T1 for 33+ years and so far zero complications. But I’ve recently stared having weird eye problems as of about three-four months ago. Started with bright flashes at the edges of vision when moving my eyes quickly. They’re especially obvious in low light or dark.Dr Google tells me it’s something to do with vitreous humor getting stiff and pulling at the cornea. Just an aging thing I guess. But more recently I’ve also developed this cloudiness, like semitransparent globs of goop in there. I’ve had floaters, but they’re little self-contained bits. This seems different: larger, more diffuse, and give the impression of moving rapidly across my visual field opposite to whatever direction I shift my eyes, which is really distracting. It’s also causing a lot of glare that makes it difficult to see in bright light.
Is that what retinopathy looks like? I’m guessing no, but I’ve never had it so I don’t know (I see an ophthalmologist every year at Beetham Eye Clinic in the Joslin Center and have always had a totally clear report). Cataracts? Vitreous Blob Disease??? Fortunately I have an exam coming up, but meanwhile I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced this and knows what it is.
Yeah the flashes are more likely related to the retina than the cornea. I had the flashes (and ignored them) for a while before my bleeders set in. (I still get them sometimes to this day after being stable for a decade though, FWIW.)
The diffuse blob plus glare says cataract to me, but if you are able to manipulate it into and out of your field of vision I’m not so sure. Floaters from bleeders will look like a dark curtain that stays in the same position within your visual field.
I’m not a doctor so this is all pure conjecture based on what I went through, but my gut tells me the retina is doing something, other than bleeding, but that you still need to get checked out.
Ah, well that eliminates that one, thanks. I’ve yet to have any detectable retinopathy and not keen to start! Last appt she said “Your eyes don’t look like a diabetic’s eyes,” and I want to keep it that way. My regular garden-variety floaters always stay in position within the field too, that’s part of what’s so weird about this stuff. Doesn’t leave my field of vision but sweeps back and forth across the field in the direction opposite to eye movement, almost like scanning your vision across an object outside your eye: eye goes right, object appears to move left relative to the field. When it first appeared I kept wanting to wipe it away, like a bit of fluffy stuff in front of my eyes. Certainly adds to the annoyance and distraction. Guess I’ll find out soon–appointment’s tomorrow.
I live in an arid climate and use eyedrops to eliminate, some things, e.g., graininess feeling, “gooky” feeling. Have also experienced some other symptoms, and my eye doctor said I was “growing” a cataract. Interestingly, my vision exam changed at such a “micro” level, that I didn’t need to get new lenses. that was last year, next appoint in a month or two. The point of not addressing specifics you mentioned, to suggest just roll with whatever crops up, get checked out, and DON’T PANIC. Haha.
So, pretty much as Dr Google said. Vitreous humor gets sludgy, pulls away from retina and causes light flashes in the peripheral vision, with the added bonus that it kicks loose a mega-floater. I’ve had floaters since forever but they were all little thready things, so I was concerned this was some actual damage to the retina or something. Thank god: not that.
