Hi Gingercat
On the subject of your personal light show - you really must get flashing lights or anything similar in your eyes checked by a professional. There can be all sorts of causes and you mustn't take risks with your eyesight.
However - if this is a zig-zag circular flashing area that starts on the edge of your vision and ends up over your central vision before clearing ( shouldn't take too long!) it may be something called 'aural migraine'. At least that's what I think it's called - I'll check on Google when I've finished here and post again if necessary.
They are the sort of flashing light effect that migraine sufferers get, but they can occur with no pain whatsoever, or maybe with a feeling of pressure and a slight headache. I had them for years without pain and thought that maybe they were something to do with dehydration, though I don't know if that's right. Now I only get them very very occasionally. I mentioned them to both my doctor and my optician - I like to nag! - but apparently they're not a problem. They are certainly nothing to do with diabetes 'cos I had them many years before I was diagnosed. So it may be that your effects are nothing to worry about - but you MUST get them checked. And keep on mentioning them if they keep re-occuring.
I'm a long-term contact lens wearer and have had my retinas photographed at my annual eye check for the last 4 years, again pre-diabetes. I have my first diabetic retinopathy check next month, and will be interested to see if they do more than my normal optician does.
Try not to worry too much, see your optician - and never listen to yourself at 3 o'clock in the morning!
Viv
On the subject of your personal light show - you really must get flashing lights or anything similar in your eyes checked by a professional. There can be all sorts of causes and you mustn't take risks with your eyesight.
However - if this is a zig-zag circular flashing area that starts on the edge of your vision and ends up over your central vision before clearing ( shouldn't take too long!) it may be something called 'aural migraine'. At least that's what I think it's called - I'll check on Google when I've finished here and post again if necessary.
They are the sort of flashing light effect that migraine sufferers get, but they can occur with no pain whatsoever, or maybe with a feeling of pressure and a slight headache. I had them for years without pain and thought that maybe they were something to do with dehydration, though I don't know if that's right. Now I only get them very very occasionally. I mentioned them to both my doctor and my optician - I like to nag! - but apparently they're not a problem. They are certainly nothing to do with diabetes 'cos I had them many years before I was diagnosed. So it may be that your effects are nothing to worry about - but you MUST get them checked. And keep on mentioning them if they keep re-occuring.
I'm a long-term contact lens wearer and have had my retinas photographed at my annual eye check for the last 4 years, again pre-diabetes. I have my first diabetic retinopathy check next month, and will be interested to see if they do more than my normal optician does.
Try not to worry too much, see your optician - and never listen to yourself at 3 o'clock in the morning!
Viv
