My 5 year old son came to me last night and said "Mommy do you see all those spots everywhere?". I didn't and questioned him about the spots and he said he was seeing medium sized spots all over. After talking to him more and more he said he has seen them before but not all the time. This is the first time he told me about them. Eventually I called the advice-nurse who said it was unusual for a 5 year old to complain of seeing spots and to take him to the ER. He was seen by an ER doctor (really the after hours clinic sine it wasn't a real emergency) and the doctor recommended seeing an opthamologist. He saw the opthamologist this morning who dialated his eyes and did a full exam. He said everything looked healthy and normal. We discussed an MRI or CT scan but he was hesitant because of the risks and all that's involved since there weren't any symptoms or real reason to warrent one of those procedures. This doctor did talk with a pediatric opthamologist who said sometimes kids who are very smart and who notice a lot detail in things (which is my son exactly!) can sometimes experience something called an Entoptic Phenomena. That doctor said he has seen kids like that before. I of course looked it up online and didn't really see a whole lot. I will discuss all this with his pediatrician and I'm assuming all is okay since their aren't any other symptoms or concerns. I was just wondering if anyone else has experienced this or know anything about it? From looking online about kids seeing spots I have found quite a few people discussing this. There seems to be a common allergy thread. My son doesn't really have allergies but has eczema that seems to be pretty seasonal, meaning it's much worse in colder weather and mostly fine in warm/humid weather. He has taken some allergy medicine in the past but isn't now. Thanks for any advice!
My family seems to have more than our share of interesting eye issues, and my mom and I both have experienced this. She was referred to one of the best opthamologists in the country at Stanford (for a different issue) and asked about it. He said that everyone has this to some extent - basically there's some kind of residue (that was not his word, I forget the exact term) that is inside your eyes even before you are born. Most of this stuff is absorbed into your body, but some of it isn't, and actually floats around inside the eye. It's normal and not harmful. If your son has had his eyes dilated and the doctor saw nothing wrong, then probably he is just noticing the spots - for most people it's like "white noise" - in other words, since we've all had this all our lives, we don't notice it. Kids always notice way more than adults; as your doctor said, he's a bright kid who notices everything!
Is it possible he is dehydrated? Just a thought. I get something like that myself when I don't drink enough water. It eventually leads to a headache for me. Good luck.
Sarah,
I am sure this is scary for you. Is it for him? I encourage you to track this and stay on top of it and not let the doctors dismiss it if it does not go away...
- is he out in the sun..maybe try sunglasses, sorry if you mentioned that, i am going fast today.
- Turning up side down can do that when we look up...
- I saw the spots as a kid, was a highly gifted kiddo..remember being fascinated with those little dots, watching them float. your posts brought back memories....
- Has he had an injury though..head? Is he fatigued, having neurological symptoms..weakness. I am thinking he is fine but encourage you to watch it and follow that gut instinct mama?
I see small spots floating around-usually out side. In one of my physiology classes I learned about rods and cones that are used to help us see. Now it has been a long time so I may not explain this right, but there is matter floating around in our eye and sometimes you see spots bouncing around. It is especially prominent for me when I am looking at the sky. I don't know if this is what is going on with your son. I wish you luck and hopefully all will be okay.
I don't have advice really, just that I could have written your question myself, the EXACT same thing happened with my son, even what your ophthalmologist said about smart kids that notice details. I just thought it was really weird I was reading exactly what we went through and same results. My son is 6 1/2 now and he doesn't complain about spots, he says he doesn't see them as often (he's also now in 1st grade and a lot busier so maybe he just isn't noticing them??
My son complained about seeing things fly around his room one night. He had eaten a small dinner that night because he had swim lessons, and then we went to ColdStone because it was his last swim lesson. We have noticed since that if he eats sugar after not having a lot of protein he will hallucinate. Sounds crazy, but it has proven true twice already.
Hi Sarah -
This happened to me when I was a child - and thought it was really weird. As I got to be an adult - it still happens - but I know now they are fairly common and normal 'floaters' - little spots that just float across my vision - and I've gotten used to it. As long as there is nothing physiologically wrong - :-)
I see "Floaters" too. Actually funny thing in on Family Guy they had an episode about this not too long ago...may have been a repeat. Anyways, i think he's just seeing the normal stuff that our eyes can see if you are bored enough to pay attention to it. As a kid i'd focus on one of them and watch as i'd move my eye that it'd move with it. Of course I'd definitely want to ask more questions and see if this is in fact what he's seeing or are they white flashes or spots with color..that would be something different.
