Well after a little more googling I found this. Explains it all
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_field_en toptic_phenomenon

i've been having similar symptoms for about5 months.. It started shortly after i Had my eyes dialated... My eyes are perfectly healthy by the way... My blood pressure has been fine... Anytime I look at the sky or anything bright I see those tiny little swirly sparkles of light... I've had MRI's CT Scans and nothing has shown anything abnormal... They are really annoying... They swirl about and shoot around like they are taunting me... The only other symptomm that I have that none of you seem to have is how in certain light it looks like it is misting... The only way I can avoid the nasty little swirlies is to wear sunglasses, and avoid any bright light or brightly colored objects... If anyone figures out what this is please let me know...

I have the same condtions that you all have mentioned. Mine seems to be worse during the day at work when I look at the computer with all the white backgrounds, however, at night, seems to somewhat get better and i can see. I have been to retina, cornia and neuro specialist, they cant put a finger on whats exactly doing in or causing it. I just took a MRI this morning, and hope some news come out of it. LIke most of you, i can not continue to be like this. I get so frustrated and depressed. Im 34 and was seeing perfect vision just 4 months ago. I seem to get headaches more so when i wear my contact lenses. It does feel like my right side of my head kind of feels numbish. They have ruled out retina, cornia or optic nerve issues. Has anyone ever gotten an explaination on this and if so, how is it treated?!!! Can it be treated? My life has changed dramatically. I got to work and just come home, dont feel safe being out and about.

i started getting my light flashes (though mine are in color) after i went off my anti-depressant in march and then had to go back on after 2 mos. because withdrawal was so bad. when i got back on the meds, 10mg of celexa, down from 20mg, i had a headache every day for 5 weeks. then i started seeing the colored flashing lights. and had my first migraine. sometimes a headache came after them, sometimes not. now it seems like i get the colored flashes and no headache most of the time.

mine are like colored spots, or flashes of color. they last about a second or less and i have them multiple times a day and lately, i've been having them every day. when they first started, it would kind of look like a line down my vision, a color prism of sorts, but thin. like this:
http://picasaweb.google.com/callisto3/Misc /photo?authkey=agBKKblv3s0#507965303189560 2226

now they are more like colored spots. almost kinda of like a mood ring when it's warming up. kinda like this:
http://picasaweb.google.com/callisto3/Misc /photo?authkey=agBKKblv3s0#513548769483497 7650

i'm really freaked out about them.

i saw an ophthalmologist today and my eyes are fine. so no retinal problems. but gathering from what i've been finding on the internet, i'm guessing an MRI would be a waste of time and undoubtedly, a waste of a lot of money, too.

i can't help but think mine has something to do with the anti-depressant i was on, then tried to taper off, then had to get back on again. i've never had anything like this before in my life.

things i'm wondering about, in relation to this: water consumption, possible help from seeing the chiro and the fact that i'm SO hyper aware of them.

i know i can't really ask for help, but just wanted to add my story, too.

You are not going crazy nor do you have a brain problem or anything else like that!
I see exactly what you see and I have since I was about your age. I am now in my 30's. I myself have seen many people about this from doctors to psychics.
What I am going to tell you will be very heard for you to understand. But here it goes. What you are seeing is energy! You see the sparkles most at dusk, when looking at your computer, when you move suddenly, against a white back drop.
Everything and everyone in the world is made of energy (moving molecules) and everyone in the world can see it. Most people subconsciously choose not to though. I realize that you did not choose to see it either. But perhaps there are just some people other there that are a bit more sensitive to these things. The same way some people are sensitive to dairy or dust and some people are not. I have come to love my sparkles. It makes me feel as though I am a part of everything in the universe.
You probably think I am crazy at this point. However since you have done so much medical research to try and explain your condition. Perhaps you should try a little holistic research as well.

thanks for the input. it's weird - as soon as i read this, i started seeing the flashes again. LOL i hadn't seen (noticed) them all day, which makes me think that i'm aware of them because i think about them too much.

i like your take on it much better.

Wow, After searching since I was around 16 (I am 22 now) I have never seen a site or any info whatsoever that exactly described what I have been experiencing and this post did! The original poster and people who describe "ants" while looking at the blue sky or a LCD monitor exactly describe my problem....

Interesting......


So its just blood cells? I have been having within the last few weeks white flashes on any dark area in my field of vision (in cluding when my eyes are shut) anyone have any ideas?????

i ahve the exact same thng!!! my eye doctor said it might be because i have an astgmatism but i dont know im 14 by the way

I've been googling around and came across this thread. It is very interesting.
I can't say exactly what each person might be seeing, but I can share my experience.
I am nearsighted/myopic from age 11. I'm 43 now. More so as I aged. My left eye is now -4.75. My right is -4.25.
At age 27 I noticed floaters in both eyes. A careful exam showed a thinning of the left retina and "scarring", but no threat to my vision.
A sonogram of my eye showed the floaters, which are actually very tiny, but seem larger or smaller depending on their location in the vitreous fluid. (At the back or is it the front of the eye they are projected as larger or vice-versa. I can't remember). They can float off to the side as well and then are less noticeable.

