The photopsies are common in people suffering from migraines with aura, for example, and almost all of us have experienced them at some time. However, when these flashes have been with us for a long time or have appeared suddenly, and we do not know the reason for the photopsias or their causes, it is necessary to visit an ophthalmologist to check for or rule out serious retinal pathologies.
What are photopsies?
The photopsies are those little dots, twinkles or stars that we sometimes see without light stimuli. If we close our eyes, those same points of light remain there for minutes or hours, sometimes months.
They usually appear suddenly and subside after a short time, without recurring for some time. However, if the episodes become more frequent or more intense, the cause of this tendency must be sought and treated.
Differences between photopsias and myodesopsias
Photopsias and myodesopsias are instantaneous or momentary visual disturbances related to the way we receive and process stimuli generated inside the eye. While photopsias are perceived as flashes or small rays of light, twinkling dots or what some people call seeing stars (they can appear when we hit ourselves and close our eyes tightly in an instinctive movement), myodesopsias are what are known as visual fliesMyodesopsia: points of less light, sometimes round, sometimes in the form of elongated specks of dust, which move in our field of vision, but do not remain there when we close our eyes. Myodesopsia is the perception of the shadow cast on our retina by small opacities floating in the vitreous humour.
What are the causes of photopsias?
Photopsias are symptoms, not a disease per se, and it is necessary to know what causes them. There are photopsias due to physiological phenomena, such as what we mentioned about seeing the stars when closing the eyelids quickly and tightly. This can also occur when we sneeze.
Photopsies and anxiety can go hand in hand. In the event of a nervous breakdown or analepsis caused by post-traumatic stress, it is not uncommon for the retina to contract abruptly and the conditions under which light reaches the retina to change instantly, producing mechanical stimulation of the retina. We may then see flashes or part of the visual field blurred, while myodesopsias are common in people under stress or with generalised anxiety disorder.
Finally, photopsies are not strictly speaking photopsies either. alterations in the perception of light that a person who has recently undergone cataract surgery or who has recently been fitted with an intraocular lens may suffer.
When the photopsy is a symptom of ophthalmological diseaseIf you have a migraine, you could have vitreoretinal traction, the onset of macular degeneration or proliferative diabetic retinopathy. Migraine is one of the causes of photopsias, and is often accompanied by headaches, so if you suffer from migraines, in principle, you should only consult your ophthalmologist if there is a change in the way in which the visual alterations appear before or during each migraine attack.
Symptoms to recognise
- Photopsias can affect both eyes at the same time, although it is more common in one eye only.
- When photopsias and myodesopsias occur at the same time, you should see an ophthalmologist or emergency department immediately because it could be a posterior vitreous detachment with vitreoretinal traction, which is the prelude to retinal detachment.
- The photopsias of diabetic retinopathy are controlled by maintaining stable blood glucose levels with diet or pharmacological treatment. Otherwise, uncontrolled diabetes ends up being the most common cause of blindness in this type of patient, so photopsias can be a first sign that can save us from blindness.
- Macular degeneration is a frequent cause of photopsias, which share the particularity of occurring in the centre of the field of vision.