Why do some people see yellow spots in their vision. What are the potential causes of yellow spots appearing in eyesight. When should you consult an optometrist about changes in your vision. How can certain medical conditions or treatments affect your eyesight.

The Impact of Head Injuries on Vision

Head injuries can lead to various vision problems, including the appearance of yellow spots. These injuries, often resulting from sports accidents or other traumatic events, may damage the brain or optic nerve, affecting visual perception. In some cases, head trauma can cause bleeding in the eye, manifesting as yellow spots in one’s field of vision.

What should you do if you experience vision changes after a head injury? It’s crucial to seek immediate medical attention. Even if the injury seems minor, any alteration in vision following head trauma warrants professional evaluation to rule out serious complications.

Common Vision Problems After Head Injuries

• Blurred or double vision
• Light sensitivity
• Difficulty focusing
• Peripheral vision loss
• Appearance of spots or floaters

Retinal Conditions and Yellow Spots

The retina plays a vital role in our visual system, containing light-sensitive cells that transmit visual information to the brain. Several retinal conditions can cause the perception of yellow spots in one’s vision.

Retinal Detachment: A Medical Emergency

Retinal detachment occurs when the retina separates from the back of the eye. This serious condition can cause cells to fire randomly, resulting in the perception of flashing lights or colored spots, including yellow ones. What are the warning signs of retinal detachment?

• Sudden increase in floaters
• Flashes of light
• A shadow or curtain-like effect in peripheral vision
• Gradual vision loss in a portion of the visual field

If you experience these symptoms, it’s crucial to consult an eye specialist immediately. Prompt treatment can often prevent permanent vision loss.

Diabetic Retinopathy: A Complication of Diabetes

Diabetic retinopathy is a condition affecting individuals with diabetes. It results from damage to the retinal blood vessels, which can lead to fluid leakage into the macula, the central part of the retina responsible for sharp, detailed vision. How does diabetic retinopathy affect vision?

Symptoms may include blurred vision, the appearance of spots or floaters, and in some cases, yellow spots. Additionally, some patients report a dark area in the center of their vision. Regular eye exams are crucial for diabetic patients to detect and manage this condition early.

Migraines and Visual Disturbances

Migraines are more than just severe headaches. They’re complex neurological events that can profoundly affect vision. Some people experience what’s known as migraine with aura, which involves visual disturbances preceding or accompanying the headache phase.

Visual Auras: A Spectrum of Symptoms

What types of visual disturbances can occur during a migraine with aura? The spectrum is broad and can include:

• Flashing or shimmering lights
• Zigzag lines or geometric patterns
• Blind spots or areas of vision loss
• Yellow spots or other colored visual phenomena

These visual symptoms typically last between 10 to 30 minutes and may be followed by the headache phase of the migraine. However, some individuals experience visual auras without developing a headache, a condition known as ocular migraine.

Triggers and Management of Migraine-Related Visual Disturbances

Understanding and managing migraine triggers can help reduce the frequency of these visual disturbances. Common triggers include:

1. Stress
2. Certain foods (e.g., aged cheeses, chocolate, red wine)
3. Hormonal changes
4. Sleep disturbances
5. Environmental factors (bright lights, strong odors)

Working with a healthcare provider to identify personal triggers and develop a management plan can significantly improve quality of life for those experiencing migraines with visual auras.

Eye Melanoma: A Rare but Serious Condition

Eye melanoma, though rare, is a serious condition that can cause significant vision changes, including the appearance of yellow flashing spots. This form of cancer develops in the cells that produce melanin, the pigment responsible for eye color.

Symptoms and Risk Factors of Eye Melanoma

What are the signs that might indicate eye melanoma? While early-stage eye melanoma often doesn’t cause noticeable symptoms, as it progresses, individuals may experience:

• Blurred vision
• Flashing lights or spots (including yellow spots)
• Loss of peripheral vision
• A growing dark spot on the iris
• Change in the shape of the pupil

Sun exposure is a primary risk factor for eye melanoma. Protecting your eyes from UV radiation by wearing sunglasses and avoiding tanning beds can help reduce your risk. People with light-colored eyes, those who have had previous eye melanoma, or individuals with certain genetic conditions may be at higher risk.

