English: This is a quick sketch of a currently undetermined aberration of vision for purposes of discussion. I am curious whether it is a potential first step in w:macular degeneration.

The pattern is a set of small, refractile spheres (which I hypothesize to be individual blood cells) which fill a well-defined space about the size of the tip of the little finger at arm's length. The pattern is only visible as a slight blurring of the text with eyes normally open, but by squinting and blinking rapidly against a bright light the details are revealed. The pattern begins as a narrow outer ring, moves into the center preferentially, and if left to go on it eventually fills out into a filled circle shape. The rim of the structure has a different appearance from the rest, a well-defined fold, and begins to appear almost as soon as the first refractile bits.

It occurs transiently but consistently after less than five minutes if reading in very low light while wearing corrective lenses. On only a handful of occasions after eating heavy, fatty meals it has become apparent while reading a computer monitor with corrective lenses. It never seems to occur while reading with uncorrected myopia even in low light. Stopping reading or voluntary hyperventilation makes it go away in about fifteen minutes. Taking a lutein-zeaxanthin supplement had no apparent effect on it.

No trouble was diagnosed during optical examination, and the phenomenon has remained the same for at least five years.