Noticed black spot in eye and quickly disappear. Cause? Serious?
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Hello, I have had three incidents in which a black spot appeared in my left eye. It was opaque, but disappeared after a moment. It did not float but remained stationary before quickly disappearing. I am aware of floaters, but this was not the case in these. The difference is that it was a solid black and then disappeared nor did it "float" around.
Do you have any explanation as to the cause and what I should do? Is this a serious symptom?
Do you have any explanation as to the cause and what I should do? Is this a serious symptom?
Posted Fri, 16 Aug 2013
in General Health
Answered by Dr. Varnika J.P. 2 hours later
Hi,
Thank you for your query.
Thank you for the detailed history.It is good that you described your symptom in detail.And as you already feel it is not a floater we can look for other causes.
The mechanism for appearance of black spots (this is common for floaters or flashes too) is due to a change in the vitreous humor which is the jelly-like substance that fills the eye. Steadily, the vitreous divides into a liquid part and fibers which cluster together to form the spots and specks that are visible in the field of vision. However, these spots are normally harmless, but if you experience them regularly then it may be a symptom of a more serious problem with the retina,as repeated episodes affect the retina.
If spots recur, the most probable causes that needs to be excluded are-
1.RETINAL DETACHMENT
2.VITREOUS DETACHMENT
3.HYPERTENSIVE RETINOPATHY (BLOOD VESSEL HEMORRHAGE)
4.GLAUCOMA
5.MIGRAINE
Perhaps your blood pressure has induced some hypertensive hemorrhages in the retinal blood vessel causing spots in your vision. My suggestions are:
-First of all get your BP monitored and if it is high kindly consult a GP for adjusting the dosage of your BP medication or switching to a new medication.
-Secondly get your retina scanned and checked for any leaks and hemmorhages.
It will also give us a picture of the condition of your vitreous and your retina and if there is any tear.
-Kindly get a check up done for Diabetes also as Diabetic Retinopathy is also a main cause for vision problems.
It is not a reason to worry about but definitely need probing.
With the help of proper medication and BP control,these spots generally clear up within 2-6 months and vision is normal.
Hope this answers your query. You can contact me for further queries.
Regards
Thank you for your query.
Thank you for the detailed history.It is good that you described your symptom in detail.And as you already feel it is not a floater we can look for other causes.
The mechanism for appearance of black spots (this is common for floaters or flashes too) is due to a change in the vitreous humor which is the jelly-like substance that fills the eye. Steadily, the vitreous divides into a liquid part and fibers which cluster together to form the spots and specks that are visible in the field of vision. However, these spots are normally harmless, but if you experience them regularly then it may be a symptom of a more serious problem with the retina,as repeated episodes affect the retina.
If spots recur, the most probable causes that needs to be excluded are-
1.RETINAL DETACHMENT
2.VITREOUS DETACHMENT
3.HYPERTENSIVE RETINOPATHY (BLOOD VESSEL HEMORRHAGE)
4.GLAUCOMA
5.MIGRAINE
Perhaps your blood pressure has induced some hypertensive hemorrhages in the retinal blood vessel causing spots in your vision. My suggestions are:
-First of all get your BP monitored and if it is high kindly consult a GP for adjusting the dosage of your BP medication or switching to a new medication.
-Secondly get your retina scanned and checked for any leaks and hemmorhages.
It will also give us a picture of the condition of your vitreous and your retina and if there is any tear.
-Kindly get a check up done for Diabetes also as Diabetic Retinopathy is also a main cause for vision problems.
It is not a reason to worry about but definitely need probing.
With the help of proper medication and BP control,these spots generally clear up within 2-6 months and vision is normal.
Hope this answers your query. You can contact me for further queries.
Regards
The user accepted the expert's answer