Tweet
I was at a benefit concert last night and was sitting there, all of a sudden in my right eye, I saw what I thought were black streamers coming down from the ceiling. I turned my head all around looking for the streamers and realized it was in my eye, not in real life.
What was weird was that it was in the right side of my eye, not in the front.
After about 10-20 seconds, it was gone.
About a half hour later, I was walking and then I saw some flashes of light, almost like lightening but once again, it was at the corner of my periphery vision in my right eye. I wasn't seeing the flashing light constantly but enough so that I was concerned.
Then the flashes were more frequent.
I remember reading about detached retinas and realized I'm having the classic symptoms. I wasn't far from home, came home and checked on the Internet about detached retinas. The articles basically said I needed to go to the ER since if left unchecked you'll lose the sight in your eye really quick if not treated properly.
I got to the ER around 10 pm last night, had to wait in line to see a Triage nurse. My blood pressure was sky high, 171/93. After seeing the Triage nurse, I had to sign all the stupid papers, diclosure statements and the big one, I will have to pay for all the ER bills.
Went to the waiting room and after 5 minutes, I was lucky, it wasn't too busy and I got into the room specialzing in eye treatments. One of the residents came in rather quickly, examined my eye, didn't really see anything. He conferred and they called in an Opthomologist that was on call.
I was wheeled over to Jules Stein Eye Insitute, one of the best, if not the best eye cilnic in the country. Once again, more preliminary eye exams and then he dialited my eye and took about an hour, examining my eye, both of them to see if he could find a rip or tear in the retina. The exam took over an hour and he was really thorough.
He couldn't find any rips or tears and said my eye looked fine. He told me I had PVD-Posterior Vitreous Detachment.
He told me as you get older, the vitreous gel in your eye can pull and detach so the black streamers I was was "floaters". The flashes of light is the stimulation of the part of the retina from the detachment. There's a very small chance I may have micro tears in my retina so I'm advised I need to see an eye specialist at Jules Stein this week so I'll call to get an a ppointment tomorrow
here's what I found on PVD on the Internet:
Posterior Vitreous Detachment (PVD)
A. Definition:
It is the separation of the vitreous from the posterior portion of the retina. The prevalence increases with age and axial length (Myopia). It is found in 60% of people above 70 years of age.
B. Clinical Features:
Patients with acute PVD experience brief flashes of light ( photopsia) and/or "floaters". Flashes represent retinal stimulation from vitreous traction whereas floaters are shadow cast from particulate matter suspended in the vitreous over the retina, and these can be: vitreous collagen fibers, hemorrhage, or epiretinal glial tissue torn from the optic disk. At least one retinal tear is found in 15% of patients with acute PVD, and if vitreous hemorrhage is seen, a tear is found in 2/3 of cases. PVD might tear the retina at areas where the vitreous is firmly attached. When a piece of the retina is torn free, the remaining tear is called operculated tear. When the torn retina remains adherent , we have a flap oor Horseshoe tear. Flap tears are more likely to progress into retinal detachment than operculated tears, because of the continuing vitreal traction on the retinal flap.and inner tissues up the nerve fiber layer) from the retinal pigment epithelial layer.
This happens to mostly nearsighted, women and older people. Well I'm an old guy that's nearsighted. While in the ER, I did an eye chart and had 20/20 vision, even better than the ER doctor.
So as of now, it looks like I don't have a detached retina but will be going in to make sure.
I finally got out of the ER at around 3:30 am this morning and just woke up a half hour ago.
I'm trashed right now, I had only one drink last night....and feel like I had 12 drinks..
For anyone that has the floaters/streamers and or flashes of light, these are the symptoms of a detached retina and you need to run to the ER as fast as you can. All the doctors told me that it was good I came in since you'll lose your sight very quickly.
Left untreated, a detached retina will cause blindness in your eye in 4 days.
As some of you may know, detached retinas are more prevalent in boxing from all the blows to the eye and head.
I asked the opthomologist if training Jiu Jitsu the night before caused the PVD but he thought it was more spontaneous.
