I have to emphasize first and foremost as I write this OP that I am under a doctor’s care for what I am about to describe. I would not post this if I wasn’t.
That having been said, I have a spot in my vision that won’t go away. I see it as a fixed small brown dot in the center of my vision when it is twilight in my room. (I also see a larger one when it is almost totally dark–but that one is less distinct, and I am less sure about it.)
I saw my eye doctor when I first noticed it a couple of months ago. She did a retinal and optic nerve scan, and said she saw nothing out-of-the-ordinary. Then she took a magnifying lens and did her own scan. Again, nothing. (I should also note she is a very good doctor, and I have nothing but the utmost confidence in her.) I went home with the matter unresolved. More recently, I saw her again. Again, she essentially repeated what she did last time (including the magnifying glass thing). Nothing.
I should note, macular degeneration does run in my family, along with a few other eye ailments. And I am not getting any younger (I turn 45 this year).
So what do the rest of you think? And and all advice (including your own personal stories) would be appreciated:).
I have a similar visual problem. I have a purple spot in the vision of my right eye. The ophtamologist could see something, but he didn’t know what it was. He decided it was just swelling and it would go away in a week or two. That was 3 months ago. It’s still there, he doesn’t know why. I’ve been seen by two other opthamoligists from his office. None of them have ever seen anything like it.
They now say I just have to live with it. If it get worse they’ll possibley do a procedure they would use for a small retinal tear.
Are you seeing an actual eye doctor (ophthalmologist) or an optometrist or optician? If you’re not seeing an actual ophthalmologist, I would urge you to do so. You may also want to consider seeing a retinal specialist. Alternatively, it is possible it could be neurological, and not in the eye itself.
I don’t know. Strange as it may sound, I don’t want to offend her. As I said, she is a very good doctor. And I have complete faith in her. Could you elaborate on why you think I need a second opinion?
If a doctor is really good he or she will never be offended if you ask for a second opinion. Furthermore, you really don’t have to tell her if you don’t want to. I always think if a doctor finds “nothing wrong” and you think something is wrong, it’s your body and you should at least see what another doctor thinks or sees. I know too many people who were undiagnosed for too long because they thought they had a good doctor. Maybe they did but no one is perfect!
By the way, my last eye doctor took videos of my eyes to have something to compare from year to year. If yours does not do that you definitely should seek out one who does. Because of this, after I moved my new doctor was able to see the videos (thanks to the miracle of e-mail) and determine that something she was seeing had been there unchanged for many years.
Your last worry should be offending your doctor. As has been said, a good, professional doctor would never be offended. In fact, if something is found, a good one will want to know what they missed. Nobody is perfect (which is why they call it a practice), and knowing where you make mistakes is how they keep from making them again.
They have equipment now that can take a detailed digital image of your retina and they don’t even have to dilate your pupils to get it. I am not sure what it is called, but I went to a ophthalmologist that had one and not only could the doctor pore over the image, the office keeps a record and can compare images to note any changes on subsequent visits. I am not sure what the equipment is called, but I think if I was in your shoes, I’d search around for one.
I’ve worn glasses since the 2nd grade, so I am kind of picky about my vision. However, it really doesn’t matter, anytime you see any type of doctor about a problem and they come up with either a null diagnostic or a severe one, you really should seek a second opinion.
Think of it this way, if you car wasn’t running right (say it would stall every time you tried a hard acceleration when it was cold) and you took it to a mechanic and he said that he couldn’t find anything wrong, would just leave it at that or would you take it to someone that had different diagnostic equipment?
Ok. Good. Many people use the term eye doctor loosely and in most cases it’s fine. My dad lost all the vision in one eye due to a missed bleed because he was seeing and optometrist and didn’t make an actual eye doc appointment. Didn’t want that to happen to you.
Frankly, even when you have great, well trusted doctors second opinions are worth it. Any doctor who gets offended isn’t great and doesn’t deserve their patients’ trust.