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Bright lights and lines. I am experiencing this weird symptom with some dizziness. It's hard to describe but it similar to that feeling when you stare at bright screen in darkness OR very sunny spot (then walk into a dark room). Those bright lines and spots won't go away. FYI, it is not as severe but it came with some dizziness about a week or so ago. FYI, I went through a comprehensive health evaluation (including MRIs, blood tests, EKGs, etc.) late last year but everything came back normal. What could be the cause(s)?
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We have been experiencing technical difficulties with the chat system. Sorry about that :( What you are describing is consistent with ocular migraines, a condition that I not only treat in my office but that I have been dealing with personally for decades.A typical migraine headache starts with shimmering lights, often times they surround a blurry area or have dots or jaggedly lines associated with them. They tend to progressively increase in intensity and sometimes march across the visual field causing difficulty with reading. Many times this is then accompanied by nausea, irritability, sensitivity to bright lights and/or loud noises. After the onset of the lights (called scintillating scotomas), the headache typically starts and the light show tends to progressively go away. Many people can have this migraine phenomenon WITHOUT the headache; it is called an acephalgic migraine. Some people even start having these late in life, or may have had a few much earlier in life that behaved differently and haven't had any for decades and then begin to have them; this is not uncommon. A family history of migraines is often present as well.This is nothing to worry about. It is not a sign of a more serious underlying condition, brain tumor or anything like that. If the episodes become so frequent that they are bothersome there are medicines that can be used to decrease their frequency or stop an episode once it has started.I, personally, have been suffering from this condition for almost 30 years. I almost never got the headaches after the visual effects.Does this make sense to you?Please remember the top 3 ratings are positives [great service is my goal] and this is how we are compensated. Rate my answer when you are satisfied. If you feel the need to rate low, please stop and reply to me via the REPLY TO EXPERT button with the issue you have. I will be happy to continue further and do everything I can to provide you with the service you seek.Otherwise, a high positive rating is very much appreciated, bonuses are great, and find me anytime for follow up.Let me know if you have further questions.
Hi Dr. Rick,Thanks for your prompt reply. Can it cause dizziness/vertigo? I do have tinnitus and pressure in the ear (like that untrasonic boom that goes from one year to another with a loud beep sound). Lastly, what can I do to subdue these symptoms? It is been going on (especially the dizziness and the vision problems) for almost a week! Thank you and please let me know
If it has been going on for a week without letting up then you should ignore everything I said above...sorry about that :(It is not an ocular migraine as the visual symptoms only last an hour or so in that condition.You may have a severe middle ear infection or a viral infection of the nerves. I'd suggest you get in for a complete exam by an internal medicine doctor especially since it has been going on for so long.Does this make sense?I'm sorry about the issues with the chat system this evening.....
Experience: Ophthalmology since 1994 with Retina sub-specialty interest