Stop the flashing lights!

[Glutton4...]

Don't worry Pisk, Bren likes to make peeps panic. You're just overdoing it with all the exercise, that's all. First the shakes, now the head. I reckon you need to carb up or slow down. Or both! LOL

[piskieinboots]

.... I reckon you need to carb up or slow down. Or both! LOL

LOL - probably, but I won't you know, not until I'm at Marrakech

I have become an exercise junky, I don't go a day without it, I truly love it
*lies down with chocolate

[Two_Sheds]

That'll be the endorphins Pisk

[Glutton4...]

...I have become an exercise junky, I don't go a day without it, I truly love it
*lies down with chocolate

Nutter!

[Hilary B]

I get a brief flash of light at the edge of vision occasionally. This IS a 'vitreous detachment'. It started a few years ago after I got hit in the eye, and while it has faded a lot, it still occasionally happens if I have moved my head sharply, but I only become aware of it after dark, and it IS both less frequent and less obvious than when it first happened.
I told the optician about it when I went for an eye test, and was given the explanation. If it is a retina problem it will either be there pretty much all the time, or only for a fraction of a second when 'provoked', (which is what I have).

[taff]

I get exactly the same thing piskie, but in both eyes, and sometimes a block of vision goes with a different kind. I don't usually get the headache after, been having them since I was 13-ish
Mine usually happen when I'm really angry, but being really overtired or stressed brings them on too.

[piskieinboots]

I haven't yet really found a link to mine

[annacruachan]

I've had these for years. I understand that they are caused by stress. Tension in the brain squeezes the arteries which supply it with blood, causing slight temporary ischaemia. They can be really beautiful, if a darned nuisance!

[annacruachan]

I get a brief flash of light at the edge of vision occasionally. This IS a 'vitreous detachment'. It started a few years ago after I got hit in the eye, and while it has faded a lot, it still occasionally happens if I have moved my head sharply, but I only become aware of it after dark, and it IS both less frequent and less obvious than when it first happened.
I told the optician about it when I went for an eye test, and was given the explanation. If it is a retina problem it will either be there pretty much all the time, or only for a fraction of a second when 'provoked', (which is what I have).

This also happens when the vitreous ages and goes jellylike instead of liquid.
I was rushed off the Glasgow with a suspected detached retina a couple of years ago and it was diagnosed as the above. However, don't ignore flashing arcs of light, they could so easily be symptoms of a serious condition.

[lindyloo]

i get something similar i think; when my eyes are closed, ie when i wake, before i open my eyes i get a round mirror image of my iris, in brilliant white light, at the back , or inside, of my eyelid. ( a bit like a reverse eclipse!). planning on asking the optician when i next go in, but in the meantime, a browse on the internet ( white light + eyes closed ) seems to indicate this is fairly common. p.s. if you are recently on prescribed medications, it could be that visual disturbances is listed as a side effect - i know i have read it on one of mine recently. it would be worth mentioning to your doctor, as a safety precaution, irregardless

[bearded bloke]

Yep,I get that sometimes & have found that 2 Sinutab's clear it in 5-10 min's

[Jardiniere]

what a useful thread ...i have had occular migraines (visual disturbance - no pain)
flashing lights to side of eye
and the eclipse effect....
doctor told me that if it's all intermittent then it isnt the retina...will check with my opthalmagist next time i go.

[lainey lou]

I get this too, sometimes it develops into full blown migrane, sometimes just the eyes. Usually get it when my period is due, after a stressfull time or after a busy night shift when I've gone 12 hrs working with nothing to eat or drink.

[SlugLobber]

A month or so ago, I had one without the pain! Took me a day to realize what it was. Weird! Luckily I get them very rarely. They are usually stress-related!

Mine used to start with the flashing lights and tunnel vision and didn't always accompany pain. I was terrified the first time it happened (I was on my own, in the University library, trying to read a paper and I was effectively blind for about 10 minutes). They were also mostly stress related, but also dietary. If I eat a lot of processed food I find I'm much more susceptible. So, I don't get them often, now, just when my diet slips or I'm going through a particularly stressful time.

ETA: I got them more when I was on the pill, too!