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8year old seeing rainbow floaters
Good afternoon,My 8 year old is saying that he’s seeing different objects in rainbow colors floating both when his eyes are closed and open all day long.
He also states that from last week, his vision gets blurry suddenly after 12:00pm for one hour before returning back to regular vision.
I’ve taken him to a consultant Ophthalmologist to check. They checked his eye sight & dilated both eyes tropic, cyclo and Phenyl.
According to the Medical Report “all tests are within normal limits and I abnormality seen”
Cyclorefraction also done to rule out refractive error and poor vision inn both eyes. The results were that there was “no significant refractive error to account for the reduced vision”There was slight weakness in vision long distance but not one that required eye glasses according to the doctor.
Also according to the doctor he is “possibly malingering”!!! So basically exaggerating or making it up.
I don’t believe that is the case. I believe he is really experiencing the blurriness and the floaters, and was wondering where to go next and what it could be related to?
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10 Replies
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since pathology has been ruled out, here are 3 possible reasons for eye floaters: 1- increased oxidative stress, 2- inflammation of the lining of the retina/breakdown of collagen, 3- lack of blood flow.
Let’s dissect each one…
The part of the eye where floaters happen is composed of water, enzymes, and collagen. Anytime there is a higher amount of ROS (reactive oxygen species) or free radicals, these can damage the collagen and form small clusters/lumps. Floaters can also happen if there’s inflammation to the lining of the retina, or if there’s lack of blood flow/oxygen.
So from a root cause perspective, his body is telling you that there’s likely increased oxidative stress. Giving him antioxidant rich foods & spices should help counter this. Take a look at this post where I share different foods/spices and their ORAC scores. A variety of green leafy vegetables and fruits should be increased if he’s not already eating these foods. Selenium (like Brazil nuts (1-2 per day) and sardines) will help with the production of glutathione, our body’s most potent antioxidant. Vitamin E is another powerful antioxidant; nuts, seeds, salmon, etc.
Since that part of the eye is composed of water, making sure he’s well hydrated is essential. Does he drink enough water and electrolytes?
Collagen formation requires nutrients like vitamin C. Does he get in enough vitamin C rich foods daily? Amla is a very potent food source (it’s very sour), but so are these foods: red pepper, broccoli, brussels sprouts, strawberries, pineapple, orange, kiwi, green pepper.
Collagen’s strength is given from the amino acids lysine and proline. Does he consume enough animal proteins in his diet? Copper is also another essential nutrient for collagen strength to prevent breakdown. Today, so many people’s copper levels are low because of an over-supplementation of zinc, which competes and depletes copper. Are you giving him any zinc supplements by any chance?
If it’s inflammation that’s contributing to the floaters, consider increasing his Omega-3 fatty acid intake. Supplementation will help replenish levels quicker. I would aim for 2-3g per day.
To increase blood flow (if that’s the issue), nitric oxide (NO) is really important. Vitamin C helps produce NO. Foods high in l-arginine and citrulline can also help boost NO. The white part of the watermelon rind for example, is really rich in citrulline. Arginine and citrulline can also be taken in supplement form if he’s a picky eater. Is he a mouth breather? Breathing from the nose is really important (especially during sleep) to increase the production of NO in the body. All of these will help increase blood flow.
Hope this helps give you some other areas to explore and hopefully take action.
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Wow! thank you. I knew there were other considerations to explore and that you would direct me towards them. I will work on all of the above and keep you posted.
What about the sudden blurry vision that comes and goes ? I thought of testing him for diabetes since his father was diagnosed with type 2 recently.
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Hey ,
You are right: dysregulation in blood sugars can indeed also contribute to oxidative stress and blurry vision. Here are some other signs you could watch for to get an indication if blood sugars are dysregulated.
• Low energy – Don’t only ask him how his energy levels are, but watching how he plays alone or with friends can provide you insight as well.
• The need to urinate a lot and possibly bed-wetting
• Related to that, he might also be very thirsty.
• A Reduced satiation and an increased appetite.