Good luck but it sounds like normal kid discovery stuff. :) Take a deep breath and try and see the spots yourself...kind of fun!
By no means is this a professional diagnosis but I thought I would add:
Key points to ask are what color are the floaters. If they are black or clear, most likely they are floaters and since the Ophthalmologist dilated him, I assume no retinal problems have been noted and the floaters are "normal." If they are colored or white, other diagnoses may be sought. One of which is an ophthalmic migraine. These can be elicited by caffeine (too much or too little), food allergies, lights, blood pressure issues,etc.
Of course if they don't go away completely and aren't just common floaters, it's best to look into them more. I'm glad you are checking back his Primary Care doc and I hope it all resolves itself soon. Best of luck.
Does he have an astigmatism?
I accidentally bumped my forehead on a post at home (don't know why!) and I began to see a floater on my right eye (the side that I bumped) a few weeks or months later.
I did not know what it was before (it is a small line that looks like lint), it moves with my eye; sometimes it is annoying when I notice it; sometimes I feel like seeing a fly at the corner of my eye...
I went to an ophthalmologist who diagnosed it, then I remembered that stupid bump sometime ago that I've almost forgotten! He said that is how floater appears when the retina got loosen from the attachment to the back of the eye. The floater will eventually sinks down and would not be that noticeable, but it hasn't yet for me; takes a year or so...
Could it be that your son had a big bump earlier; being 5...!? Good luck!
I've had eye strain headaches (from age 5 on ) & ophthalmic migraines all my life. Before the migraines I always see a crescent shaped little bundle of moving lights (that blocks out vision behind it) before hand. Sometimes, when I was younger, I would just get the lights and no other symptoms. One doctor thought it was blood pressure related. But now (in my 30's) I always get the same odd feeling headache afterwards- annoying but not the end of the world. Hopefully its just floaters (as that sounds more like what your son described), but as others have said it couldn't hurt to keep a close eye on him and ask him to tell you more about them if they happen again!
Hello Sarah: When ever I see spots in my eyes- it means a migrain. My son used to have a chemical embalance and when the chemistry changed in his system he saw spots and often in color. I hope that you are able to connect with a doctor that will be able to help and soon. Nana G
I have seen colored spots, and sometimes wavy lines or other visual distortions before migraine headaches (very bad in my case) about 3 or 4 times in my life, the first time I was 16. I also have had occasional "specks" that moved with my vision, floaters apparently.
Hi, I have seen spots for many years and about 8 years ago a specialist told me that it was migraines. He said that there isn't always pain with migraine headaches. You might want to ask about that and see if that is a possiblity for your child. Good luck!!
I have 2 kids who have had vision issues. My pedi recommended that they see an opthamologist. However I initially took them to an optometrist, who told us to see a optometrist trained in in visual therapy, which we did, and he was great! They have a different array of tests I think, so you won't get the same answer. My daughter had vision therapy, and she is great now. Costco has cheap appts.
Make sure the Opthamologist refers you to a retina specialist. Just as a precaution to rule out retina problems which come as flashing, stobe effect, black tiny spots. An opthamologist won't necessarily know about retina problems.
GOOD LUCK.
My 5 year old daughter has been complaining of the same thing over the past 1-2 months. She does wear a strong eyeglass prescription, and has had some health issues as a baby, but now is extremely healthy and very smart. The pediatric opthamologist thought it could be related to migrain headaches, but her vision and eye health is good. Her pediatrition thought it could be red blood cells floating around, which apparently we all have, but it's older people who usually notice it. My daughter has also developed eczema this fall, we lived in warm weather climates previously. She has no known allergies. Let me know if you find anything else out. Definately be your own (your sons) advocate. What are the risks of an MRI or CT scan? That is a concern I have, that there would be a tumor or mass in the brain - but hopefully that is far from being the problem - just a mother who wants to understand everything.
My 4 (nearly 5) year old son has announced this morning that he sees blue dots floating down on everything. He of course thinks it is funny. Then he added, "sometimes they are red." I made light of it and said, "Maybe they are smurfs." He looked at his sister and grinned and told her, "Hey Gracie, you have smurfs all over your face. They are walking around." I've looked online and didn't find anything. In fact WebMD let me mark that symptom and said, "no known ailments or conditions." My Mom said it has happened to her before and it was always sinus headache related, but there is no pain involved. She suggested Ibuprophen and Sudafed (he has a kids prescription)