Seeing a floating, flashing ball of light...

[amberskyfire]

I know what you're thinking, that it's a precursor to pre-eclampsia, but no. That was my first worry, too.

I had this with my other pregnancy and now it's happening again with this one. Last time, the right eye, this time, the left eye. I see a floating ball/circle of light periodically that sort of flashes and sinks down along the outside rim of my vision.

Last time, I had no pre-eclamptic symptoms whatsoever, beautifully perfect blood pressure and great health. I had two midwives and they both told me that it was nothing to worry about. I went on to have a fantastic and relatively uneventful unassisted birth that, though difficult because baby was born posterior, resulted in no problems.

This time, I'm seeing it again in my other eye and I'm halfway along. My blood pressure is fantastic. No other problems at all. I see it mainly in the evening, but I think that's just because it's dark and I can see it better. I have also read that they can indicate the onset of a migraine, but I have never had a headache in my life.

So if it's not pre-eclamptic, WHAT IS IT?! Anybody else experienced anything like this?

[birdhappy85]

I have floaters in my right eye that seem to be more noticeable while I've been pregnant. Do you see this floating ball of light mainly when you're staring at a bright screen? Floaters don't "flash" though... but they do appear like they're moving as you kind of try observing them. Maybe you are experiencing migraine auras? I've read that you can still have silent migraines without the headache. Halfway through my pregnancy is when I ended up in the ER because of extreme migraine auras myself. And I had never had a migraine in my life. I woke up from a nap one day and just started seeing geometric patterned flashing lights moving across the entire right side of my vision, even blocking my ability to see straight ahead, like there was an absence of vision there. I also lost my peripheral vision during the whole 1-2 hours it was going on. I had other auras too. I became disoriented, couldn't understand what was being said to me, couldn't spell normal words, my right arm became tingly, etc. No pre-eclampsia here either and they ruled out a stroke. I ended up with horrible head pressure and a headache for a day or two afterward. It was a one-time occurrence for me, though. If you're having frequent visual disturbances with flashing lights and no headaches or anything along with it, I'd probably consult with a doctor just out of curiosity and to be on the safe side - even if your previous pregnancy went smoothly while having these symptoms.

[amberskyfire]

Thanks! Wow, definitely nothing that bad, so that's good, at least! I'm just seeing the one ball and I do see it at least daily. No head pressure or migraines or anything else. I'll keep an eye on it and talk to my midwife again, definitely.

[Brisen]

It does sound like an ocular/visual migraine.  I get them, thankfully without an actual migraine.  It starts off as a small ball of flashing, kind of rainbowish light, and gets bigger and opens up off to the side.  At the most, I lose about 1/4 of my field of vision.  Then it keeps moving to the outside until it is gone.  I get them in either eye.

My blood pressure is always either right where it should be or slightly low, and I've had no pre-e concerns.  I asked about it, and I was told it's just one of those things that happens sometimes.  I mostly only get them when I'm pregnant.

ETA:  This is a pretty good explanation and flash animation of what it looks like.  Maybe it will help you figure out if that's what you're seeing.

[amberskyfire]

Oh, no it doesn't look anything like that at all (though that could still be what I'm having.)

What I see looks just like those balls of light that show up in "ghost" photos. It's a white ball that flashes on at about 11 o'clock in my left eye, then it quickly falls/sinks down to about 8 o'clock and then disappears. It lasts about one to two seconds and then it's gone. It's bright, like a light, not like a floater.

Those rainbows were weird!

[BaileyB]

I have had those off and on. Both when pregnant and not. They have never been associated with any health prob with me. They drive me nuts! I have actually seen a Simpsons episode where Homer had those but I don't remember why they were talking about them. Sorry. That was no help haha.

[mesa]

I read that these are actually "floaters", solid matter inside the vitreous humour in the eyeball. That's why they show up so much when you look at large, well lit, monochrome surfaces...or the sky.

[amberskyfire]

Mine isn't. I've always had floaters, but this is a ball of light that always moves in the same pattern. I went to the optometrist and they're referring me to a specialist to make sure it's not a detached retina which could get worse if that's what it is. We'll see! I hope it's nothing.

[Just1More]

Have you gone to a chiropractor?  My guess is it occurs because of some minimal adjustment in your spine, leading to a compressed nerve somewhere.  Like, you shift a certain direction, and the nerve is pinched, and the visual aura happens.  You shift again, and it goes away.  I have issues with the very top vertebre getting out of place, and therefore pressing on my brainstem.  I get all sorts of weird symptoms, and strange vision things is one of them.