vision problems recap and update

Topic created by Motorhead Sherwood
on Tue, 20 Aug 2019 at 09:20

Motorhead Sherwood said on Tue, 20 Aug 2019 at 09:20...

I was one of the main contributors to this long and now closed thread on vision problems and popper use: http://poppersguide.com/forum/10213

Still an interesting read. I'd like to give a recap and an update on this.

Recap*: it is now clear to both many users and many eye docters that use of poppers can seriously and possibly permanently damage your retina, to be more precise the macula. Most attribute it to a change of the chemical that is bottled.
Update*: in my own experience the damage seems not be permanent. I almost have no problems after 4 months of complete abstinence I have contacted a few people how wrote to me and these are their responses on long term effects (six people). (Contact me at motorheadsherwood@hotmail.com or post your progress on this thread.)

6-6-19
"My eyesight just recovered completely and has not gotten any worse since I started to take it again. But I take much less (!) than I did before!"
(He quit in april)

30-4-19
"It's 18 months since I tried iso for the first and last time and I'd say my sight is pretty much back to normal. I had my annual checkup at the eye hospital (which is for a condition I have) and they didn't notice anything. The only thing I'd say is that my eyes are a bit sensitive to bright light, but the yellow dot has gone and people's faces/ car number plates are clear again, I'm happy to say."

2-5-19
"in fact unchanged, but sure not worse
i continue to use poppers RUSH"
(He quit end of 2016)

2-5-19
"Took a long time but have fully recovered thank God. It was such a scary and horrible experience. My latest scans showed much improvement."
(don't know date he stopped, i guess 2018 /2019)

30-4-19
"My sight is almost back to normal one month and a half later. Still have a small light bulb when I blink my eyes and I look at bright things..but it's becoming unnoticeable :-) sometimes, during the last few days I even forgot about it . "

30-4-19
"My eyesight is completely back to normal since more than one year."

Madeplentypoppers said on Tue, 20 Aug 2019 at 15:24...

I've made lots of different poppers and they all produce the visual toxic effects except amyl nitrite. With amyl nitrite, I can hit it constantly, go into a mild trance, sustain it, and then within minutes after the last hit, my vision is totally normal again. With isopropyl, butyl and isobutyl, my vision gets out of whack for much longer after only a 15 minute session. I hit a wall at that point and have to stop whiffing lest I pass out. Every subsequent whiff produces nothing but horrible effects.

Mam said on Tue, 20 Aug 2019 at 17:32...

>they all produce

That's not what the received wisdom on this question currently suggests.

This issue with Maculopathy is solely connected to isopropyl nitrite and is probably not causing, but exacerbating a pre-existing condition. Once there was a chemist on here who explained that the molecular density of IPN (forgive me this is just from memory) was the reason. This may sound dumb: I got the impression that IPN has a very distinct molecular character as compared to other nitrites, pentyl, butyl.

Anyway I think Madeplentypoppers probably knows what I mean and can explain it better.

Stefan said on Sun, 25 Aug 2019 at 04:35...

I had used Poppers in 01/17 and i get Vision Prolems.
I have buy Lutein high doses and 1 month later the Vision Problems go away.
Since i have not used poppers again.
There are now any poppers which are safe for the eyes ?.
I would like to use poppers again but the risk to get Vision Problems again i do not want to go.
Sorry my english ist not so good.

Motorhead Sherwood said on Mon, 26 Aug 2019 at 08:13...

Stefan

Do you have any other problemsn, like dizzyniss? Be careful with this stuff!.

Stefan said on Mon, 26 Aug 2019 at 18:19...

No , only Yellow Points in front of the eyes.
But this is 2 years ago.

Scared popper idiot said on Tue, 3 Dec 2019 at 16:45...

Hey guys - have been a very occasional user of poppers, once in a few months. Used a new brand - Berlin xxxx this Saturday night - and woke up the next morning with vision problems. I finished 1/5th of the bottle - so didn’t do too much. The next day I realized that I could not read beyond a certain distance, everything is a blur and faces are not clear in the sun light or otherwise. Vision far away is really poor at this point. And I am freaking out. I have scanned these blogs from top to bottom but can’t seem to draw any conclusion. I have started taking vitamins (presavision 3) from Bausch & Lomb and some berry pills. But don’t seem to notice any improvement three days later. Any ideas on how to speed up the process? I’m terrified this may be permanent and scared to own up to it in public. No one knows that I use poppers, so it freaks me out even more . Any other tips on accelerating recovery? Please help - going crazy here. Obviously I will not touch them again, not even addicted actually and just used them for leisure/pleasure. If anyone has any advice on how to ride out this storm and ways to make a full recovery, I will be indebted to you forever!

Motorhead Sherwood said on Thu, 5 Dec 2019 at 08:58...