Transient Ischemic Attacks and Vision Changes

A transient ischemic attack (TIA), often referred to as a “mini-stroke,” occurs when blood flow to part of the brain is temporarily blocked. While TIAs are typically associated with symptoms like numbness, weakness, or difficulty speaking, they can also affect vision if the blocked blood vessel supplies the eye or visual processing areas of the brain.

Recognizing Vision-Related TIA Symptoms

How can you identify a TIA that’s affecting your vision? Visual symptoms of a TIA may include:

• Sudden vision loss in one or both eyes
• Appearance of spots or patterns (including yellow spots)
• Blurred or double vision
• Visual field defects

These symptoms are typically brief, lasting only a few minutes to a few hours. However, a TIA is a serious warning sign that requires immediate medical attention. It indicates a high risk of a more severe stroke in the near future.

Medication Side Effects and Vision Changes

Certain medications, particularly those used to treat heart conditions, can cause vision changes as side effects. These changes may include seeing spots, patterns of light, or experiencing color vision alterations.

Heart Medications and Visual Side Effects

Two heart medications known to potentially affect vision are ivabradine and digoxin. How do these medications impact vision?

• Ivabradine: Used to treat some adults with heart failure, this medication can cause patients to see bright spots or colored lights.
• Digoxin: While it doesn’t typically cause spots, this heart failure medication can result in vision with a yellow-green tint.

If you’re taking any medication and notice changes in your vision, it’s crucial to inform your healthcare provider. They may be able to adjust your dosage, switch to an alternative medication, or provide strategies to manage the side effects.

Radiation Exposure and Its Effects on Vision

Radiation exposure, particularly in high doses, can lead to various health issues, including changes in vision. While it’s uncommon for most people to be exposed to harmful levels of radiation in daily life, certain medical treatments, such as radiation therapy for cancer, involve controlled exposure to high-energy radiation.

Radiation-Induced Visual Phenomena

What visual effects can radiation exposure cause? Studies have shown that a significant percentage of patients undergoing radiotherapy, particularly for conditions like melanoma, experience visual phenomena known as phosphenes. These can manifest as:

• Flashes of light
• Colored spots or patterns (including yellow spots)
• Streaks or lines in the visual field

In most cases, these visual effects subside once the radiation treatment is complete. However, prolonged or high-dose radiation exposure can potentially lead to more serious retinal conditions, such as radiation retinopathy.

Long-Term Effects of Radiation on Eye Health

While acute visual phenomena from radiation exposure are often temporary, long-term effects on eye health can be more concerning. Radiation exposure can potentially lead to:

1. Cataracts: Clouding of the eye’s natural lens
2. Radiation retinopathy: Damage to the retinal blood vessels
3. Optic neuropathy: Damage to the optic nerve
4. Dry eye syndrome: Reduced tear production

Patients undergoing radiation therapy, especially in the head and neck area, should have regular eye exams to monitor for these potential long-term effects.

When to Consult an Optometrist

Any persistent change in your vision warrants a professional evaluation. But when should you seek immediate attention for vision changes, including the appearance of yellow spots?

Urgent Vision Symptoms

Certain symptoms require prompt medical attention. These include:

• Sudden vision loss or significant blurring
• Appearance of new floaters or flashes of light
• Persistent yellow spots or other colored phenomena
• Pain in or around the eye
• Sudden onset of double vision

If you experience any of these symptoms, particularly if they occur suddenly or are accompanied by other health issues, seek medical help immediately. Early intervention can often prevent permanent vision loss or other serious complications.

Regular Eye Exams: A Crucial Part of Preventive Health Care

How often should you have your eyes examined? The American Optometric Association recommends the following schedule for comprehensive eye exams:

• Children: First exam at 6 months, then at age 3, and before starting school
• Adults (18-64): Every two years for those without risk factors
• Seniors (65+): Annually

However, individuals with risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or a family history of eye disease may need more frequent exams. Your optometrist can recommend an appropriate examination schedule based on your individual health status and risk factors.

Remember, many eye conditions develop gradually and may not cause noticeable symptoms in their early stages. Regular eye exams can detect these conditions early, allowing for more effective treatment and better outcomes.

Why Do I See Yellow Spots in My Vision?

