Vitamin deficiency - I eat the same as the others here and they haven't complained of similar things. Don't know what the exact spread of vitamins desirable would be in this regard.
I do spend a lot of time in front of the computer - though that's hardly anything odd these days.
...
There are eye exercises? Can't say that I do, no.
#
Ah well, I've booked another eye test with a different optician, try and get tested for IOP - if nothing useful comes of that I'll track down a real doctor and try to get a referral to whoever deals with eye stuff is.
It may even turn out to be a side effect of poking myself in the eyes with a wooden spoon all these years.
"Slippery slopes can be fun - kind of like a water slide."
- Larry, Burn Notice
Last edited by Nemmerle; October 9th, 2012 at 09:53 AM.
Reason: eye exercises? O_o
My mother had something similar, particularly the blurry sight but not as much the negative image bit. She went to the optician since she thought it was time she needed glasses.
Apparently the optician didn't know and advised her to visit her doctor.
So, she did and it turned out she had diabetes type 2, and due to the hyper (not hypo) – which'd be a high blood sugar level at the times – it caused this type of vision.
Not entirely sure on the details and relations between these things considering I don't have it, but I'd certainly check it out whether you might have diabetes type X or not.
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