Sudden visual disturbances are perceived by many people as very frightening. However, they can also be completely harmless. If the eye flicker occurs repeatedly and there are further complaints, an ophthalmologist should be consulted as a precaution to rule out a serious disease. Eye fibrillation should be distinguished from eye twitching and eye tremor.
What is eye fibrillation?
If eye flicker occurs repeatedly and there are other symptoms, an ophthalmologist should be consulted as a precaution to rule out a serious condition. Eye flickering (flicker scotoma) is a visual disorder in which there is a loss of part of the visual field. The medical term flicker scotoma is derived from the Greek word “skoto”, which means darkness. A zigzag-shaped area with a bright border can no longer be perceived in one or both eyes. In addition, there are flickering lights or flashes, each occurring on the same side of the eye. The complaints occur in loose succession or at regular intervals and can be signs of an incipient migraine with aura. This is also characterized by their duration of between 20 and 30 minutes. If the phenomenon lasts only about five to ten minutes, it may be an ocular migraine. During the eye fibrillation there is very often also an increased sensitivity to light. There may also be nausea and vomiting as well as headaches during ocular fibrillation. Glaucoma also initially begins with eye fibrillation.
Causes
The causes of ocular fibrillation are still largely unknown. It is thought that circulatory problems in the brain trigger the symptoms. In addition, factors such as stress and other strains of a physical or mental nature, as well as prolonged work at a computer screen, can promote the symptomatology in the long term. Taking medication can also lead to intermittent eye fibrillation. The first sign of glaucoma is a headache on one half of the head accompanied by eye flickering. Glaucoma leads to blindness of the eye if left untreated, making it one of the most common causes of blindness in people worldwide.
Diseases with this symptom
- Stroke
- Migraine
- Glaucoma (glaucoma)
Diagnosis and course
Ocular fibrillation is best diagnosed by an ophthalmologist. Here, the detailed recording of the patient’s medical history is particularly important. This already gives the doctor clues about the possible underlying disease. To rule out glaucoma, the intraocular pressure is measured. In addition, an examination of the eye is always performed to check for inflammation of the vessels or retina. This examination is called funduscopy or ophthalmoscopy and is completely painless. The ophthalmologist looks into the patient’s eye through a magnifying glass using a lamp. Depending on the examination method, he or she can see individual sections or the entire back of the eye and assess whether abnormalities are responsible for the eye fibrillation. In glaucoma, there is increased intraocular pressure and a clearly visible detachment of the optic nerve head in the back of the eye. For further clarification of glaucoma, further examinations are necessary. According to the results of the examination, the doctor can decide whether the eye flicker requires treatment, but in glaucoma this is always the case.
Complications
Eye fibrillation is often accompanied by visual disturbances; it frightens most people. However, it can also be quite harmless, a visit to the ophthalmologist provides information. But if it occurs more often, a serious disease can no longer be ruled out. However, eye twitching or eye tremor should not be confused with eye fibrillation. In eye flickering, part of the images can no longer be perceived. In addition, flashes occur, each time in the same eye. These attacks can occur regularly, but also in loose succession. This can also be a sign of incipient migraine, at all if the visual disturbances last 20 to 30 minutes. However, if the eye flicker lasts only about five minutes, then it is an indication of eye migraine. During the eye flicker, the eye is very sensitive to light and a headache may occur, as well as nausea and vomiting have often been observed.Glaucoma also announces itself in this way. Where the eye flicker comes from has not yet been researched, but it is assumed that circulatory disorders in the brain are responsible. Eye flickering is favored by stress, high loads and long working at the screen. Sometimes eye flicker is also triggered by medication. For glaucoma, the signs are that the eye flicker is still accompanied by a one-sided headache. If glaucoma is not treated, it inevitably leads to blindness. The ophthalmologist will quickly determine the cause of the eye flicker, he will include the patient’s entire medical history to make the correct diagnosis. Glaucoma can be quickly diagnosed with an intraocular pressure measurement. With an ophthalmoscopy, the doctor can detect inflammation of the retina or vessels. This examination is completely painless. He can thus see the entire back of the eye and can quickly assess whether abnormalities are the cause of the eye fibrillation. If glaucoma is present, it must be treated.