We rely on our vision to see the beauty of nature, read books, drive a car, and connect with others. Therefore, you should not take any changes in your vision lightly. A problem such as having yellow spots in your vision could result from many conditions, such as head injuries, migraines, retinal detachment, medication side effects, or melanoma.

Maintaining regular eye exams and letting your optometrist know if you notice any unusual symptoms, such as seeing spots, is essential. It might not be anything serious, but it’s always better to know for sure.

Yellow Spots After Head Injuries

Head injuries can cause a range of vision problems, including yellow spots. When the head is injured, such as through sports or accidents, it can cause damage to the brain or the optic nerve, affecting your vision.

Head injuries can also cause bleeding in the eye, which can lead to yellow spots. If you have recently experienced a head injury and are experiencing vision changes, seek medical attention immediately.

Yellow Spots Due to Retinal Conditions

The retina is the part of the eye that contains the cells responsible for detecting light and sending visual signals to the brain. Several conditions can affect the retina and cause yellow spots.

Retinal Detachment

When your retina separates from the back of your eye, it can cause your cells to fire randomly. This could result in you seeing flashing lights or colored spots. A detached retina is a serious condition, and you should see a doctor as soon as possible if you suspect you have it.

Other symptoms of a detached retina include:

• Lots of floaters
• Shadows at the edge of your vision
• A “gray curtain” over your vision

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy affects people with diabetes and is caused by damage to the blood vessels in the retina. This damage can result in fluid leaking into the center of the retina, an area called the macula, leading to blurred vision, spots, floaters, and a dark hole in the middle of your vision.

Yellow spots could also indicate a retina infection or damage from staring at the sun.

Yellow Spots from Migraines with Auras

Migraines are a neurological condition that can cause severe headaches, nausea, and sometimes visual disturbances. These disturbances are called auras and can occur before and during a migraine.

Depending on the person, visual disturbances can include yellow spots, as well as zigzag lines, flashing lights, and blind spots. Various factors, such as stress, certain foods, and hormonal changes, can trigger migraines.

Yellow Spots Related to Eye Melanoma

Just like you can develop melanoma in your skin, your eye pigment is also vulnerable. Eye melanoma can cause yellow flashing spots and other vision changes, such as blurred vision and loss of peripheral sight.

Sun overexposure is typically the cause of eye melanoma. Therefore, make sure you wear sunglasses when outside to lower your risk of developing this serious condition.

Yellow Spots After Transient Ischemic Attack

A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a mini-stroke that occurs when blood flow is blocked temporarily. TIAs can cause a range of symptoms, such as numbness, weakness, and difficulty speaking.

However, if the blood vessel being blocked leads to your eye, it can cause a loss of vision or yellow spots to appear. TIAs are a warning sign you may be at risk for a more severe stroke. Seek medical attention immediately so your doctor can work with you to promote proper blood flow.

Yellow Spots as a Side Effect of Medications

Certain medications for treating heart conditions list seeing spots or random patterns of light as side effects. For example, ivabradine, a medicine used to treat some adults with heart failure, is known to affect your vision, potentially causing you to see bright spots or bright colored lights.

Another heart failure medication, digoxin, doesn’t necessarily cause yellow spots but can result in vision with a yellow-green tint. If you’re taking any medication and notice a vision change, inform your doctor, as they may be able to adjust your medication or provide you with an alternative treatment.

Yellow Spots Due to Radiation

Radiation exposure can cause various health problems, including changes in your vision. While it’s rare for most people to be exposed to a level of radiation that can cause symptoms such as this, radiation therapy is a standard cancer treatment that requires exposure to high-energy radiation.

An estimated 70% of people who had radiotherapy for melanoma experienced seeing lights or colors, a phenomenon known as phosphenes. These typically go away once the radiation stops, but it’s possible for exposure to lead to retinal conditions such as radiation retinopathy.

When Should I See an Optometrist?

If you notice any changes in your vision, including yellow spots, you should schedule an appointment with an optometrist as soon as possible. Early detection and treatment of eye diseases may help prevent vision loss and improve overall eye health.

Additionally, if you have a family history of eye disease or other risk factors, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, you should monitor your eye health and have regular eye exams.