I don't think he knows or realizes the pressure I had on my face and eye from training and had a tight triangle put on me that I fought and never got submitted from. I was in the triangle for several minutes...with my partner cranking it and pulling down on my head....
What was weird was that it was in the right side of my eye, not in the front.
After about 10-20 seconds, it was gone.
About a half hour later, I was walking and then I saw some flashes of light, almost like lightening but once again, it was at the corner of my periphery vision in my right eye. I wasn't seeing the flashing light constantly but enough so that I was concerned.
Then the flashes were more frequent.
I remember reading about detached retinas and realized I'm having the classic symptoms. I wasn't far from home, came home and checked on the Internet about detached retinas. The articles basically said I needed to go to the ER since if left unchecked you'll lose the sight in your eye really quick if not treated properly.
I got to the ER around 10 pm last night, had to wait in line to see a Triage nurse. My blood pressure was sky high, 171/93. After seeing the Triage nurse, I had to sign all the stupid papers, diclosure statements and the big one, I will have to pay for all the ER bills.
Went to the waiting room and after 5 minutes, I was lucky, it wasn't too busy and I got into the room specialzing in eye treatments. One of the residents came in rather quickly, examined my eye, didn't really see anything. He conferred and they called in an Opthomologist that was on call.
I was wheeled over to Jules Stein Eye Insitute, one of the best, if not the best eye cilnic in the country. Once again, more preliminary eye exams and then he dialited my eye and took about an hour, examining my eye, both of them to see if he could find a rip or tear in the retina. The exam took over an hour and he was really thorough.
He couldn't find any rips or tears and said my eye looked fine. He told me I had PVD-Posterior Vitreous Detachment.
He told me as you get older, the vitreous gel in your eye can pull and detach so the black streamers I was was "floaters". The flashes of light is the stimulation of the part of the retina from the detachment. There's a very small chance I may have micro tears in my retina so I'm advised I need to see an eye specialist at Jules Stein this week so I'll call to get an a ppointment tomorrow
here's what I found on PVD on the Internet:
Posterior Vitreous Detachment (PVD)
A. Definition:
It is the separation of the vitreous from the posterior portion of the retina. The prevalence increases with age and axial length (Myopia). It is found in 60% of people above 70 years of age.
B. Clinical Features:
Patients with acute PVD experience brief flashes of light ( photopsia) and/or "floaters". Flashes represent retinal stimulation from vitreous traction whereas floaters are shadow cast from particulate matter suspended in the vitreous over the retina, and these can be: vitreous collagen fibers, hemorrhage, or epiretinal glial tissue torn from the optic disk. At least one retinal tear is found in 15% of patients with acute PVD, and if vitreous hemorrhage is seen, a tear is found in 2/3 of cases. PVD might tear the retina at areas where the vitreous is firmly attached. When a piece of the retina is torn free, the remaining tear is called operculated tear. When the torn retina remains adherent , we have a flap oor Horseshoe tear. Flap tears are more likely to progress into retinal detachment than operculated tears, because of the continuing vitreal traction on the retinal flap.and inner tissues up the nerve fiber layer) from the retinal pigment epithelial layer.
This happens to mostly nearsighted, women and older people. Well I'm an old guy that's nearsighted. While in the ER, I did an eye chart and had 20/20 vision, even better than the ER doctor.
So as of now, it looks like I don't have a detached retina but will be going in to make sure.
I finally got out of the ER at around 3:30 am this morning and just woke up a half hour ago.
I'm trashed right now, I had only one drink last night....and feel like I had 12 drinks..
For anyone that has the floaters/streamers and or flashes of light, these are the symptoms of a detached retina and you need to run to the ER as fast as you can. All the doctors told me that it was good I came in since you'll lose your sight very quickly.
Left untreated, a detached retina will cause blindness in your eye in 4 days.
As some of you may know, detached retinas are more prevalent in boxing from all the blows to the eye and head.
I asked the opthomologist if training Jiu Jitsu the night before caused the PVD but he thought it was more spontaneous.
I don't think he knows or realizes the pressure I had on my face and eye from training and had a tight triangle put on me that I fought and never got submitted from. I was in the triangle for several minutes...with my partner cranking it and pulling down on my head....
*
Comment