Hi Scared

Well, welcome...
There is a very long thread that contains tons of info here:
http://poppersguide.com/forum/10213

the short version is this:

1. it is a well known effect. You are not the only one.
2. it seems to gradually improve over time for most people. In a few days you will be able to see better (but not 100%) and further improvement continues slowly, but it can take months to completely heal (in my case about 6 months)
3. don't use poppers again, in any case not that brand that you used
4. i don't take the tips that i have read very serious. But they include taking vitamins and eating healthy. In that thread look for "Junior eye doctor" who lists a dozen or so vitamins etc.
5. my email adress is "motorheadsherwood@hotmail.com". I am interested in the long term effects. So contact me if you want to.
6. don't panick! things will become better over time in all likelyhood! and you might want to consult an eye doctor and tell them about your drug use.

I'm freaking out :( said on Wed, 26 Feb 2020 at 08:42...

Hi Guys,

I am (was!) a regular user of poppers, maybe a few times a week but last Sat after not a particularly heavy session I have major problems with my vision

Straight after I could tell, I couldn't read the text on my phone properly. My central vision is very blurry, and like a lot of guys on here I struggle to read, can't see people's faces in the street and can't read road signs.

I'm completely freaking out and have taken the past few days off work I'm so anxious. Today I'm going to Moorefield's eye hospital to get checked out.

I'm so scared that my vision won't return to normal and that ill be stuck half-blind for life. I really can't even handle the thought of that right now, it's making me feel suicidal. I literally can't believe this has happened to me.

I was using PIG the red one, which is IPN and maybe only a few times over an hour or 2.

I've started taking Lutein and will definitely never touch poppers again.

I'm 34, male and live in London. If this has happened to anyone else in London I'd be really comforted to meet IRL and see how/if you recovered.

Anon said on Sat, 4 Jul 2020 at 03:10...

Hi to the most recent poster,

I had the same problems and concerns as you. Took isopropyl for years, and had visual problems in the past but only after major binges, and they usually subsided after a few days. I should have stopped there and then. Unfortunately I continued for a year after that, until a major binge left me with major problems that lasted months! Isopropyl nitrite is linked to fovea damage/maculopathy as the few observational studies have confirmed. I first noticed visual artifacts (yellowish spots, central 'light bulb' blind spot, sensitivity to bright lights, auras around objects as if light was being reflected poorly, a 'scotoma'/almost a blind spot in my vision...like a greyed out floater). Since lockdown (start of March) to now (July) the blind spot and yellowish spots have COMPLETELY gone. I still have a slight oversensitivity to bright lights but it's rapidly improving to the point where I was watching TV at max backlight levels in complete darkness and I had no discomfort. Also, the scotoma/watermark is no longer there EXCEPT every now and then when I blink rapidly. Even then, it's about 99% gone. So basically, abstinence is your friend!

Btw, from late April to June I took 'Lutein' supplements (Vitabiotics because they were on sale at Boots). I hadn't necessarily been taking them daily, but around a few times a month. Not sure if it helped or not, but can't go wrong with it! Also, the more sleep I was getting, the greater my recovery was in the initial month. Especially when using 'blue light filters' on device screens when the lights are off.

Final point I want to make is that if you do ever really want to try poppers again or struggle to give them up (they can be psychologically addictive, rather than physically), then import amyl nitrite poppers as they do not cause maculopathy from what the studies have obserbed. But ideally just give them up for good if you can. Good luck, and try not to stress too much about it.

Fae said on Mon, 12 Oct 2020 at 21:51...

Finding this thread and the original link to the old thread has been a real godsend so thank you to everybody who has contributed in the past. The last few days I’ve been In a whirlwind of anxiety worried that I fucked up my eyes for life. I’ve only done poppers a few times and I thought they were the shit - I bought them from a sex shop so they must be safe, right? God I thought I was just hungover or something but when the flashing didn’t go away I googled and then read about Poppers maculopathy and my stomach nearly fell out of my arse. I have awful anxiety about it and am feeling borderline suicidal.

I have flashy vision and a blind spot in my central vision...can’t see faces or read things from a distance...I guess it’s comforting to know that it’ll probably go away. So relieved I found this thread...I can’t believe how little information there is about this...and that it’s available to buy in the UK? WTF??!

lic said on Tue, 3 Nov 2020 at 17:20...

Does anyone know why only isopropyl / IPN causes this and not the other types of poppers? The other types can have a strong "body (not eyes) effect" as well, so why are IPN so much worse for the eyes?..

Canarias said on Fri, 13 Nov 2020 at 12:18...