Los Angeles EyeCare Optometry Group’s knowledgeable team can evaluate your vision and, if we find something, are dedicated to finding solutions and management options for eye conditions. Don’t ignore the little things when it comes to your vision. If you’re seeing spots, book an appointment today.

What It Could Mean and What to Do

Your eye is a complex structure. Light enters through your pupil and gets focused through the lens before hitting your retina at the back of your eyeball. Special cells in your retina convert light to electrical signals that are sent to your brain via the optic nerve.

Damage to any part of this delicate system can lead to vision problems. Vision problems also tend to become more common with age due to structural changes and an increased risk of developing conditions like diabetes that can damage your eyes.

Seeing yellow spots can have many causes that range from normal to medical emergencies. In this article, we look at some of the potential causes.

There are many reasons why you may be experiencing yellow spots in your vision. Here are some of the potential causes, but for a proper diagnosis, you should visit an eye doctor.

Nonmedical reasons you see yellow spots

Looking at bright lights

Looking at a bright light and then looking away can cause temporary blindness or the temporary appearance of spots or patterns in your vision. Bright light causes special cells in your retina to become saturated with pigment. Your vision should return to normal after a few seconds or minutes when these cells become unsaturated again.

You may notice this phenomenon when you move from a brightly lit area to a dark one or if you’re exposed to a sudden bright light like a camera flash.

Looking directly into the sun or at extremely bright lights like explosions can cause permanent sight loss.

Rubbing your eyes or putting pressure on your eyes

You may experience spots and random bursts of color in your vision after rubbing your eyes or putting direct pressure on your eyeball. These spots and bursts of color are called phosphenes. Phosphenes should go away after several moments and can appear as spots, bars, or random patterns of colorless or colored light.

They’re thought to appear because direct pressure on your eyeball tricks your retinal cells into thinking they’re being exposed to light.

Researchers can also create phosphenes by stimulating the part of your brain that controls vision with an electrical current called transcranial magnetic stimulation.

Drugs, head injuries, and radiation

Exposure to radiation

People exposed to radiation of their head, neck, or eyes commonly report changes in their vision, including seeing lights that aren’t there and colored spots. Radiation therapy used in cancer treatment is one common way people are exposed to radiation.

About 70 percent of people receiving radiotherapy for melanoma of the eye experience seeing light or colors that aren’t there during the procedure. The appearance of these lights or colors can vary but usually goes away once radiation stops.

Other vision side effects that may occur after radiation therapy include:

• blurry vision
• cataracts
• dry eyes
• loss of eyelashes
• glaucoma
• problems with tear ducts
• retinal detachment

Side effects of some medications and chemicals

Some medications can potentially cause spots or random patterns of light to appear in your vision. Seeing spots or random light patterns are one of the most common side effects of the medication ivabradine, used to treat some adults with heart failure.

Seeing spots and light patterns can also be stimulated by alcohol, hallucinogenic drugs, and other drugs.

Another heart failure medication called digoxin is known to cause vision with a yellow-green tint as a potential side effect.

Head injuries

A sudden force to your head can potentially cause random electrical impulses in the part of your brain that controls vision, called your occipital lobe. Your brain may interpret these impulses as spots or patterns.

Head injuries can also lead to structural damage of your cranial nerves, optic nerve tract, or other parts of your vision system.

Other common vision disturbances experienced after a head injury include:

• double vision
• blurry vision
• decreased peripheral vision
• blindness or partial blindness
• glare and light sensitivity

Vigorously sneezing, coughing, or laughing can also cause you to see phosphenes, possibly due to stimulating the cells in your retina with pressure.

Medical conditions

Migraine with aura

Migraine is a condition that causes reoccurring moderate to severe headaches. An aura is when migraine is paired with sensory changes. About 90 percent of people who experience migraine with aura also see spots, stars, or patterns of light. Other visual symptoms can include:

• blind spots
• lines in your field of vision
• seeing flashes of light
• vision loss
• changes to your vision

Retinal detachment and other retinal conditions

Retinal detachment is when your retina becomes partially or fully detached from the back of your eye. It’s a medical emergency that requires immediate attention. When your retina tears or detaches, your retinal cells may fire and lead you to see random spots or patterns of light and color that can potentially include yellow spots.

