An eye question for ER nurses (or anyone)

[KRVRN]

Hi, I am not an ER nurse, but I have a few questions... I'm a NICU nurse, so this is waayyy out of my knowledge base.

My mom has been having a problem with one of her eyes. She saw some flashes of light and can see a sort of a webbing across her vision in one eye. Doesn't interfere too much, in fact she has to concentrate to see it if she is not staring at something blank --if that makes any sense. No pain, no eye trauma, no signs of infection/inflammation, etc.

It started last night at 5pm or so and I encouraged her to call her nurse line. Long story short she ended up on hold for almost an hour waiting for her call to be answered. Didn't seem like there was an Urgent Care of any sort. She wasn't willing to go to the ER and I really didn't encourage it (I probably could have gotten her to go if I had tried). She ended up giving up and just left a message for her doctor to call her in the morning.

In all likelihood he will call and they will get this figured out. I'm worried because I pulled out one of my nursing texts and this sounds like a symptom of a retinal detachment.

MY QUESTIONS:

--Do any of you have any knowledge of retinal detachments and would this maybe sound like it? Something else? Nothing?

--Would it have been a lame ER visit to have encouraged her to go to the ER last night? I honestly don't know how fast you have to move with retinal detachments. Hours? Days?

Thanks

[KRVRN, BSN, RN]

Myopia is nearsightedness. "High myope" means REALLY nearsighted. My mom is a high myope too.

[prn nurse]

I disagree. The webbing and when she stares at something to confirm she is actually seeing something are the differentiating symptoms .

She needs to be seen by a neurologist. She needs an MRI of the brain.

There are opthamologists who also have a neurology sub-specialty. And ofe of those would refer her for a neurology workup.

If she loses sight in one eye, tell her not to freak. It will come back.

Is the webbing more accurately described as geometric lines, (which is what a web is?) and the central field of vision is obscured with the web part around the central dark part?

[KRVRN, BSN, RN]

PRN Nurse

She didn't describe the webbing as geometric lines, more random-wavy-ish. She does also have a follow-up with an ophtho-neurologist in 2 weeks. And another ophthamologist appt is 6 weeks.