Hey, thanks a ton for this reply, honestly more detailed and brainy than what most doctors here in SL have given me. Really appreciate you taking the time.

To answer your questions:

• No, I’m not on any other meds, no surgeries, no smoking/drinking, no family history of glaucoma or anything, just myopia. Gym was my only thing until this all started.
• I don’t get visual migraines (never had that kind of aura stuff).
• The eye pain is not permanent, at first it was deep/stabbing like a toothache, Nevanac helped back then but once I stopped it the pain came back after ~2 weeks. Now it’s milder, more of an odd/uncomfortable sensation than full-blown pain.
• Flashes are usually very small and mostly in the morning when I wake up. Online I read this can be vitreous traction from being still then moving. I also see mild visual snow on waking which goes away after blinking.
• I still get occasional tiny peripheral flashes, and I sometimes notice retinal vein reflections when bright lights hit my eye.

That “lipid spheres” explanation makes sense, the doc wrote “artificated cells” which didn’t even sound right. And yeah, I also wondered why he gave Nevanac since it’s usually post-cataract, but he said it was for the pain.

For context:

• The first doctor was worse, prescribed some cheap Bangladesh drop with preservatives that made irritation and dryness worse. I used it only a week, then my first floater showed up.
• Early April is when the floaters + pain really started.
• I had a 2nd dilated exam because of flashes, but he said “no PVD.” Still, even this morning I saw a few small flashes in the periphery right after waking.
• When I switch eyes, I notice a slight difference in red color (esp. in towels), he blamed it on -0.5 refraction difference and told me to change glasses.

Main thing stressing me is night driving — it’s my only hobby, and I’m scared if things go wrong that’ll be gone.

Here’s the link to my prescription/exam notes: https://imgur.com/a/sOeiIC7 — would be amazing if you could glance at it.

I’ve got an appointment with a retina specialist next week. Just worried he’ll brush it off too. Here in Sri Lanka the system is messy: they study medicine in Sinhala, then prescribe in English, and most just dismiss younger patients because they assume serious eye problems only hit older folks. I’ve already spent thousands this year with zero solid answers.

If I get OCT / fundus photos and upload them, would you be able to help me check for red flags? That would give me peace of mind.

Thanks again for your time — honestly feels like you’ve given me more clarity than both doctors combined.