Other symptoms of a retinal detachment include:

• floaters (debris in your vision) that appear suddenly
• flashes of light
• blurry vision
• vision loss often described as a shadow moving across your vision

Other conditions that cause damage or inflammation of your retina can also potentially cause you to see yellow spots. Some conditions include:

• a rare form of cancer called retinoblastoma
• diabetic retinopathy
• retina infections
• solar retinopathy (damage from looking at the sun)

Transient ischemic attack (TIA)

A TIA is a mini-stroke caused by the blockage of a blood vessel. If it occurs in a blood vessel leading to your eye, it can cause loss of vision often described as a curtain falling over one eye.

it can cause you to see yellow spots or other patterns of light that aren’t there.

Symptoms can include:

• temporary blindness
• seeing spots or patterns of light that aren’t there
• double vision
• visual hallucinations
• afterimage

Eye melanoma

Eye melanoma is a type of cancer of the eyeball. Typical symptoms include:

• seeing floaters
• dark spots on your iris
• blurry vision
• a change in the shape of your pupil

A 2020 case study describes a person who developed seeing random spots and patterns in his left eye due to melanoma in and around his iris. In theory, it’s possible that some people may see yellow spots.

Seeing yellow spots on a white background may be due to the afterimage effect. The afterimage effect is when you see an image that’s no longer there.

You may experience this phenomenon when you stare at a colorful object or scene for a long time and quickly look away. In theory, if you stare at something yellow and glance away, you may see yellow spots or patterns. These spots should disappear within moments.

If you want to experience this phenomenon, you can stare at a brightly colored picture for about a minute and quickly shift your vision to a white piece of paper or white wall.

Seeing spots or patterns is also associated with:

• stress
• alcohol consumption
• emotional factors

These spots may be more noticeable when you look at something white.

Yellow spots that disappear soon after staring at a bright light or rubbing your eyes are normal and don’t require treatment. Treatment for other conditions involves targeting the underlying cause. Here are potential treatment options for some of the reasons you may be seeing yellow spots.

* Speak with your before stopping or changing the dosage of any medication you have been prescribed.

It’s a good idea to visit an eye doctor any time you notice changes in your vision. It’s especially critical to see a doctor if you started seeing spots after a sudden head injury or if you have other symptoms of retinal detachment or retinal disease.

There are many reasons why you may be seeing yellow spots. They may part of your eyes’ natural adaption to changing light conditions or they could be a sign of a potentially serious medical condition.

Seeing yellow spots without other symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean something is wrong, but it’s a good idea to visit an eye doctor if you notice a sudden change in your vision.

causes, diagnosis and treatment in the SCCH

Causes of occurrence

The front part of our eye, the sclera, is white when healthy. Its shade can vary from whitish-blue to whitish-pink, but it should be uniform. A noticeable change in the shade of the sclera and the appearance of yellow spots on it indicates the development of pathology. Moreover, it can be both a violation of the eye itself, and a systemic disease of the body.

If yellow spots appear on the white of the eye, we advise you to contact an ophthalmological clinic.

Often, in addition to yellow spots on the eyes The patient also notices other symptoms :

• Itching and pain in the eye area
• Visual impairment
• Hypersensitivity to bright light
• Appearance of discharge from the eyes.

Yellow spots can signal various eye diseases. As a rule, these diseases are not too dangerous and cannot lead to complete loss of vision, but you should definitely not ignore their symptoms. Among the most common causes are the following :

• Conjunctival cyst – a formation with fluid inside, which may have a yellowish tint and appear as a small spot on the white of the eye
• Pterygium is an eye disease in which the conjunctival tissue begins to grow from the nasal corner of the eye to the center of the cornea. The yellow spot on the protein has a triangular shape and sometimes changes color to scarlet or pink
• A pinguecula is a yellow spot that is a sign of aging of the conjunctiva or a lack of vitamin A. Most often, the pinguecula is localized on the inside of the eye near the bridge of the nose, so Patients do not immediately notice it
• Nevus – a kind of “mole” on the protein, which signals serious pathologies of the eye
• Horner-Trantas spots are spots that result from an allergic reaction. They look like grains and are localized mainly around the cornea. The reason for the appearance of this type of spots is keratitis (inflammation of the cornea) or allergic conjunctivitis (reaction from the allergic conjunctiva).

