Question
Hello
I have been having some vision problems and am not sure what to make of them. I am 28 and am fit and well apart from being long sighted all my life. I have returned to university in September to do an English degree and my eyes have steadily got worse since September. I read and use the computer everyday. A couple of weeks ago I went to the cinema and when the picture was bright i experienced a sensation of strobe lighting flashing around my vision. ever since then things seem to have got worse. My eyes seem to take a long time adjusting to light and dark and will flash for a while. I also have what looks like a snowy effect to my vision and lines often seem blurred. I have finished now for the christmas holidays so will not be reading as much. I have made an appointment with my optician but this is not til January. I just wondered if this could be down to the amount of reading I have been doing and my eyes have got over tired. They also feel dry and sore, especially first thing in the morning.
Any advice would be appreciated.
Answer
Yes, a lot of what you describe does sound like it could be attributed to eyestrain. EXCEPT for one thing - the flashing! As soon as a patient mentions flashing in their vision, we begin to suspect a retinal detachment - which IS an emergency and cannot wait until January. One way to figure out if you need to worry about this is to determine whether the "flash" is occurring in one eye or both.
If it is in both eyes at the same time, I would say it is unlikely that the complaints are related to a retinal detachment and you are fine to wait and see your optician in January. Be sure to have your eyes dilated at this visit however, to check your retina just to be sure.
IF however, the flashing occurs only in one eye - and especially if it is worse if you turn or move your head, you must see an eye doctor immediately to rule out a retinal detachment. Also, as much as possible, you need to avoid moving your head until you have that appointment.
