Flashing lights in eyes? spots? floaters?

I have flashing lights in my eyes (like little squibbles really small) I also have eye floaters (strands floating across my vision) and when i see light, it remains in my eyes (similar to when someone uses a camera to take a picture of yourself) I have had an MRI, seen two doctors about this issue, and have been left with one option of going out of town to use a specialized machine that measure light in your eye.

I'm assuming this is caused by computer usage. I'm not here to find out what is causing it, because I am limiting my computer time as much as I can. Will this cause me to go blind? Can I fix this? If I can fix this, how can I? If I were to stay in a dark room as much as possible, would it eventually self-correct itself? (I'm not so much worried about Eye Floaters, but more of the flashers and how my eyes are very sensitive to light)

I'm only 16 I would ask for prayer and support, as well as any information on things I can take/do to help correct my problem?

And to those of you who call me "dumb" to ask for prayer and support on my eye sight, to you I say this... I believe in God. If you don't I understand, and will not go around trying to force my beliefs down your throat, but I also ask that people don't make fun of me for simply asking for support. I have a father who passed away of cancer, and don't act like asking for prayer on a situation is in anyway dissing those who are in far worse situations then I am. That is an illogical argument to make.

I understand your concern. When you say you have seen 2 doctors, I presume at least one of them was an optometrist or ophthalmologist. That person would likely have used drops to dilate your pupils and have a good look at the health of the inside of your eyes. It seems they did not see anything (like holes, tears, or pulling on the retina) that would cause your symptoms, so they have recommended that you go for specialized electrodiagnostic testing, which will investigate the pathway from your eyes through the optic nerve to the visual cortex in the back of your brain. This testing measures the electrical response of different cells in your eyes and brain to flashes of light, and can help to determine exactly where the problem is. [If you want more information you can search for "electroretinogram", "visually evoked potential" and "electrooculogram" (Sorry, I don't know any sites of the top of my head that explain them in simple terms...)] Remember, the eye is only the first part of the visual system -- there is a lot more to 'seeing' than just the eye alone.

I think you are jumping to conclusions by blaming this on computer use, though... The rest of your questions really cannot be answered until the doctors have found out what is causing the trouble, and the electrodiagnostic testing will give them more information to find that out. I think it is worthwhile having it done; until then, try not to worry so much please. Confining yourself to a dark room is not the answer. I hope everything works out for you and you get the answers you need. I encourage you to ask your doctors questions, and if you don't understand the answers, then tell them that!

Also, to the last poster, a survey by the British Journal of Ophthalmology has shown that "On a scale of 5, most rated the fear of lung cancer as 3, while sight loss was rated 4". (http://bjo.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/... Give the young guy(?) a break, please. He is obviously frightened and doesn't know what to expect. Thanks :-)

ali needs to get a life. Report It

You are asking for prayer and support for having spots in your eyes when some people have cancer and only have weeks to live?! Your age definitely shines through on this question.