Most of us have seen cartoons where a character gets hit on the head with an anvil or something and stars are seen floating around their head, right? Well, I’ve encountered throughout my life that I have seen stars when I exert certain stresses on my body. I’ve seen them after a hard tackle in football, straining myself physically while lifting, etc.
What are these stars and why do I see them in rare occurrences? Is it possible that my eye is focusing on minute particles within the vitreous humor of the eye?
I’ve noticed that the movement of these “stars” alters somewhat when I look in different directions which leads me to believe that this phenomenon is somehow connected to the vitreous humor in my eye. Hopefully someone can enlighten me on this topic and give me a physiological explanation…otherwise I should probably schedule a CAT Scan.
Actually, what the OP describes are more like phosphenes than floaters or the spots decribed in the above link provided by Walloon. That link doesn’t really address normal phosphenes at all. They are a common phenomenon and not automatically associated with a disease process.
If you still have concerns about your symptoms, contact your doctor and let a professional guide you.
I have not been hit on the head with an frying pan or anvil. But, I did get a mild concussion due to an incident with a porch swing a brick wall and a cement floor. When the pain subsided enough for people to attempt to get me upright, I noticed flashes in one eye. These weren’t floaters. I’m not sure if it was due to the occipital lobe getting whacked, the optic nerve getting wacked, or something else.
I did not see or hear a circle of tweeting birds. Unfortunately, I could net get copies of the x-rays. I feel that after something that painful and humiliating, I deserved to see a nice picture of my skull.
I’ve seen vague flashing shapes (not really “lights”) in both eyes after a violent whack on the back of my head (self-inflicted). They lasted for a few seconds - about as long as I was feeling disoriented by the wallop. I wasn’t in a state of mind to really analyse them at the time, unfortunately, so I don’t remember much more than this; but it was clear enough that even through the fog of pain I was thinking “Wow! Cool! I’m seeing stars!”
My wicked stepmother backhanded me across the eyes when I was 15 and I saw flashes of shite light against a black ground. That was my thought too: “Oh, so this is what seeing stars is all about.” I also had what can be described as a “blood spot” in the white of one eye for about five days afterwards.
Glad i’m not the only one with a step-monster I believe, at least in cases where you’re exerting yourself, the flashes/spots/white lights/ whatever are a result of diminished oxygen to the brain. I know i’ve seen them after an extended sprint. And come to think of it, I think I’ve seen them when I was working out hard, and I got really light headed and was about to pass out. I think that was a result a dehydration though, but it could all relate back to lack of oxygen to the brain, because actually it may have been because I wasn’t breathing properly.
You’re VERY lucky that you didn’t have permanent damage with the blood in your eye. If enough blood builds up it could cause partial vision loss or even permanent blindness.
I believe, at least in cases where you’re exerting yourself, the flashes/spots/white lights/ whatever are a result of diminished oxygen to the brain. I know i’ve seen them after an extended sprint. And come to think of it, I think I’ve seen them when I was working out hard, and I got really light headed and was about to pass out. I think that was a result a dehydration though, but it could all relate back to lack of oxygen to the brain, because actually it may have been because I wasn’t breathing properly.