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What Causes Seeing White Lines In Visual Field?
Question: I have wavy white lines in very top of my visual field. I also alternatively have "bubbling" white lights. None of these lights are like bolts of light or intense flashes. I only see them outside in bright light
Brief Answer:
The less common causes like opacities and after images need to be ruled out
Detailed Answer:
Hello
Welcome to Health care magic
I reviewed your history.
It seems from the history that you are having symptoms of seeing white lines in visual field.
The commonest cause for seeing white lines and bubbling white lights is flashes of lights which can occur in problems involving the posterior segment of the eye like posterior vitreous detachment, retinal tears....
Since you are seeing they are not typical of intense flashes, we need to rule out other less common causes.
The causes that needs to be ruled out are
opacities in the peripheral visual field like lens opacities in the peripehry
after images as seen after viewing bright light
prodromal symptoms of migraine headache, if you are having headache following seeing of white lines
However these causes does not require any intervention as they are not harmful. You need to worry if you are having sudden onset of flashes of light with floaters. In this case you need to consult your ophthalmologist for examination of the posterior segment of the eye by indirect ophthalmoscopy.
Hope I have answered your question and the information is helpful to you.
Do write back to me for further questions.
Thank you
With regards
The less common causes like opacities and after images need to be ruled out
Detailed Answer:
Hello
Welcome to Health care magic
I reviewed your history.
It seems from the history that you are having symptoms of seeing white lines in visual field.
The commonest cause for seeing white lines and bubbling white lights is flashes of lights which can occur in problems involving the posterior segment of the eye like posterior vitreous detachment, retinal tears....
Since you are seeing they are not typical of intense flashes, we need to rule out other less common causes.
The causes that needs to be ruled out are
opacities in the peripheral visual field like lens opacities in the peripehry
after images as seen after viewing bright light
prodromal symptoms of migraine headache, if you are having headache following seeing of white lines
However these causes does not require any intervention as they are not harmful. You need to worry if you are having sudden onset of flashes of light with floaters. In this case you need to consult your ophthalmologist for examination of the posterior segment of the eye by indirect ophthalmoscopy.
Hope I have answered your question and the information is helpful to you.
Do write back to me for further questions.
Thank you
With regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Dr. Dadapeer K,
I was told that I have either retinoschisis or asymptomatic retinal detachment in this eye. Having had a detachment in the fellow eye, I am very familiar with the floaters and flashes associated with a detachment.
I never see the lights in a dark room, and they do not intensely flash or occur like a bolt. It is almost like a bubbling white light with an occasional wavy pattern, but not in the central field of vision; only at the very top of my eye when I look straight up at the sky without tilting my head. I discovered it almost by accident. I have no floaters other than occasional small white worm-like floaters which have always been there.
Maybe this provides better info to consider?
Correction - asymptomatic retinal tear.
I was told that I have either retinoschisis or asymptomatic retinal detachment in this eye. Having had a detachment in the fellow eye, I am very familiar with the floaters and flashes associated with a detachment.
I never see the lights in a dark room, and they do not intensely flash or occur like a bolt. It is almost like a bubbling white light with an occasional wavy pattern, but not in the central field of vision; only at the very top of my eye when I look straight up at the sky without tilting my head. I discovered it almost by accident. I have no floaters other than occasional small white worm-like floaters which have always been there.
Maybe this provides better info to consider?
Correction - asymptomatic retinal tear.
Brief Answer:
I would advice for eye examination to rule out associated conditions.
Detailed Answer:
Hello
Thank you for the follow up question.
Since you are familiar with flashes and floaters because of presence of retinoschisis and asymptomatic retinal tear, no need to worry much about the white lines on the top of the visual field.
Hence we need to rule out other causes as mentioned by me in the previous answer.
Since you are having retinoschisis and asymptomatic retinal tear, retinal examination by indirect ophthalmoscopy is required to look for the presence of any of these conditions in the fellow eye also.
Hence I advice you to undergo comprehensive examination once to rule out associated conditions. If everything comes normal then no need to be worried much about it.
Hope this answers your question.
Thank you
With regards
I would advice for eye examination to rule out associated conditions.
Detailed Answer:
Hello
Thank you for the follow up question.
Since you are familiar with flashes and floaters because of presence of retinoschisis and asymptomatic retinal tear, no need to worry much about the white lines on the top of the visual field.
Hence we need to rule out other causes as mentioned by me in the previous answer.
Since you are having retinoschisis and asymptomatic retinal tear, retinal examination by indirect ophthalmoscopy is required to look for the presence of any of these conditions in the fellow eye also.
Hence I advice you to undergo comprehensive examination once to rule out associated conditions. If everything comes normal then no need to be worried much about it.
Hope this answers your question.
Thank you
With regards
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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