Last week, after exercising, I suddenly saw flashes of light and spots for 45 minutes. I was quite shocked by it, but it went away on its own, so I didn’t go to the doctor. Still, I’m a little concerned. I am a 43-year-old woman, I exercise a lot and I am healthy. What could this have been?
Anonymously
Joris Bartstra, journalist with medical diploma
It depends: is it one eye or both? Did you see the flashes of light and stains in one eye, then the cause is in the eye itself and it is wise to go to the doctor or doctor as soon as possible. Flashes of light and cloudy or black spots can result from retinal detachment. You have to be quick about that. An retinal detachment can lead to eye blindness. The symptoms can also be the harbinger of retinal detachment.
If you see black spots or other ‘weird things’ (like flashes of light) with both eyes, then you should see it more like a kind of vertigo but with your eyesight. So after exercise I would think of a somewhat low blood sugar as the cause. You can also see light effects in migraine, but that also includes pounding headaches.
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