Seeing things that aren't there?

[Pinoikoi]

I got up from a chair yesterday and saw these little specks flickering in front of me.. they looked like wiggly little worms in the air.. is that bad? What are they? It lasted several seconds before they slowly faded.

[starling&diesel]

Those floaties can be a symptom of high blood pressure ... how has your pressure been so far? Are you feeling dizzy or light-headed? Are you carrying water / swelling?

Most likely it was just because you got up from sitting, but I would most certainly mention it to your midwive or HCP.

[Pinoikoi]

So far my blood pressure is normal for me, which is abnormally low for anyone else..

[MaerynPearl]

I had it with DD and they said it can be a sign of high blood pressure... but I never ever had high blood pressure problems. Turned out to not seem to have anything to do with anything other than the pregnancy as it went away after she was born... but it is something to make note of with your care provider.

[_betsy_]

Sounds like floaters. Very common, and usually not a concern. Lots of things increase the frequency of them, like fatigue, stress, dehydration, high blood pressure. Be sure to take good care of yourself and get lots of rest and lots of water!

[Catubodua]

Originally Posted by Pinoikoi

So far my blood pressure is normal for me, which is abnormally low for anyone else..

just wanted to say - i was the exact same way. i normally have lower blood pressure than other folks (normal for me) and i was getting them towards the end of my pregnancy. i never had a high blood pressure reading any time they were happening.

for me, they weren't just floaters, they were sometimes actual black spots that i couldn't focus on things or see around. it was quite disturbing.

one doctor in the practice told me that sometimes it happens because all the extra fluid we're storing in our bodies affects our eyes (i can't remember exactly if she said the cornea or whatever) and that it resolves itself when you deliver.

so far, this has been true for me.

[Artichokie]

I historically have had low blood pressure and I get them all the time (I am not pregnant, though). I've gotten them since childhood.

[Kailey's mom]

I get that before a migraine hits.. also when I was pregnant, that was one of my signs before getting dx with Pre-e

[CorasMama]

it's definitely something to mention to your midwife or ob, and be more aware of other symptoms (headache, swelling, etc.) and if you get any other symptoms, call immediately.

[Kuba'sMama]

I've been actually curious about this, as I've been experiencing something similar. I've also been seeing things that are not there, but these are more of shadows and things seen "out of the corner of my eye". So I'll be washing the dishes or something, and I think I see something move or dart across the room... created many gasps that's for sure! Needless to say it doesn't happen when I'm not pregnant. Interesting thread.

[aims1029]

I had this with both pregnancies. Sometimes black lines and sometimes little red flashy spots. My BP has always stayed close to 110/70 and I'm always well hydrated. I was referred to an eye doc with pregnancy #1 and after a lot of testing everything was fine. The eye doc referred me to a neuro-ophthalmologist would also concluded that everything was fine and normal. With this pregnancy I mentioned it to my midwife and she said it is very common and doesn't always mean there is a problem. IIRC, she said black floaters were fine but if you see bright white flashing lights to go get checked out.

[IAMommy]

I get this too. My BP is low, but I normally suffer from migraines, so I just figure this is a manifestation of those called optical migraines. I haven't mentioned it to my midwife, but maybe I will b/c it wasn't this bad with Ds 1.

[ASusan]

Another one here with low BP during pg and wiggly worms and bubbles in my vision. Happened a few times, and went away after pregnancy.

[lunarlady]

Sometimes what you are seeing is actually the blood vessels in your eyes. Very weird, I know! I've been getting these lately but I think it is because I've had a sinus infection that is gumming up my eyes too. Otherwise, I don't often get them.

[HappiLeigh]

There was another thread on this a few weeks ago. Seems to be pretty common. As long as your blood pressure is being monitored, it seems to be just one of those "joys."

[rhiOrion]

I get this not pregnant, too. i'm not sure exactly which type you're talking about though.

I get the little floating brown dots that are ALWAYS there (sometimes more pronounced than others).

Then sometimes I get little teeny tiny squigly silver wormy type things that swim around for a few minutes and then stop. I've always assumed that it's what people are talking about when they say "seeing stars." Those tend to come when I stand up too fast, or go from bending over to upright too fast.

And then I get the lovely migraine auras that are like big dark grey arcs of static in my vision that I can't see around, and they slowly move from the middle of my vision to the outside.

I've definitely been getting the squigly silver things more often... I think it's just a result of having a lot more blood and more quick blood pressure changes. My BP has been fine.

[blizzard_babe]

I had them when pg with DS. The only time it was ever an issue was the time I got them right after waking up (and sitting up) from a weird preggo dream about bugs. I started waving my arms at them. DH thought I had totally lost it.