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

solar retinopathy (damage from looking at the sun)Ī TIA is a mini-stroke caused by the blockage of a blood vessel.

a rare form of cancer called retinoblastoma.

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

vision loss often described as a shadow moving across your vision.

floaters (debris in your vision) that appear suddenly.

Other symptoms of a retinal detachment include: 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. It’s a medical emergency that requires immediate attention. Retinal detachment is when your retina becomes partially or fully detached from the back of your eye. Retinal detachment and other retinal conditions About 90 percent of people who experience migraine with aura also see spots, stars, or patterns of light. An aura is when migraine is paired with sensory changes.

Migraine is a condition that causes reoccurring moderate to severe headaches. Vigorously sneezing, coughing, or laughing can also cause you to see phosphenes, possibly due to stimulating the cells in your retina with pressure. Other common vision disturbances experienced after a head injury include: Head injuries can also lead to structural damage of your cranial nerves, optic nerve tract, or other parts of your vision system. Your brain may interpret these impulses as spots or patterns. Head injuriesĪ sudden force to your head can potentially cause random electrical impulses in the part of your brain that controls vision, called your occipital lobe. Seeing spots and light patterns can also be stimulated by alcohol, hallucinogenic drugs, and other drugs.Īnother heart failure medication called digoxin is known to cause vision with a yellow-green tint as a potential side effect. 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. Some medications can potentially cause spots or random patterns of light to appear in your vision. Side effects of some medications and chemicals Other vision side effects that may occur after radiation therapy include: The appearance of these lights or colors can vary but usually goes away once radiation stops. Radiation therapy used in cancer treatment is one common way people are exposed to radiation.Ībout 70 percent of people receiving radiotherapy for melanoma of the eye experience seeing light or colors that aren’t there during the procedure. 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. Drugs, head injuries, and radiation Exposure to radiation Researchers can also create phosphenes by stimulating the part of your brain that controls vision with an electrical current called transcranial magnetic stimulation.

They’re thought to appear because direct pressure on your eyeball tricks your retinal cells into thinking they’re being exposed to light. Phosphenes should go away after several moments and can appear as spots, bars, or random patterns of colorless or colored light. These spots and bursts of color are called phosphenes. You may experience spots and random bursts of color in your vision after rubbing your eyes or putting direct pressure on your eyeball. Rubbing your eyes or putting pressure on your eyes Looking directly into the sun or at extremely bright lights like explosions can cause permanent sight loss. 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. Your vision should return to normal after a few seconds or minutes when these cells become unsaturated again. Bright light causes special cells in your retina to become saturated with pigment. Looking at a bright light and then looking away can cause temporary blindness or the temporary appearance of spots or patterns in your vision. Nonmedical reasons you see yellow spots Looking at bright lights Here are some of the potential causes, but for a proper diagnosis, you should visit an eye doctor. There are many reasons why you may be experiencing yellow spots in your vision. Possible causes of seeing yellow spots in your vision

Eyes with yellow ring around pupil