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Seeing bright visual artifacts that look like lightning in slow motion

timewerx

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Sometimes I would see something bright that looks like a fireball slowly moving across my vision in a meandering motion. I could see it for couple of seconds.

It doesn't fade in or fade out. It would instantly appear at full brightness once it moves in my field of vision.

I know it isn't real. It's rare but it can be distracting when it appears and it's appearing more frequently as of late. I worry that it has something to do with the brain or the optic nerves.

Oh, I found a video that looks quite like it...Except the one I'm seeing is much brighter!

What is it?

 
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Petros2015

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That could be a harbinger of retinal detachment. If you google "Flashers and Floaters". I have some floaters and occasionally get the flashes too. See an eye doctor and they can give you an exam. I think high blood pressure can contribute, but they can tell you more. On the bright side, have occasionally had them since my late 20's and no serious problems. But if you are seeing frequently you want to get checked.
 
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timewerx

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That could be a harbinger of retinal detachment. If you google "Flashers and Floaters". I have some floaters and occasionally get the flashes too. See an eye doctor and they can give you an exam. I think high blood pressure can contribute, but they can tell you more. On the bright side, have occasionally had them since my late 20's and no serious problems. But if you are seeing frequently you want to get checked.

Thanks Petros, I googled it. The problem I have doesn't fit any of these categories. I even googled images and didn't see it in there either.

I found a much closer image of what I'm seeing.

It looks quite like this, just as bright and moves in very similar fashion, and same colors too!:

 
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Hank77

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That could be a harbinger of retinal detachment. If you google "Flashers and Floaters". I have some floaters and occasionally get the flashes too. See an eye doctor and they can give you an exam. I think high blood pressure can contribute, but they can tell you more. On the bright side, have occasionally had them since my late 20's and no serious problems. But if you are seeing frequently you want to get checked.
Yes, me too. I discovered it is more likely to occur when I haven't been drinking enough water.
 
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mnorian

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Do you get bright shimmering lights in your vision that last about 20 minutes to half hour? If they look anything like the following; it's caused by migraine headaches; which can have headache pains or not; and may in rare cases last different lengths of time. I get these my self and have had the for 30 years with no long lasting ill effects.
images
 
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Chaplain David

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Do you get bright shimmering lights in your vision that last about 20 minutes to half hour? If they look anything like the following; it's caused by migraine headaches; which can have headache pains or not; and may in rare cases last different lengths of time. I get these my self and have had the for 30 years with no long lasting ill effects.
images

I have similar visual phenomenon. Some call them auras and mine tend to precede migraines too.

Sometimes they seem to march across my field of vision. Sometimes they begin in one eye and end in the other. Twenty minutes is my length of time as well.

FOR THE OP: Do you have any pain after you see the visual effects?

I've begun seeing a neurologist who trying to determine the cause(s), and where and how they originate.

God bless everyone.
 
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teresa

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Oh wow, this is the very first time I've heard about this. I'm 55 years old now and I had these flashes on a regular basis when I was only 12 years old!

I never got any help at all.

Except for that my mom agreed after my begging to bring me to a doctor who treated me like I was nuts and was so insulting it was just terrible.

How do some people get a MD and do not know anything about neurology?

Outrageous!
 
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mnorian

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Oh wow, this is the very first time Ive heard about this. I'm 55 years old now and I had these flashes on a regular basis when I was only 12 years old!

I never got any help at all.

Except for that my mom agreed after my begging to bring me to a doctor who treated me like I was nuts and was so insulting it was just terrible.

How do some people get a MD and do not know anything about neurology?

Outrageous!

If you had a doctor that didn't know about these; get a new doctor.

I got my first migraines in my 20s and thought I had a brain tumor or worse so wouldn't tell anyone, then I went to a doc for head aches and he asked me if i got these;

I was so relived when he told me they were from pressure on the vision nerve behind your eyes; caused usually from sinus pressure; which was my initiation into the wonderful world of sinus allergies.
 
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teresa

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Oh, my dear friend, I'm so sorry you have had to suffer like this.

My doctor when I was 12 dismissed me or blew me off, and my mom didn't have any idea what to do, so nothing happened or was I ever treated for what ever was causing these flashes of light and the aura too....

it took nearly 4 decades to finally end up in the ER to get any help

As a premed major at one time and with a major in biology, I have NO respect for anyone graduating out of medical school who can't fathom what an aura is, nor has the decency to refer a child to Children's Hospital of Chicago, but writes me off to a lifetime of extreme fear and confusion, as I took it very hard that I was basically "crazy" and a loser.
 