I was told that floaters are common with myopics and nothing to worry about.I'm quite used to them and hardly notice them anymore.

In addition, I first noticed in my field of vision, also around that time, what later was explained by my eye doctor as the white blood cells travelling through capillaries. These capillaries are located somewhere. Maybe the back wall of the eye. I'm not sure. This phenomena too is nothing to worry about I was told, and I don't worry about it. There is even a name--medical term possibly-- for the phenomena, but I can't remember the name.
What I do remember is that white blood cells are larger than the red cells. There are less of them than the red, so under the right conditions, when one goes by, I see it. But not just one-lots.

To this day, against a gray sky, a blue sky, or in the right light against a wall, computer screen etc, I see a whole gang of floaters and also, if I am still and focus a little: the "firefly like" darting white blood cells moving about.

My eyes are fine, but periodic eye exams (every 6 months) were recommended. I haven't stuck to this schedule, but plan to go soon. My grandmother is 94 and blind from macular degeneration for over 10 years. I believe Macular degeneration can run in families. Always good to follow up.

Lastly, I was told that if I ever see bright flashes of light or what looks like a curtain being drawn down in front of my vision or both or other symptoms like, for example, what looks like paint spots, to get to the eye Dr. right away in case there is a retinal detachment. Better to be safe than sorry and I keep the phone number of my eye Dr. with me.

Again, this was only my experience and in no way do I claim to be telling anyone else what their medical condition and/or lack thereof may be.
Maybe they really are seeing the cosmos, and I sure wouldn't want to rain on that parade.

Hi there,

I'm 16 and I have those flashes as well and from the amount of doctors you've seen it's pretty clear there is nothing wrong with your vision.

I'm going to agree with 30chanelle on this.

What you're seeing is indeed just energy and that you needn't worry about it. From what I've seen, some 'sparks', 'fireworks' are just bigger than others. They can be quite clear when you look at the sky, but I've been recently seeing them in darker spaces too and more closer to people/ or energy emitting objects.

Unlike you, I have trained my vision to pick up these frequencies (though its incredibly easy to do) and many others, trust me, there is more to what you're seeing! ^-^ And more to see. You're very lucky to have such a natural gift, do not desert it as it can be enhanced and...well...it leads to other amazing things. Trust me - you're not weird.

Never let a doctor tell you it's a disease because it's NOT, and thus requires no medication whatsoever - so NEVER take it.

Like 30chenelle said, look up a natural approach to this (this goes for everybody), look up light, and eyes and auras and stuff like that. You might be surprised ^-^!!!

I know this was an old article however this happened to me yesterday. My vision went completely white for about 2 minutes. Then it came back in specks. Now it's just blurry. I went to the eye doctor today and I am 20/40. I have been dx with Multiple Sclerosis for 8 yrs now. So I am just trying to look for some answers. The ophth. said it may improve, who knows. MS is such a wierd disease, not a good thing.

Hi Travis,

You are only 16 but probably you have too much stress in your life.
It might be school but your system is stressed and this causes you to see those flashes.
There are a few reasons for it
Check with yourself what applies.

First, the flashes might appear after you didn't eat for a long time. It means that the blood sugar has dropped and you need to eat something nourishing.
I don't know what you eat, but it is very important to cut down on coffee, white sugar and soda, alcohol and junk food.

Second, you must drink more water during the day.
Pure water no tea or juices.

Do it for some time and see how you go.
Evgania

I am posting this to followup about my eye spots posts from 2005. To start they are now have stopped 100%, and I have found a cause but no medical support to back it up. When the spots occured I got into using SKOAL (chewing tabacco), I stopped using it they went away. One time I purchased it again and used it for a week since, and sure enough the eye spots came back. One thing also that I noticed, is that the day after using it I would wake up and my eyes felt under some pressure.

Well, the chewing tomacco habit is emberrasing to bring up but I figured I would post this as maybe some of you might find a similar correlation to nicotine. By the way, my grandmother had lost her sight at 60 from glaucoma which the doctors attributed to heavy cigarette smoking. It all might be coincidental....