Diseases associated with the appearance of yellow spots on the white of the eye

If the cause of the spots is a general disease of the body, then nausea, chills, increased fatigue, loss of appetite, etc. can be added to the listed symptoms.

Yellow spots may be evidence of the following disorders organism a:

• Jaundice – occurs when there is a violation of the metabolism of bilirubin (bile pigment, one of the most important components of bile)
• Hepatitis (viral disease caused by a pathogen with pronounced hepatotropic properties
• Cirrhosis of the liver (a pathological condition of the liver, which is a consequence of impaired blood circulation in the system of hepatic vessels and dysfunction of the bile ducts)
• Anemia or anemia (a pathological condition characterized by a decrease in the concentration of hemoglobin and, in the vast majority of cases, the number of erythrocytes per unit volume of blood
• Liver cancer
• Gallbladder stones, formed in the body under the influence of a number of adverse factors, can acquire a different shape, structure, size.

Diagnosis and treatment of yellow spots on the white of the eye

It is possible to eliminate yellow spots on the white of the eye only after identifying the root cause of their appearance and prescribing the correct treatment in time. In each case, it will be individual.

For example, pinguecula and pterygium in the initial stages are treated with drops and gels that moisturize the conjunctiva, or with anti-inflammatory drugs. Surgical intervention is resorted to only in cases where long-term therapy has not helped. Drug therapy is also used to treat Horner-Trantas spots.

But advanced cases of conjunctival cysts are treated only surgically. Modern technologies make it possible to do this with a laser painlessly for the Patient.

The doctors of the Eye Clinic of Dr. Belikova will conduct a comprehensive examination of the organs of vision and, if necessary, select the most effective treatment or give recommendations for visiting a specialized specialist.

Yellow spots before the eyes, causes, symptoms, treatment.

Article updated – 12/23/2016

The appearance of yellow spots before the eyes means that you see objects that may look like specks or circles. Sometimes they swim. The color of the spots can be from flashing bright flashes to barely noticeable spots. Of great importance is the nature of the appearance of spots before the eyes: they appear from time to time or you see them all the time.

Most often, spots before the eyes appear as a single symptom. However, they can also be combined with other symptoms:

• flashes of light
• headache
• dizziness
• pain in the eye

Attention should be paid to symptoms that may indicate the presence of serious diseases of the eye:

• the appearance of blind spots (or loss of visual fields) along with spots yellow in front of the eye.
• blurred vision or double vision
• sudden increase in spots, flashing pattern of spots.

Causes of yellow spots before the eyes

• Migraine.
  The appearance of yellow spots before the eyes, combined with a severe headache and nausea, indicates the presence of a migraine. A characteristic feature in this case is the complete absence of this symptom in the period between attacks.

• Vitreous destruction.
  If the spots float before your eyes, then this is not an invention of your imagination. There are diseases of the vitreous body that can give a similar symptom. In this case, spots can have different shapes and sizes, change intensity depending on the illumination.

• Posterior vitreous detachment.
  In the case when bright flashes appear before the eyes along with floating spots, it indicates the presence of a posterior vitreous detachment. A very serious symptom. Requires attention, and visits to a specialist doctor.

• Macular edema.
  A condition in which fluid accumulates in the central part of the retina (macula) is called macular edema. The retinal tissue swells and thickens. Edema distorts central vision and a yellow spot appears in front of the eye. In addition, the ability to see at close range is lost. The causes are usually common diseases such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, taking certain medications.

• Macular hemorrhages.
  Violation of the integrity of the vessels inside the eye leads to the appearance of hemorrhages on the retina. When a hemorrhage develops in the macula, a person sees a spot in front of the eye that is yellow, brown or black. Cause of hemorrhage: head or eye injury, hypertension, diabetes mellitus. Requires urgent treatment.

• Macular degeneration.
  Another name is age-related macular degeneration. Typically, patients over 60 years of age are affected. There is a loss of central vision due to damage to the retina in the central section. The onset of the disease is accompanied by the appearance of small spots in front of the eye and a slight decrease in vision. The disease is steadily progressing.

• Retinal burn.
  Exposure to intense sunlight causes damage (burn) to the retina at any age.