I suffered eye damage from iso-amyl: maculapathy (mild), retinopathy (light), cornea inflammation (burning sensation, foggy vision, rainbows around lights). Also tinnutus (one ear; high hiss noise) and concentration/word finding problems and irregular heart beat (extra systoles 5000/day). The damage seems to be linked to the concentration of NO molecules in your blood. Iso-propyl is very volatile (boiling point ~40°C) so it is very easy to get a high concentration into your lungs. Iso-amyl is much less volatile (boiling point ~100°C) and for getting a high concentration you need to huff it with your mouth or warm it. My observation was that eye damage was linked to a head rush and strong orgasm. Do not use poppers. It is too dangerous, sad to say. Repeat. Do not use it.

JoshVR said on Wed, 17 Feb 2021 at 01:15...

Check out the truthaboutpoppers.com

Don't expect the manufacturer to disclose anything. They literally want shit all to do with you and don't care about what harm you do to yourself. Remember they have the disclaimer about it being for leather cleaning / video head cleaning - you fuck up your life and your vision - fucking your problem not theirs.

Bad News said on Tue, 15 Jun 2021 at 04:35...

It is NOT just isopropyl. I have vision issues and the only kind I have ever used (I double-checked my bottles after having vision issues) is isoBUTYL. Read any account of the visual issues caused by poppers and I am having the exact same effect from isobutyl.

So don't think you are safe because either:

1) Isobutyl (and possibly other compounds) are just as dangerous as isopropyl.

2) Manufacturers at 4 different poppers websites that ship to the US lie about the ingredients of their poppers and mislabel them.

One of these things has to be true. Neither one can be dodged or avoided. There is no "safe" formula. Quit kidding yourself that you can be a drug addict with no downsides.

Billy said on Fri, 9 Jul 2021 at 12:21...

Hi Canarias, how is it going for you?

Billy said on Sun, 11 Jul 2021 at 20:07...

Anon can we please compare the symptoms and how is it going for you?

Amsterdam - Poppers Maculopathy said on Thu, 16 Sep 2021 at 13:44...

Hey dudes, I had a heavy session with Amsterdam poppers consisted of Pentil nitrite. I'm not the regular Poppers user, had only 5-6 sessions in my life.

After the last session My lips and nails got pale blue and I went to the hospital and told everything to the doctor.
They did the blood work my o2 level was very low. So they put me on O2 and I got discharged when I get back to normal.

After that I discovered that I have a vision problems, basically blind spot in the middle of the vision. It is very small but still affects my reading, also I'm very sensitive to light. Went to the doc they did the eye scans and they saw the damage. Got diagnosed with Poppers Maculopathy. It has been a week since incident and I have been taking eye supplements and trying to stay optimistic, thanks to Motorhead Sherwood.

Stay strong you all

Billy said on Fri, 18 Nov 2022 at 21:38...

Billy from Juni - Juli 2021.
Almost back in normal. A part of the eye nerv on the right eye is dead for ever. Luckily affekts only the vision field on the nose side. AMD on the right eye. It has gone better, butt for some months now steady. Afterimages last only half second or less. Visual snow limited.

Amsterdam - Poppers Maculopathy said on Wed, 30 Nov 2022 at 10:22...

This message is addressed to somebody who is in the same situation like I was to comfort they. It has been 13 month since I damage my vision.

Yesterday my doctor confirmed full resolution and recovery from my toxic maculopathy. Structurally my eyes are healthy, but I think my vision will never be the same again like it was before! I enjoy my life back. Since the damage occurred I completely stopped using poppers and will never touch this stuff again. My vision is more important then short acting high.

I also used lutein supplement. If you damaged your vision just stay away from the poppers and be patient. Recovery is on the way!

bilbao said on Wed, 30 Nov 2022 at 12:42...

Hello Amsterdam,

What symptoms do you have left?

Great to hear you can enjoy life again, thats the most important thing. Would you say the recovery has taken 13 months, or did most of it happen in the beginning? How long did it take for things to feel normal again?

Amsterdam - Poppers Maculopathy said on Tue, 6 Dec 2022 at 11:32...

Replied in http://poppersguide.com/forum/10213

NoPoppersPete said on Sun, 31 Dec 2023 at 10:30...

Hi guys I’d like to thank you all for the advice here - I’m suffering too and the experiences you share keep me positive. I am 4 weeks in and I think getting better but it’s slow.

One thing to mention is that I’ve realised that my symptoms of light sensitivity and dizziness and floaters are much worse if I am dehydrated. Sounds simple but yesterday I forgot to drink much water and mostly had coffee and tea and had headaches and dizzy spells. Within 30 mins of drinking a pint or two of water the symptoms were significantly better (but not gone). Others have said alcohol makes them feel worse too. I now always carry a water bottle and drink constantly through the day - don’t drink too much though! Also no alcohol or coffee at all. Do follow all the other advice about supplements sleep stopping popper use being patient etc that you will see on the other forum page mentioned here.

I will update on here at a later point which I hope will help others.

Thanks & I wish you a speedy recovery! Pete