[TerraRizing]

Hello, nice to meet everyone. I'm slipping so much in the past few days and I could use some help. I don't know where to post this but if someone knows better, please tell me where to ask for help. This is going to be a long read...
A few days ago, I got back from a gym workout and saw.... shimmering lines in my eyes. Sat through it and got a headache. I was honestly just bored and stupid mistakes but I started browsing eye conditions.... and ran into retinal detachment and blindness.
Ever since then, I'm struggling with anxiety, developed a phobia about losing my vision. I got a full dilated exam the next day and my doc said my retinas was healthy but I just can't shake it off. I see floaters, right now, on the screen and I haven't seen them before.... or maybe I did and just didn't care but these little things have become a nightmare for me. It's so bad, that a few hours ago, I wasn't sure if the temporary loss of light was my sight going blind or a power outage (common in my area) I know it was most likely a power outage but my brain just doesn't accept it.
I have this phobia that I'll just go blind in an instant, I'm scared of sleeping because I fear I'll wake up blind. Does the human body even work that way? People going blind for life in an instant with no warning signs? I don't know after all that I've read.... I've had no serious symptoms, no vision loss, I can see perfectly for miles but something just feels wrong with my vision and eyes... dunno if it's because I'm hype aware...
I literally have everything in my life, no shortage of money, everything that I want I get because I have an awesome family but this vision anxiety has gotten me depressed and I've barely went out in the past few weeks. My exams are next month and I can't study a bit. I am terrified of going blind but it's more because I don't want my parents to suffer for something that happens to me.
Can anyone help? Some assurance, just give me some help that I'll not go blind for life in a blink of an eye.
Thank you for reading. I wish all of you well.

[sabby]

I'm sorry to hear you are struggling with your thoughts of going blind.

I'm not a doctor but I have experienced very similar situations with my eyes where there were shimmering lights and then boom, a bad headache. These are called migraine headaches and very often they can come from stress as well as other reasons too.

Since you went to your eye doctor and he said your retinas were absolutely healthy, I would say do your best to accept what the doctor told you (they have no reason to lie to you about such things) and look into the situation that it could have been a migraine. You can see your regular doctor about that. They will question you about what happened before you got your headache.

Oh, and the shimmering lights are called an aura. Migraine auras can come in different forms. Ask your doctor about those as well. To me, I appreciate getting the auras because then I'm able to take my migraine medicine before or just when the headache is hitting me so that it's not as bad as if I didn't take any meds.

I hope I've been able to help at least a little bit. Good luck with this and I hope you are able to calm your anxiety very soon.

[Shazerac]

welcome to psych central.

Like Sabby said, we're not doctors. I get shimmering lights and floaters in my vision because of miagraine headaches. If this is the case for you, then you're not going to go blind.

I'm glad you got your retinas checked.

[Sunflower123]

Hello. Welcome to PC. You could get a second opinion to fortify the first that includes a full eye exam but I seriously doubt you are going blind and I don't know of anybody going suddenly blind. When you start worrying about it you could picture a huge stop sign and say aloud...STOP...don't go there...that's false.

I'm sorry you're going through this anxiety. I hope you feel better about this soon. Sending big hugs.

[*Laurie*]

Your description does sound like a migraine headache.

Believe what your eye doctor said.

You're being held hostage by your anxiety. I understand it, because I do the same thing.

[InstantChai]

I get the shimmers sometimes, but without the headache afterward. I, too, was worried about it and went to an eye doctor. I was told they are ocular migraines and are harmless. From what I've read, sometimes ocular migraines come by themselves (as with me) or as an aura before a migraine headache (as it sounds like happened to you).

[Biteplate]

Originally Posted by InstantChai

I get the shimmers sometimes, but without the headache afterward. I, too, was worried about it and went to an eye doctor. I was told they are ocular migraines and are harmless. From what I've read, sometimes ocular migraines come by themselves (as with me) or as an aura before a migraine headache (as it sounds like happened to you).

When I'm super stressed or don't sleep for days I get ocular migranes. I also thought there was something wrong with my vision but it was basically a warning sign to get some rest. Try relaxing or sleeping.