• Cravings for sweets are common with blood sugar dysregulation.
• Becoming irritable when he skips a meal.
• Headaches
• Memory problems
• Tingling sensations
• Having a fruity-smelling breathIf you like to test for blood sugar dysregulation I would recommend you to watch this movie. Often only blood sugars are checked, but in the beginning stage of blood sugar dysregulation, blood sugars could still be measured as ‘normal’. I often recommend my clients to test fasting insulin since insulin is often first dysregulated before blood sugars are.
If signs and symptoms are present I wouldn’t wait too long with testing. At that age type 1 diabetes is more likely.
Another cause of these symptoms could be migraine aura without headache. Do you know if this has been ruled out by your Ophthalmologist?
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yes, it wouldn’t hurt since higher blood sugar is a form of oxidative stress. If you’re looking to do some additional functional testing, I would look at doing the Organic Acids Test. Reason being, I’m suspicious of environmental toxin exposure and certain markers on the OAT can help pick up on that. It won’t tell us WHAT those toxins are, but it will confirm and/or rule them out and let us know his detoxification & antioxidant capability (i.e. glutathione status). It also has a section on vitamins including Vitamin C. It’s not a cheap test ($349 USD + shipping), and does take about 3 weeks for results, but it’s not invasive (urine) and it’s my preference for children with “weird” symptoms as it gives a broad picture of overall health, including bacterial and fungal markers.
On the other hand, if you implement all of the suggestions I discussed above and cast a broad net with your approach, you may not need testing. But give it at least 3 months of consistent effort.
And if you decide to pursue the OAT, just email support@bernadetteabraham.com with your son’s name, date of birth, specify gender, your phone number, shipping and billing address, and we’ll help give you access to this test.
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thank you. Interesting information. Yes, some of the symptoms are present! I sure pray it’s not diabetes.
Ophthalmologist didn’t mention migraines. He did have a headache few months ago. He felt that there was vibration with every step and move he took. I took him to the chiropractor who worked on his neck at the time since he was kicked in the face by his class mate. The floaters started before the incident. The blurry vision just last week.
I’ll check out the movie you’ve linked; however it takes me to the “all courses” page. May you directly me to the exact movie you’ve referred to?
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Hey ,
For some reason, the link does bring me to the right location. You could try this link here as well or otherwise, go to the ‘all courses’ page, select monthly courses and scroll down to the section called ‘Blood Sugar Dysregulation’. You will find in that list a movie called testing considerations.
If there are some symptoms present it is good to rule out. But some of these symptoms are of course a little harder to tell with children. Most children like sweets and memory problems are also perhaps a little difficult to interpret. But it is good to rule out an option.
What were the other symptoms that are present?
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thank you. It is direct now. Other symptoms: constant irritation. Anger. Frustration. Sweet craving. Forgetfulness. Night Bed wetting at times.
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Also, he constantly complains of being tired first thing in the morning despite being in bed by 8:00pm and releasing his energy during the day with activities.
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Hey ,
These symptoms can be a sign of blood sugar dysregulation. I would at least rule out insulin problems.
Do you have a blood pressure monitor? Elevations in blood pressure can also cause a blurry sight. If you have I would also check his blood pressure a few times. Best time to do this is when he experiences blurry sight.
Make sure he is sitting in rest 5 minutes before you measure his pressure. Make sure he feels at ease and don’t use the first 2 measurements. Sometimes taking blood pressure can make people feel stressed and the measurements your looking at the first couple of times can be a stress response.
Measure them a few days in a row before you draw any conclusions.
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good tips. Will sure try that. I’m concerned about the blood sugar test. He’s afraid of needles and i’m sure his stress levels will go up at the time of test.
I saw the power point presentation and just want to confirm that the following tests are sufficient:
Helpful Lab Markers for Testing Blood Sugar Status:
• Fasting glucose
• Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c) or Fructosamine or glycated albumin
• Fasting insulin or C-Peptide
• Triglycerides
• Glucose tolerance test
• HOMA-IR
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