# Anyone else suffer from eye 'floaters'?



## SpokeyDokey (18 Mar 2018)

Late on Friday night I spotted what looks like a small cobwed that slowly morphs in shape drifting around in the upper right section of my right eye.

Initially thought it was something on my right eye and gave it a saline rinse that had no effect.

Went to bed thinking it would be gone by morning but it hadn't

Mid-morning yesterday I decided to contact my optician who asked me to come straight in for an examination as this sort of thing can be an early sign of a retinal tear or even retinal detachment.

Fortunately neither was apparent.

News to me but 'floaters' are pretty common as we age and are pretty irritating. I'm sure he said it would be permanent but I queried this after a bit of research last night by email and he has replied today (great service) to say he said there is a possibility of it being so but what he said was that it would probably be there for some time. I was a bit stressed and I think I must've misheard him! Internet research suggests that they can diminish in size and shape although others may appear. It also suggests that the brain can adapt to filter out the visual disturbance and not notice it over time.

So today arrived and I have had to start learning to live with the irritating bugger - it's more apparent when looking at eg a neutral coloured wall, a bright clear sky or when I'm simply not actually looking at anything in particular in my field of vision.

I have 'switched on' all the learnings from my CBT therapy that I had following my mis-diagnosis of a serious illness the year before last and I'm 100% confident I'll cope ok. Basically I'm going down the focus on the positive route (I'm not blind and there are plenty of blind people out there who would love to have only my problem to deal with), not trying to dwell on it by trying to keep looking at it on purpose and hence de-focussing my attention span as well is refusing to worry about something that I cannot affect by worrying. Stuff like that. Day 1 seems to be going ok.

Anyone else on here dealing with this problem? Apparently my optician sees one older person (I'm 61) on average every 2 days with the condition and that most people have some 'floaters' by the time they are 75-80. He said he has a couple himself and he's 5 years younger than me!

Just wondering how other people are coping tbh?


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## annedonnelly (18 Mar 2018)

I've had them for years - since I was a child I suppose. I don't notice them most of the time - they're usually on the edge of my field of vision. I can't say that they've ever caused me any problems.

I think I probably thought that everyone had them and hence never worried about it. I think you'll notice them less if you're not thinking about them.


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## Dayvo (18 Mar 2018)

I've had them occasionally throughout my life.

One takes the form of a mini electricity pylon, another like a very small cloud, and one like a lost ant walking around. 

There's no discomfort and I've learnt to live with the annoyance when they appear.


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## slowmotion (18 Mar 2018)

I've had floaters since I was a child. They don't bother me and don't compromise my vision much so I just live with them. I was told that they have something to do with impurities in the gunk inside your eyeballs. I've no idea if that's true, BTW.


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## BSOh (18 Mar 2018)

Yes I've had them forever too, and thought everyone had them. 99% of the time I don't notice them, but there are rare occasions where they annoy a little.


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## SpokeyDokey (18 Mar 2018)

Apparently aging (from about 40 onwards) can cause some of the vitreous jelly in the eyeball to become watery and as the collagen in the jelly breaks down it's the resultant debris in the eyeball that causes silhouettes (in all my life I can't recall having ever typed or written that word  ) on the retina.

Some people are born with this too.


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## Racing roadkill (18 Mar 2018)

The worst it usually could be, is the start of a retina detachment. It’s usually just bits of slightly solidified vitreous humour making their way through, and nothing to worry about. There are lots of other things that can cause it, some serious, some nothing at all. If your worried about it at all, go and see a qualified medical practitioner.

https://www.rnib.org.uk/eye-health/...achment-pvd/posterior-vitreous-detachment-PVD


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## potsy (18 Mar 2018)

I have lots of them, not worried, regular eye examinations have never flagged up any issues.


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## DaveReading (18 Mar 2018)

I've had floaters since I was young. 

When I was at uni all the young ladies in the opthalmic department used to love looking into my eyes.


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## Drago (18 Mar 2018)

I too suffer from the odd one, and have also done since I was young. Apparently, they're dead cells or some such floating on the surface of the eye. I am but a mere, youthful 49.

My optician would also call me in quickly in such circumstances, because its an early sign that I'm going to have to give them money 

On a sort of related note, Mrs D has the worst case of optic neuritis the In Northampton General Hospital have even seen. When she goes to the opticians all the young trainees queue up to have a look into her knacked eye as they've never seen one like it outside of a textbook.

Glad you're OK Mr Dokey, and I like your attitude to stuff beyond your control.


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## keithmac (18 Mar 2018)

I've had them for years too, quite relaxing watching them float around sometimes!.


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## Spinney (18 Mar 2018)

I've had them forever - only really notice them when gazing at a bright sky or similar. Sometimes they appear to be in focus and look like a long filament or cell. I thought everyone had them!


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## Ming the Merciless (18 Mar 2018)

All my life.


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## gbb (18 Mar 2018)

I had floaters maybe 10 to 20 years ago, quite noticeable then, never seem to get them...or notice them now. It's possible a transient thing for some.


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## Bazzer (18 Mar 2018)

Ever since I was a kid. Opticians comment on them every time I have an eye examination. 
It depends upon the light conditions, but I can relax my eyes to deliberately see them. But occasionally they are a nuisance.


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## pclay (18 Mar 2018)

Yep, had em for as long as I can remember. I can only see them if I squint, or half close my eyes and focus on a bright background, e.g. Computer or iPad screen. Never bothered me to be honest.


