Question:
About a week ago, I noticed a thin line/spot in my left eye. The line began just left of center vision and extended left out to the periphery. The line/spot had almost the same characteristics as an after image spot you might get when you look at the sun or a bright lightAnswer:only this line/spot was much more subtle than that. The line/spot would change due to the viewing situation (it was most noticible when viewing high contrast things--like black writing on a white page or a computer or TV monitor) Sometimes the spot completely obsured objects, causing them to fade away into their background color. Other times, the spot seemed to obscure objects by simply covering them over with a "hole". Sometimes it would have a blueish or a yellowish tint--It all depended on the viewing situation. Also, most strangely, I could close my eyes and see the spot--just like an after image you see when you look at a bright light--in the dark of my closed eyes. The spot resembled a long, thin line--like an elongated kernal of rice. It was weird. I went to the eye doctor and had an extensive exam. The doctor could find no trace of a problem with my eye. I took a visual field test, and no blind spot whatsoever showed up. My vision was perfect. My eye's health was perfect. The doctor concluded that I was just, for some reason, conscious of the natural blind spot in my eye. I know this diagnosis was wrong, because I know where the natural blind spot is located as well as its shape. This line/spot was much more centered and of a different shape. Now, a week later, I still see the spot, though it definitely seems to have improved. Remember, this spot was very subtle and could only truly be seen when I closed my good eye and looked solely out of my left or when I closed both eyes and saw the after image effect. Please help me. I've searched and searched without finding a single ailment that matches these symptoms. Is this a floater? Is this Optic Neuritis? Is this Macular Degeneration? No diagnosis, no disease that I've researched fits these exact symptoms. Could this be a benign anomoly unique to my eyes? Does anyone else have this?
Thank you so much in advance for your responses. I sincerely apologize for the lengthy post.
Answer:
Sounds like what would come under the general category of "scotoma" or blind spot. There are many different causes.
I would suggest you get an Amsler grid (can be downloaded from the net or obtained from an optometrist). It's a grid that looks like graph paper but the lines are darker.
In bright light, look at the centre dot with one eye and mark on the grid where any lines are distorted or disappear. Keep it for reference to see if the spot gets smaller or larger, or if any new ones develop. It's also a handy reference to show your eye doc.
I hope this turns out to be nothing.
