posted
Hi hatrack medicos: A little medical query if you're qualified to answer.
Over the last few years I've been prone to (very mild) ocular migraines. They manifest as pressure, usually localized above my left eye. I sometimes see lighting flashes coming from my peripheral vision, and a few times I have seen fabrics, such as a shirt lying on a bathroom floor, undulating in a psychedelic fashion. I very rarely have actual pain- a fact that my sister is very jealous of, as she has painful nauseating migraines, and has since childhood.
But something different is happening, and I am not even sure it is related: I am seeing flashes of a spot in my eyes, in the outside peripheral areas of my vision. They manifest as a momentary flash of an oblong shape, and they occur randomly throughout the day. I notice that they occur when I am reading or studying Czech, but not when I am watching movies on my Ipad (I watch movies almost every evening before bed). The language of the movies seems to have no effect, in case you were wondering. It's just that since I don't read much (I'm an auditory person and I listen almost exclusively to audiobooks), and what I read is almost exclusively in Czech, which is an added stress, so I thought it might have some significance.
I have heard about retinal detachment, but I have none of the other symptoms, and no impairments of vision. I only ask here because despite the fact that I have state health insurance in CZR, finding an ophthalmologist is not a proposition I am excited about. I don't particularly like VZP (the state backed insurer in CZR), and their customer service for English speakers is abysmal, and they have *never* succeeded in giving me a recommendation to a doctor who spoke English and could actually see me. I've always relied on friends to refer me (or I go to a state hospital, which is a **** show of a different order).
So need I be worried? Very worried?
Posts: 9912 | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
I am not trained in the field, but my ex-husband had serious retina issues, and one of my kids had "floaters" off and on for years.
So my (slightly but not really) educated guess: It's probably not something serious. However, IF it is, time is a big issue. So despite the PITA that seeing a doctor about this sounds likely to be, I would do so.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Seeing a doctor is honestly not so bad really. I saw an ENT a few years ago (before I spoke Czech, I brought a friend), and it was a perfectly pleasant experience. But I had an ECG done this year, and a few months later I had to go to the ER for an infection and it was a totally different story. You know how it is- once bitten, twice shy. I'm sure if needs be, I can get a reference to a very friendly doctor who would either put up with my Czech, or who speaks English. Truth be told, I'm getting very good, but when it comes to going to the doctor, and all that entails, it's a daunting process for me yet.
Maybe this will be the kick in the butt to finally get enrolled with a primary care physician. There's got to be somebody in this city that I could get along with.
Posts: 9912 | Registered: Nov 2005
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posted
My father had this happen to him twice, for him the emphasis was on the floaters and a bit on flashes. It might not be the same as your issue but for him the problem was solved by going to the doctor for a reasonably simple procedure. However, early diagnosis and treatment were critical. Like I said, the issue may not be the same, but his doctor told him both times that a few days or a week were the difference between a simple fix and something more drastic or even permanent vision impariment.
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