Floaters
 

Got one in my eye about an hour ago. Thought it was a cobweb in my hair. Nope. Then something stuck on my glasses. Nope. This is irritating as it moves around. I hope it goes away soon!

Do you have access to an ophthalmologist? Might be worth a visit...Probably nothing to worry about, but it is worth being checked out.

I'll call him tomorrow or text him. He is a good Pcar buddy of mine.

While on this very subject...

A week ago I had quite distinct vertical lines on the left side of my left eye. Otherwise all normal.

I didn't mention it to ex nurse GF in case she started talking about neurological blah blah and had me checked in. The next day or later on, the lines were gone. Do these lines mean anything?

I’m having floaters lately. Dr seems only worried if I see lightening type light or if it looks like a shade being pulled down. Apparently an indication of torn retina.

I developed a massive floater in my right eye a couple of years ago. I was freaking out, but after checking it out my eye doctor said it is relatively normal and to not be overly concerned. It affects my vision constantly (I can 'see' fine, but I am always aware of it) but I have gotten used to it and it is not that big of a deal now.

Part of growing old, I suppose.

By the thread title I expected a little TMI about bathroom performance.

I see things sometimes, but it’s only my imagination.

Yep. I look out my window and watch her as she passes by.

But I'll spare you all the details. Long story.

I thought this thread was going to be about raising gold fish.

I would have it checked out, but my ophthalmologist says floaters are not dangerous. Do you see little specs floating in your eye? I get those along with the spider webs. My ophthalmologist says they are tiny droplets of blood. Apparently as you get older (damn I hate that phrase) blood leaks into the fluid in your eyes.

Those are usually from a migraine. I get them on occasion, but my head never hurts. It is just pressure on the optic nerve. It usually passes in 20 minutes or so.

I get those Ocular Migranes almost every morning. More about them here:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/migraine-headache/expert-answers/ocular-migraine/faq-20058113

I too got a large floater in my right eye about 2 months ago. A couple days later I went to my regular eye doctor who referred me to a retina specialist as an emergency referral. Turns out I had 6 small and 2 large holes in my retina. They used a laser to seal the holes right then. Don't mess around with eye issues- go see a professional.

I've been able to see floaters for decades. For me it's essentially the same as seeing dust in a digital photo. I normally only see them if I'm in a bright environment so my pupil has contracted down to its smallest. I most often see them when looking at a nice clear, bright sky or out of a window to a bright day.

Most of the time it's absolutely normal and not a big deal. But if this seems very unusual, especially if you're older and it persists unusually, then it wouldn't be a bad idea to get your eyes checked.

This is probably the closest approximation of how my floaters look, although I don't usually see this many at the same time. Sometimes it's just one or two tiny dots, sometimes it's one of the little squiggles that look like a little worm.

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...2/Floaters.png

That's what I was thinking too. That and the toilets in Austria that have a little shelf north of the water, that you need to place some TP on in order to get things to flush down, otherwise you are flushing for several times.

Since grade school for me. Some ones in play today at 66. Just lucky.

Looking forward to it getting worse.

Those might be due to Vitreous Detachment:

https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/vitreous-detachment

Yep, exactly. I remember them from way back when I was a kid.
My wife had vitreous detachment, and then a torn retina (likely caused by the detachment). I've noticed these (but not that many at once) for probably 40+ years. I get my eyes checked yearly, last time was 2-3 months ago and that includes high tech imaging and laser scans. I'm good.

Those are what normal floaters look like, although I don't know if that quantity is normal. I assume the quantity pictured is likely just to understand the sort of size/shape variations possible.

it's annoying we can replace hips and do Lasik and we cannot do *anything* about floaters... The laser stuff has scary side effects.. One methods empties the fluid and refills it with something else (no thank you, also not great numbers for results).. You'd think a nice "dissolving action" eyedrop would exist but not yet..

When mine irritate me, I move my eyes rapidly in one direction (and slowly back), swish stuff around.. do it a few times and it works for a bit, usually long enough to forget about them.

This was in a recent thread. I didn’t know what I had until I saw that.

Thanks Glen and WD. I'm pleased it's not a sign of something more sinister.

Freaks you out the first time though, right ? (the ocular migraine). I never could find a rhyme or reason for mine, 4-5x a year... Generally at work looking at a PC screen but not related to stress or anything.

Still WD - every morning is a lot... It's still a migraine at the core, so maybe if you got the eyes checked you wanna talk to a migraine specialist about some drugs to reduce frequency ? They're not dangerous normally but daily, if it is related to blood flow or nerve pinch or whatever touching the optic nerve, you may wanna take something to reduce frequency just in case.. I would.. Then again I'm no doctor..

Overview from Mayo site:

Eye floaters are spots in your vision. They may look to you like black or gray specks, strings, or cobwebs. They may drift about when you move your eyes. Floaters appear to dart away when you try to look at them directly.

Most eye floaters are caused by age-related changes that occur as the jelly-like substance (vitreous) inside your eyes liquifies and contracts. Scattered clumps of collagen fibers form within the vitreous and can cast tiny shadows on your retina. The shadows you see are called floaters.

If you notice a sudden increase in eye floaters, contact an eye specialist immediately — especially if you also see light flashes or lose your vision. These can be symptoms of an emergency that requires prompt attention.

My first floater was like a flash of lightning followed by a string of pearls shaped like a figure 8 when trying to focus on something. being sleepy or looking at a computer often allowed me to play video games w/ my floater. My eye doctor said it was the ring of eye tissue from where the occular nerve went into the back of the eye and not to worry because the other eye would be doing it shortly and to watch out for a narrowing of the vision which indicates something worse. Sure enough, I was driving early in the morning and the other eye had a figure 8 floating in it.
I don't notice it much any more.

Never called my friend. I researched it and as said above, it comes with age. Plus, I've been sick with the flu and have been an insomniac for a few years, so it all adds up. If it gets worse I'll see him. lol

They definitely come with age...and "probably" nothing to worry about. My own current vision problems cause me to fret too much.

I had issues with flashes and floaters about 10 years ago. My eye doctor said it was normal as we age. He did an exam to make sure it wasn't a retinal tear. I have quite a few floaters near the center of vision. It was extremely annoying in the beginning, but the doctor explained that the brain adjusts to them over time, and they become less noticeable. Anyway, years later I know they are there, but not too annoying anymore.
Regarding retinal tears, they can be very dangerous. They are usually treated with a laser to prevent further damage. I developed one of them about 5 years ago, but didn't realize it. I was at my regular eye doctor for an exam, and she told me she wanted me to go to another doctors office as soon as possible, but didn't go into details. I hopped in the car and went right over. I didn't know what I was there for, but when I arrived they had received a call from my regular doctor.
I became a little concerned as I thought I was just going to make an appointment, but instead they brought me immediately into the exam room. They explained the other doctor saw a retinal tear and, were ready to do immediate laser surgery. In my case it turned out the tear was a bit old, and was stable and surgery was not needed.
I was lucky, but do not put off having your eyes checked out by a professional.