What are those lights?

[Lorrie]

I just had a real big nice stretch, and when I was done I saw all these like lights... well I dont' think you can call them that... like a bunch of shooting stars flying all around my eyes...
Anyone know what that is?

[lifequest]

I just had a real big nice stretch, and when I was done I saw all these like lights... well I dont' think you can call them that... like a bunch of shooting stars flying all around my eyes...
Anyone know what that is?

It may have something to do with a tear in the white portion of the eye. Can't remember the exact name but I did Google it a while back. I helped a friend with a real intense move a couple years ago and saw flashes of light in my left eye. The eye doctor told me it was nothing serious unless it was accompanied by decreased or no peripheral vision, which could mean a detached retina. I still get the flashes but not very often anymore.

[paulrankin]

Hi Lorrie,
I have those from time to time myself. Often after drinking way too much coffee for days and being stressed from too much heavy work. I asked an eye doctor about it once some years back. She said it was bursting cappilaries ( I believe, it has been quite a few years). I have come to view them as a sign that I have too much stress and need to slow down some. If they continue you might want to talk to your doctor. Sight is pretty high up there on the list of cool things to have.
Paul

I just had a real big nice stretch, and when I was done I saw all these like lights... well I dont' think you can call them that... like a bunch of shooting stars flying all around my eyes...
Anyone know what that is?

["Mad" Miles]

Lorrie,

Are you sure you didn't experience what people mean when they say "I saw stars!" or "Seeing Stars" as in when someone is hit in/on the head or has just engaged in some act of unusual exertion? If it was accompanied by some mild dizziness that's probably what you experienced.

Lately I get them when I am clearing a bout of bronchitis and I cough really hard. My understanding is that they are caused by a temporary lack of oxygen to the neurons in our brain.

You can get them from standing up really fast, coughing, other reasons for restricted breathing (asthma, etc.) aerobic exercise or just getting wacked in the head either accidentally or intentionally(?).

When you see a cartoon with the character having little popping bubbles around their head just after being whacked or from being tipsy from alcohol, that's a visual representation of the experience.

But I've never gotten it from smokin' weed! Lessen' my breathing was restricted from coughing and then, I saw Stars!

I experience it as little popping champagne bubbles of light. A not too unpleasant experience, except that knowing it is oxygen loss makes it conceptually disturbing.

I like my brain cells and want to keep them for as long as possible. One reason why, back in the day Whippets, or huffing nitrous oxide from balloons filled from a tank, never had any appeal for me (and I'm talk'in TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS AGO, so I think the statute of limitations has run out on that one...), after I tried them once or thrice of course! Knowledge IS the best of teachers.

Torn retinas? Jeeze, don't think I've ever experienced that, and hope never to!!

"M"M



:bigeye: :whackasmilie: :nuts:

[calicat]

I just had a real big nice stretch, and when I was done I saw all these like lights... well I dont' think you can call them that... like a bunch of shooting stars flying all around my eyes...
Anyone know what that is?

Hi Lorrie,

I had flashes some years ago (and occasionaly still) and went to the doctor. I was advised it was normal as we aged but if the flashes got worse or there were many floaters or a sort of curtain, it was important to get to a doctor within 24 hours to check if there is a retinal tear (easily corrected with laser surgery if caught right away) which precedes a detached retina. Here's a quote from the Mayo Clinic:

As you age, your vitreous may change in consistency and partially liquefy or shrink. Eventually, the vitreous may sag and separate from the surface of the retina — a common condition called posterior vitreous detachment (PVD), or vitreous collapse. This occurs to some extent in most people's eyes as they age.

PVD usually doesn't cause serious problems, but it can cause visual symptoms. If the vitreous pulls on the retina as it shifts and sags, you may see flashes of sparkling lights (photopsia) when your eyes are closed or when you're in a darkened room. The shifting or sagging vitreous may also cause the appearance of new or different floaters in your field of vision. These spots, specks, hairs and strings are actually small clumps of gel, fibers and cells floating in the vitreous. And what you're seeing are the shadows that this material casts on the retina.

Common floaters appear gradually over time and, although they're annoying, they are rarely a problem and hardly ever require treatment. However, the sudden onset of floaters can signal the development of a retinal tear, particularly when accompanied by flashes of light. This occurs when the pulling of the sagging vitreous becomes strong enough to tear the retina, leaving what looks like a small, jagged flap.

Retinal detachment occurs when vitreous liquid (vitreous humor) leaks through the tear and accumulates underneath the retina. Leakage can also occur through tiny holes where the retina has thinned due to aging or other retinal disorders. Less commonly, fluid can leak directly underneath the retina, without a tear or break.

As liquid collects, areas of the retina can peel away from the underlying choroid. Over time these detached areas may expand, like wallpaper that, once torn, slowly peels off a wall. The areas where the retina is detached lose their ability to see.

Most retinal tears caused by PVD lead to retinal detachment if left untreated. Detachments that go undetected and untreated can progress and eventually involve the entire retina, causing complete loss of vision.