Seeing black spots in my vision

If anyone can help me out here...

A guy from my office just called me, sounding pretty rattled. He says he’s been seeing this black spot in his vision since this morning. He checked himself out in the mirror and insists there's nothing physically wrong with the eye itself, but it's like this dark smudge just drifting around in his field of view. We're both getting a little worried about it. If anyone has any advice or has dealt with something similar, we'd really appreciate it...

Andrew Clark said:If anyone can help me out here...

A guy from my office just called me, sounding pretty rattled. He says he’s been seeing this black spot in his vision since this morning. He checked himself out in the mirror and insists there's nothing physically wrong with the eye itself, but it's like this dark smudge just drifting around in his field of view. We're both getting a little worried about it. If anyone has any advice or has dealt with something similar, we'd really appreciate it...

Hey there.

If that spot moves when he shifts his gaze or squeezes his eye slightly, it could be a burst capillary—basically some bleeding in the vitreous. It's one of those things.

I actually had a friend go through something very similar, so I'm just drawing a parallel here. It sounds pretty much the same.
He should definitely head to an ophthalmologist to get it checked out. Most likely, they'll just prescribe some eye drops.

Laura Harris13 said:Hey there.

If that spot moves when he shifts his gaze or squeezes his eye slightly, it could be a burst capillary—basically some bleeding in the vitreous. It's one of those things.

I actually had a friend go through something very similar, so I'm just drawing a parallel here. It sounds pretty much the same.
He should definitely head to an ophthalmologist to get it checked out. Most likely, they'll just prescribe some eye drops.

They mentioned it moves when they shift their gaze... it follows their line of sight. Apparently, it's pretty distracting. Just an uncomfortable feeling...

It might just be one of those little eye floaters that so many people deal with
but there could definitely be some more serious issues at play
those floaters usually have a bit of a glow to them rather than being pitch black
if you're seeing a solid black spot, I’d head straight to the ER—and honestly, even though I'm not exactly a fan of doctor visits myself, I’d tell him to do the same

Andrew Clark said:They mentioned it moves when they shift their gaze... it follows their line of sight. Apparently, it's pretty distracting. Just an uncomfortable feeling...

There's already a thread going about this topic.

He just needs to get used to it; it's not going anywhere.

The eyes age, the lenses age... it's just part of life.

copperrider20 said:There's already a thread going about this topic.

He just needs to get used to it; it's not going anywhere.

The eyes age, the lenses age... it's just part of life.

We're talking about a young guy here, not some bitter old retiree with hair gel stuck in her brain from the nineties!!!!

If he starts seeing flashes alongside that black spot, like little lightning bolts streaking through his vision... tell him to get straight to the ER. Seriously. If his retina starts detaching, he could go blind if they don't hit it with a laser immediately. I’m being dead serious here. It actually happened to my mom... she went from the emergency room straight into surgery.

Lisa Doyle said:We're talking about a young guy here, not some bitter old retiree with hair gel stuck in her brain from the nineties!!!!

Don't be an idiot. This can show up when you're ten years old. At least 10% of twenty-somethings deal with this, and they don't even use hair gel.

Go find the old thread and actually read it.

copperrider20 said:Don't be an idiot. This can show up when you're ten years old. At least 10% of twenty-somethings deal with this, and they don't even use hair gel.

Go find the old thread and actually read it.

I'm asking the admins to issue a permanent ban to this person for being so insulting.

Lisa Doyle said:I'm asking the admins to issue a permanent ban to this person for being so insulting.

Just Google "eye floaters"

Basically, changes in the vitreous humor usually start kicking in after you hit 40,
which is when people start noticing more "floaters." It’s totally possible for this stuff to happen earlier too, which is pretty common among
people with nearsightedness, though it doesn't happen to everyone. It’s just the gel inside your eye breaking down, causing its little structural bits
to clump together and float around due to condensation.