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4x4toy

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Do you get bright shimmering lights in your vision that last about 20 minutes to half hour? If they look anything like the following; it's caused by migraine headaches; which can have headache pains or not; and may in rare cases last different lengths of time. I get these my self and have had the for 30 years with no long lasting ill effects.
images

I had these occurrences since I was 17 .. I usually experience partial blindness, colors with patterns (pretty much like those above) and extreme confusion but no pain . 20-25 minutes and I'm back sharp and clear . Many years later I found out about ocular migraines or painless migraines and I'm sure that's what it is . Once or twice a year and sometimes more frequent . I've learned to just ride them out, weird but no big deal . I'm just glad there is no pain with them because that would be a doozy of a headache and I've seen folks with migraines suffer bad with regular migraines . Never mentioned it to a Dr. or anyone because I was afraid they'd want to run a bunch of tests and/or keep me from work . There seems do be nothing in particular that triggers them and not much you can do to prevent them . One freaky thing is I can see names or common words and I don't recognize or grasp , I catch myself sounding out the letters like a first grader and it still makes no sense, double weird ^_^ cue twilight zone music .
 
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I had these occurrences since I was 17 .. I usually experience partial blindness, colors with patterns (pretty much like those above) and extreme confusion but no pain . 20-25 minutes and I'm back sharp and clear . Many years later I found out about ocular migraines or painless migraines and I'm sure that's what it is . Once or twice a year and sometimes more frequent . I've learned to just ride them out, weird but no big deal . I'm just glad there is no pain with them because that would be a doozy of a headache and I've seen folks with migraines suffer bad with regular migraines . Never mentioned it to a Dr. or anyone because I was afraid they'd want to run a bunch of tests and/or keep me from work . There seems do be nothing in particular that triggers them and not much you can do to prevent them . One freaky thing is I can see names or common words and I don't recognize or grasp , I catch myself sounding out the letters like a first grader and it still makes no sense, double weird ^_^ cue twilight zone music .
Hmmmm. I have had migraines, both the standard type and the ocular (just visual distortion). What you describe with the confusion/inability to read does not sound like any migraine I have ever heard of. It actually sounds closer to some mild kind of siezure disorder. Are you tired/exhausted after it is done? Do you get nauseous?
 
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4x4toy

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Hmmmm. I have had migraines, both the standard type and the ocular (just visual distortion). What you describe with the confusion/inability to read does not sound like any migraine I have ever heard of. It actually sounds closer to some mild kind of siezure disorder. Are you tired/exhausted after it is done? Do you get nauseous?

No nausea, not tired, just weird . I can tell when it starts and all the episodes are the same so far for 45 yrs. I've searched others descriptions and some pretty much are spot on similar to mine and hope my experience will help some one else to know it's inconvenient but alright .
 
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Dave-W

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Good to know. Normal migraines are often accompanied by nausea. Tiredness could be a sign for a different problem; possibly some kind of siezure.

I would talk to the doctor about the confusion you experience.
 
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mnorian

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Hmmmm. I have had migraines, both the standard type and the ocular (just visual distortion). What you describe with the confusion/inability to read does not sound like any migraine I have ever heard of. It actually sounds closer to some mild kind of siezure disorder. Are you tired/exhausted after it is done? Do you get nauseous?

Mental confusion is very much part of migraines; ask your doctor. I usually don't like to drive after a "visual aura' goes thru for about 4 hrs after my vision comes back; as it can effect my judgement.
 
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4x4toy

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Good to know. Normal migraines are often accompanied by nausea. Tiredness could be a sign for a different problem; possibly some kind of siezure.

I would talk to the doctor about the confusion you experience.

But who's going to fly the helicopter ? ^_^^_^^_^
 
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timewerx

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Do you get bright shimmering lights in your vision that last about 20 minutes to half hour? If they look anything like the following; it's caused by migraine headaches; which can have headache pains or not; and may in rare cases last different lengths of time. I get these my self and have had the for 30 years with no long lasting ill effects.
images


I also get those type of migraines. They are called "aura migraines".

But the subject of my OP is something else. I see brilliant fireballs moving across my field of vision, looking **exactly** like atmospheric meteor fireballs.

They only last for seconds just like meteor fireballs with no accompanying headache and disappears completely. Other than a minor distraction, it's harmless. I don't think it's hallucination because I do feel something moving inside my head when I see it. Although not painful at all.
 
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I also get those type of migraines. They are called "aura migraines".

But the subject of my OP is something else. I see brilliant fireballs moving across my field of vision, looking **exactly** like atmospheric meteor fireballs.

They only last for seconds just like meteor fireballs with no accompanying headache and disappears completely. Other than a minor distraction, it's harmless. I don't think it's hallucination because I do feel something moving inside my head when I see it. Although not painful at all.

Do these lightning streaks move with your pulse? I saw a video recently about this. It is a condition in which red blood cells get log jammed behind a white blood cell in the blood vessels of the eye. It looks like lightning streaks, but there is usually something that looks like a head or fireball at the front of them. That is the white blood cell.
 
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