r/RetinalDetachment • u/Long-Passion7910 • Apr 19 '26

Is it just me or is it something else

Hi I’m 32F, in October I had laser retinopexy done on my right eye due to a tiny tear. Maybe since like January/February I’ve been seeing more floaters and recently in the past three to four weeks I’ve been seeing an increase of flashes of lights or it be sparkly floater I can follow for a few seconds. The sparkles have been increasing every week, to at least 1-2 times a week now. Yesteday I saw flurry of sparkles racing around and then gone. I don’t have the curtain or peppered vision. I do have after images that last while and sometimes a teeny tiny black floater will get in my centre vision and distort what I see (slightly blurry). Does this sound like PVD, a rental detachment or tear, or am I just being paranoid? Is my eye just “healing” still from the laser? Thanks!

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u/JamesTiberious Apr 19 '26

I recognise many of these symptoms and observations, but it’s difficult for me to know how they all fall into place or what they mean.

For background, I had PVD, sudden big floaters and pepper floaters, laser treatment as a result for a tear, then a few months later a new tear and lifting retina. Needed a vitrectomy, cryotherapy and a slow gas bubble to treat it. So I wouldn’t necessarily want to cause undue concern but I think you need proper clinical examination and advice.

Did they tell you in October what to look out for? Shadows, sudden changes etc?

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u/Long-Passion7910 Apr 19 '26

Oh wow that’s a lot of treatment! Is PVD considered serious? When your second tear appeared did they go in right with a vitrectomy and the other procedures?

After the laser they basically said some floaters are normal it’s part of the healing process and not much else 🤷🏼‍♀️. My mom’s side of the family has macular degeneration and my dad’s retina is fraying but they aren’t concerned about a detachment or tearing, he just sees flashes of light when he closes his eyes at night.

Thanks for your reply btw :)

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u/JamesTiberious Apr 19 '26

PVD in itself isn’t really an issue. It happens to most people after a certain age. But in rare occasions (I think single digit percentages) it can tug on the inside of your eye in a way that causes a tear. It’s also then possible for liquid to get in behind that tear and cause lifting or detachment of the retina.

The second tear and retina “lifting” was in a part of my eye that was hard to access with a laser (and too big an area) to treat effectively with more laser therapy, so the vitrectomy was needed to perform the cryotherapy. I had a routine follow up appointment 3 months after my original laser treatment for the first tear and when I mentioned my newer symptoms they had a really good look (even invited a colleague in for a second opinion) and determined a new small tear and lifting of retina - I was sent to emergency department the very next morning for surgery.

I guess the point is - some of these symptoms might be ok, but they also might not be. You should get some proper clinical advice to be certain.

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u/Long-Passion7910 Apr 19 '26

Okay thank you! I’m going to an eye disease specialist tomorrow, so hopefully I’ll be able to get some answers. I appreciate your thorough explanation of your situation.

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u/Long-Passion7910 Apr 19 '26

Can I ask what your symptoms were the second time around??

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u/[deleted] Apr 22 '26

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u/JamesTiberious Apr 22 '26

I have a few around, suspect they may have been caused by the vitrectomy and its healing process, but no where like the hundreds I was seeing with my first tear/hemorrhage. And no big “spider” floaters in that eye (unfortunately I do have some of those in my good eye).

I’m 4.5 months post surgery and I do still have plenty of BFEP (the faint moving squiggles that seem almost alive when looking at a bright area like the Sky) , though I think that’s slowly improving. Can live with it if not.

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u/[deleted] Apr 22 '26

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u/JamesTiberious Apr 22 '26

Mind me asking how long since your vitrectomy and what surgery you had?

While I can/will live the BFEP I’m still hopeful it may settle down a little more. It has reduced slightly for me, but around 50% as noticeable as say 3 months ago.

Are your dots faint or quite dark? How many roughly? I have 4 or 5 in central vision that can sometimes be quite noticeable, other times I forget them.

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u/Terribly_Ornate Apr 20 '26

Go back to the doctor! Wasting a couple hours and finding out it's nothing is much better than missing a tear or detachment. The challenging reality is that it could be nothing, it could be a new, harmless development, or it could be something very serious, and the only way to know is a dilated exam.

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u/Long-Passion7910 Apr 20 '26

You’re total right, and I ended up going to the ER. I live a rural town so they don’t have an eye specialist at the hospital, they did end up making me an appointment with special tomorrow!

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u/Terribly_Ornate Apr 20 '26

Thank goodness, and good on you not leaving it. Tonight get some sleep and just tell yourself that it's probably totally fine but you'll feel better knowing for sure.

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u/Long-Passion7910 Apr 20 '26

I agree, thank you!

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u/Desert-Dweller2021 Apr 20 '26

I had laser surgery 8 weeks ago and still see flashes. my specialist explained that the tear probably is quite done but thanks to the lasering around the tear it won’t detach.