So, some old lady? Guess I was right. This is normal stuff—it can even happen to 13-year-olds (there’s actually a case about it discussed over on Reddit)

Come on, guys, give it a rest!

Besides, those eye floaters aren't always pitch black, either.
I've had them since I was a kid—just a handful of them, so I know what they look like.

But a solid black spot can actually be a sign of something really serious, so my advice is don't ignore it; just head straight to the ER.

Chain, just report the post to the mods using the little icon.
Do you honestly think the admins have time to read every single post? They’d never get anything done if they did.

jadesailor14 said:Come on, guys, give it a rest!

Besides, those eye floaters aren't always pitch black, either.
I've had them since I was a kid—just a handful of them, so I know what they look like.

But a solid black spot can actually be a sign of something really serious, so my advice is don't ignore it; just head straight to the ER.

Chain, just report the post to the mods using the little icon.
Do you honestly think the admins have time to read every single post? They’d never get anything done if they did.

Even the guy dating the girl who made the first post didn't have a completely black spot. Tiny black specks floating around are usually harmless, even if they're annoying (which I'm sure you already know).

Did she say it was black? Is
I mean, how did you even decide it wasn't black? I honestly have no clue 😬

But hey, there's no point in us all acting like experts on this forum
Either way, they should probably go see an eye doctor, because what feels like just a minor irritation can actually turn out to be pretty dangerous
And one thing is for sure: we only get one pair of eyes 😉

Thanks for all the input...👍 any bit of advice helps right now. Just trying to keep my cool until I can get in to see the doctor.

If I were you, I’d head straight to a doctor—specifically a neurologist.

I dealt with a similar blind spot last spring, and it cleared up after about a week or so.

But then, just three months later, I suffered a stroke, and now I’m stuck dealing with these persistent spots in my left eye.

They really should get their carotid arteries checked out and probably an MRI or CT scan of the brain.

Look, I’m trying not to panic right now, but this isn't something anyone should take lightly.

Jonathan Hernandez4 said:If I were you, I’d head straight to a doctor—specifically a neurologist.

I dealt with a similar blind spot last spring, and it cleared up after about a week or so.

But then, just three months later, I suffered a stroke, and now I’m stuck dealing with these persistent spots in my left eye.

They really should get their carotid arteries checked out and probably an MRI or CT scan of the brain.

Look, I’m trying not to panic right now, but this isn't something anyone should take lightly.

Yeah, if it's just a tiny little speck without any real size to it, then there's no reason to panic.

I had a spot right there, covering maybe about 1/15th of my field of vision🤷

I recall reading somewhere that developing one or more black spots in your vision can actually be caused by staring directly at a solar eclipse without proper eye protection, which often leads to serious complications. I believe the last time we had an eclipse here in the States was about a decade ago; I remember being in elementary school back then, and while I made sure to use protective eyewear, if he happened to watch it unprotected, that might very well be the culprit. I don't know for certain, of course—I'm just relaying what I read back then.

If the spot drifts around like sediment floating in a bottle of murky water, you’re looking at vitreous opacity. There isn't a magic pill for that. The best thing you can do is stop Googling symptoms and just learn to ignore it. That said, go get your retina checked out, just to be safe.

The more you obsessively research this stuff, the more you'll find yourself staring at nothing, waiting for it to happen, until you eventually just lose your mind. Trust me, I know how it goes.

Now, if the spot doesn't drift—if it feels "stuck" or glued to your vision—then we're talking about something actually happening on the retina. It could be vascular ischemia or something similar. If that's the case, get to an ophthalmologist immediately.

Mods, you really should merge this with the existing thread.

I had a single spot like that a few years back. I thought it was kind of interesting to watch it move around my eye, but then more little spots started showing up. I went to see a doctor, and it took them nearly two or three months just to figure out I had uveitis. I've been dealing with it for over a year now. My advice, if you need it, is probably to go see an ophthalmologist—maybe even a private specialist, since it’s usually a lot faster to get seen that way initially.