…and that’s the technical term. 😉
I have kind of a hard time describing this and the eye doctors I’ve seen and my neurologist have no idea what it is. (But then they sort of just look at me the way you’d look at someone who just informed you that they are the true author of the magna carta and they plan to sue for copyright infringement, so I don’t think they’re trying too hard.)
I last had an eye exam last spring. I have reading glasses with some prescription that is weak enough that I’ve never felt driven to remember it (sorry Dr. D!). Aside from that the tests were all normal.
1. Sometimes my eyes shudder. That is, they move side so side really rapidly for a few seconds and I can’t control it. I haven’t really noticed any patterns aside from it happening more often when I’m reading or doing something close up. I will go for long periods of time without it happening and then it will happen very frequently for a bit. The best guess of the optometrist I saw most recently was that it’s some funky migraine aura thing. I’ll believe it, since all sorts of weird things happen with my migraines. I’m a geek though, so I’d like to know a little more than that, if possible. Also, if there’s anything I can do when it starts happening to prevent it from being a few weeks of that. It’s quite a nuisance.
2. Most of the time, for as long as I can remember, my entire field of vision is covered in spots. The only time it isn’t is when I am in the dark and sometimes when I’m outside in very bright light. I don’t think they’re floaters, from what people have described for me. It’s more like a static-y tv picture, but the dots are much smaller than that. They don’t move around, but they almost look like they’re…vibrating? (They’re not completely still, but they don’t drift through my field of vision.) I see them most clearly over things with light backgrounds. I don’t notice them most of the time (like I said, that’s just what my vision has always been like), but from what I understand that’s not typical. When I get a migraine or see a bright light for a minute (my eyes DO NOT like bright lights) the spots become more intense. Anyway, it doesn’t bother me, but I’ve always been curious. (Also, there was the time when one doctor decided it was a psychogenic visual hallucination and prescribed me antipsychotics, so maybe I’m just bitter.) Does anyone else have anything similar? Or have any idea what I’m talking about or even a suggestion of what terminology I should use when trying to describe this?
Hi Hon, Oh boy, another evaluation via the internet! I’ll do my best.
1) When your eyes shudder to they go back and forth horizontally? If so, do they go quickly to one side, then go back just a hair slower (“nystagmus”)? So you have any other symptoms when this happens? Have you had any pain upon eye movement?
2) Spots — it doesn’t really sound like floaters, from what you’ve said, but I could be wrong. Did your doctor mention “asteroid hyalosis”? (If your doc doesn’t know what it is, it’s time to go doctor shopping!) Do you have low blood pressure sometimes? Finally, are you on any mast cell therapy? Migraines are often a histamine reaction, that can be HORRIBLE. Lots of info here on mast cell disorders. Will you look into it? Let us know if you get “stuck”, OK? Big hug, Diana