When should you see a doctor?
Eye flutter often appears out of nowhere. This has a very frightening effect on those affected, which often makes the eye flicker even worse. The first thing to do here is to keep your nerves! Often, eye flickering is harmless and can be traced back to a specific cause, such as overexertion of the eyes due to long work at the PC. Then it’s time to let your eyes wander, for example by looking out of the window, and it gets better. Tension in the neck-shoulder area can also trigger eye flicker. However, if eye flickering, also known as flickering scotoma, occurs more than once, possibly in conjunction with additional complaints, a visit to the doctor should definitely be made. For example, the dangerous eye disease glaucoma typically begins with eye flickering. If the ophthalmologist is not consulted immediately to stop the disease, blindness will result. Also dangerous are diseases of the eye retina. Circulatory disorders, including of the brain, are further triggers for flickering of the eyes. Migraine patients often experience eye flickering as a harbinger of the following migraine attack. The ophthalmologist should therefore be consulted first in the event of eye flickering. If he can rule out an eye disease, he already knows which specialists are best to continue: the internist, cardiologist or neurologist.
Treatment and therapy
The eye flicker in the context of a migraine or eye migraine usually does not require treatment by the ophthalmologist. Here, the focus is on relieving the pain. If necessary, patients are referred to a neurologist to further clarify the migraine symptoms. If the visual disturbances occur while working with machines, work must be interrupted immediately. A parking space should also be sought immediately in road traffic. Driving should not be continued until the attack has subsided and vision is no longer impaired. When working in the office, a break should also be taken if possible, because there is a risk of ocular strain due to the eye fibrillation when working at the computer screen or reading documents at the same time.
Outlook and prognosis
The outlook and prognosis in the occurrence of ocular fibrillation or flickering scotoma can only be made with regard to the course of individual attacks. Usually, ocular fibrillation lasts for about 20 to 30 minutes and completely independent of any attempt at treatment. However, it is difficult to assess whether each event is singular or whether symptoms recur regularly. Circulatory disturbances and vasospasm in the brain are discussed as causative factors. It is striking that the flickering scotoma often appears in connection with an incipient migraine with aura. If in this case the migraine can be contained by specific treatment, the visual field restriction or seeing flashes and the increased sensitivity to light also disappear. The connection with vascular spasms in the brain gives rise to the assumption that stress factors of a psychological or physical nature may also be causative factors. Therefore, relaxation exercises that have a decramping effect are considered preventive measures against the occurrence of eye flicker. In some cases, flicker scotoma is associated as an early indicator of incipient glaucoma.This means that it is not the scotoma itself but the causes of glaucoma that must be remedied in order to prevent blindness. In most cases, it is necessary to reduce the increased intraocular pressure back to normal via appropriate measures and interventions, so that the optic nerve can be supplied regularly again.
Prevention
If the eye flicker occurs in advance of a migraine, it is often helpful to analyze the triggering factors and avoid or turn them off if possible. When working at a computer screen for a long period of time, it is important to take regular breaks to relax the eye. Loosening the shoulder and neck muscles is also important, because permanent tension can also lead to eye flicker in the long term.
What you can do yourself
Because the exact causes of the occurrence of eye flicker or flicker scotoma are not yet sufficiently understood, a directly effective self-help is not known. In most cases, however, the briefly occurring visual disturbance can be associated with acute stressful situations, tension, and strain. Often the occurring symptoms are associated with migraine. One of the most important measures to overcome flickering scotoma is to actively relax and relieve the eyes. Above all, the eyes must be temporarily relieved from concentrated screen work and glaring light must be avoided. If no organic ailments such as glaucoma (green star) can be held responsible for the temporary discomfort, active relaxation techniques serve not only to overcome the acute eye flicker, but also to prevent it. Regular massage of the shoulder and neck muscles also not only counteracts flicker scotoma, but also prevents tension headaches and migraines. Since the symptoms are often triggered by overtiredness and general overexertion, healthy sleep with alternating REM and deep sleep phases also serves preventively and helps in improved handling of stressful situations. If the eye flicker occurs while driving, it is recommended to activate the hazard warning lights if necessary and to bring the car to a halt as quickly as possible for reasons of traffic safety.