Hi, this happens to me too, but strangely enough -- only in the shower. I'm 32 and it started this past summer. I don't see them any other time but in the shower. I've read all the other posts and I've never had a headache accompany them, but I do have a history of panic attacks. Instead of panicking, I'm just wondering if it might be caused by spending too much time staring at a computer screen---the only place I can't take my computer is into the shower.
Any other theories out there?

im only 13 and i started seeing the floaters first and then the little flashes and also like little comet streaks in my eyes. i dealt with them for about a month and i didnt really think much about it. but i told my dad and he brought me to a specialist right away. i was there for 3 hours doing testing and the doctor told me i have perfectly healthy eyes.. and the cause is migraines. but i dont ever have headaches. so i looked it up online and this is what i found and i have alot of the same symptoms. i also looked it up on another site and it could be an ocular migraine(doesnt have to be with headaches) and it can cause temporary or permanent blindness. its a little scary and i dont want to lose my eyesight.

-amanda

WOW, im so glad i found this, i have the exact same problems. i thought i was going crazy and feeling pretty lonely about it. i dont have medical insurance so there isnt anywhere i can really go to check it out. i went to the county hospital about a year ago and they said everything was hunkydory. but i have my doubts, my floaters seem to have peaked but they have been progressively building up since the summer of 2006. they were small at first. but now i see the lights too, especially if i look at florescent lights. i havent told anyone about it cause i dont want people to worry about me

I know this is an old post but I dug it up via a Google search.

I was in the shower today when I bent down to grab a dropped razor. When I stood back up, my world was filled with these incredible dancing lights. They were bright like the glowing particles from a fireworks sparkler, and they zigzagged around my field of vision before finally disappearing and leaving a dark spot that faded away. It was far (FAR!) more pronounced than the "floaters" I've seen since I was a kid. They weren't a "thing" like a floater, where it's something floating in my eye. This was far more of a strong visual effect of the brain. They also didn't seem to move around as I moved my eyes ... which made me think this was more of a "brain thing" than a "eyeball thing". Although, since I was freaking out a bit at the time, that could be completely wrong.

They were so "real" that at first I thought they were metal dust from the construction I had on my bathroom the day before. After reaching out and trying to grab one, only to have my hand pass through it, I realized ... maybe not (call 9/11?).

That was another difference from any eye issue like a "floater"... these appeared in 3D space in front of me, where I really felt I could reach out and grab them. It wasn't something superimposing itself on my vision.

I have *never* experienced anything like that before, and it scared me enough to run out of the shower, grab my phone, and call my best friend. She told me that has happened to her a few times before and that she had just been discussing it with another friend (who also had experienced them before, and had also tried to grab them to relax the situation!). She thought it was related to eye strain. That lowered my anxiety level significantly. Especially after I literally thought I was seeing "the light" and the end of this tunnel.

As I post this, I still have no idea what it is that I saw. I have a (previously scheduled... how convienent) doctor appointment tomorrow morning, and am going to schedule an eye exam thereafter (I heard it could be retina detachment??). Hopefully I can add more after that.

Wow... weird. See my previous post ... but to add to that ...

- I'm 32
- That's the first time I've experienced ANYTHING like that
- I was in the shower
- I am a computer programmer
- I spend 10 (sadly, emphasis on the " ") hours a day in front of a computer screen

I'm not buying this explanation ...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_field_en toptic_phenomenon

... because I was in an off-white bathroom with poor lighting in the early morning (basically, the exact opposite of "blue field").

I think you're on to something here ...

I am shure glad I found this,I'm a 12 year old and I was starting to really FREAK out when I realised I was going to be seeing these things for a while, and they weren't going to be gettng any better soon.

I started seeing seeing these "sparkles", about a week ago up at Airventure Oshkosh 2008 (big airshow in Wisconson). I woke up one morning and saw the sparkels against the wall of our tent. I thought it was from just the heat, lack of sleep, and/or a UV flashlight I accdently looked into while there. I thought it would go away in a few days but it hasent yet , and I guess I have to accept it and go on with my life. I 've been to an eye doctor today, had a full eye exam, my eyes dilated, and the doctor said I had more than perfect vision. I told him I was seeing dots, but he said they were just floaters, and dismissed it as nothing.

I am in almost perfect helth (my only problem being I am overweight) have had no vision problems ever, I know it is not retinal detachment, because I'd be blind by now. And I know it isn't floaters, because I know like they look like.

Wether It being energy, white blood cells or some kind of optical migraine I will have to live with it, and I'll have to get used to it if they don't get better. It's just nice to know that other people have they same problem that I do.

If anyone has any more causes or theories about this please private message me.

thanks; sam

hello to everybody .. sorry for my english coz i am from latvia .. i am so glad that i am not the one whos seeing that wierd cells ... but still its so so enoying and deppressing .. i been taking alot of tests and also brain scan and everything is fine .. i cant imagine how can u just ignore them .. it feels like someday they getting really worse and someday its ok .. ya i have them for about 7 months already .. that would be nice to hear from the people who had them and get rid of them .. if its possible ofcource.. i am 23 now and this light flashes really ruing my life ... i dont want to have them for rest of my life .. and i really would like to talk with people who has them as well ..so please if u want to talk about it write me.