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## tyred (18 Mar 2018)

I've had them for as long as I can remember.

As my Granny and her sister both lost their sight late in life the eyes are one part of my body I've always been paranoid about so I do have my annual check up and the opticians always tell me my eyes are healthy.


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## midlife (18 Mar 2018)

Same here, I can remember being small and looking at a clear blue sky and them being there. Constant companions ever since.....


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## pclay (18 Mar 2018)

Just to make sure, we are talking about these.....


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## midlife (18 Mar 2018)

Look like mine..


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## Maenchi (18 Mar 2018)

weird and irritating at first, but you should get used to them..........took me quite a while but now I hardly notice them..


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## sheddy (18 Mar 2018)

Ditto me. 
There is a possibility that it will break up into smaller pieces.


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## SpokeyDokey (18 Mar 2018)

[QUOTE 5186217, member: 43827"]That is just one type of vitreous detachment I believe. Others can give the impression of looking through floating patches of net curtain.[/QUOTE]

That's a good description of mine - it twirls about and morphs in shape like a piece of CGI.


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## DCBassman (19 Mar 2018)

I had them big and dense enough, in both eyes, such that when they were each in the right position, and it happened often, the car in front of me would vanish as if beamed up. Bilateral vitrectomies just for that. That's the far extreme end of otherwise benign floaters.


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## Banjo (19 Mar 2018)

I had them in my twenties gradually dissappeared now approaching 60 I dont get them .

I think it was very wrong to tell you they are permanent.


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## Archeress (20 Mar 2018)

I've had them since childhood, but a couple of years ago (age 62) my partner got his first. OMG you'd have thought he'd gone blind from his reaction, instantly making an appointment with the GP and going into meltdown mode.

Hugs
Archeress x


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## Tin Pot (20 Mar 2018)

annedonnelly said:


> I've had them for years - since I was a child I suppose. I don't notice them most of the time - they're usually on the edge of my field of vision. I can't say that they've ever caused me any problems.
> 
> I think I probably thought that everyone had them and hence never worried about it. I think you'll notice them less if you're not thinking about them.


+1

Freaked me out as a kid because no one could explain what they were, not a problem once I found out.


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## SpokeyDokey (21 Mar 2018)

Archeress said:


> I've had them since childhood, but a couple of years ago (age 62) my partner got his first. OMG you'd have thought he'd gone blind from his reaction, instantly making an appointment with the GP and going into meltdown mode.
> 
> Hugs
> Archeress x



Same age and sounds a bit like me then!


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## SpokeyDokey (21 Mar 2018)

Thank you all for your replies.

Struggling a bit this week esp' whilst driving as it moves around quite rapidly and is disconcerting.

I've read that they can 'fall' to the bottom of the eye out of the line of sight and that rolling an eye up and down or side to side can shift them - doesn't work for me. It seems to be moving about within its own small segment of the total field of vision whilst changing shape.

Might sound a bit like an over-reaction from me I guess but it has occurred in my 'good eye' - in '94 I nearly lost my left eye due to a pseudomona infection. Was in hospital 5 days whilst they got it under control - followed by a long rehab' period. It left me with a 6mm dia' scar just off centre of the iris - not really discernible unless you know it's there. Oddly it doesn't seem to affect my vision too much as apparently my brain fills in the blank area.

I'll have to wait and see if the floater goes or if my brain gets used to it.

I've read about laser zapping being an option in some circumstances but I guess that's a premature reaction. Anyone here had this procedure carried out?


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## lazyfatgit (21 Mar 2018)

I can't remember not having them. Only really notice if there's a plain bright background. 
As a child i used to unfocus and daydream chasing them around. I had one for ages that seemed to have a hinged bit that could be swivelled by rolling eye aroumd.
I just assumed everybody had them.
To be honest, grubby specs are probably more of an annoyance.


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## Globalti (22 Mar 2018)

Good opticians now have retina photography and a handful of really good ones have MRI scanners for the retina so will be able to spot signs of a problem even before your GP. If you're lucky enough to live in Lancashire, Junaid at Ideal Eye Care in Wilpshire, Blackburn, has one and is a first class bloke.


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## keithmac (22 Mar 2018)

SpokeyDokey said:


> Thank you all for your replies.
> 
> Struggling a bit this week esp' whilst driving as it moves around quite rapidly and is disconcerting.
> 
> ...



A bloke who pops into work was in last week, he'd had laser treatment for an eye problem caused by diabetes the week before and they've managed to blind him in one eye.

He's now signed off work and said in hindsight he would have declined the treatment if he'd known.

They're now weighing up surgery to try an correct it 

Don't be blasè about laser eye surgery, it can go pretty badly wrong..


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## DCBassman (25 Mar 2018)

Any and all eye surgery carries risk. Pretty delicate work, knife or laser.
Had lots of surgery, and some fails, still got most of my sight.


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## Rider75 (25 Mar 2018)

I ended up with floaters in my left eye after cataract treatment - plastic lens insert They said it was junk from that in the fluid. Anyway, the eye went mist again and the plan was to drain the fluid out and replace with synthetic fluid which was clear. When I got there they decided to do laser treatment. I'm not technical on this - but they cut a hole in the lens (I presume) or somewhere. Took about 15 mins. I an now see 99% clear from that eye - the misty stuff has gone - plus the floaters which were also annoying being right in the middle. So now well pleased

Worth getting a check with an optician as new procedures and treatment is happening all the time. I was originally told I was stuck with the floaters

I don't think the use knievs btw - physical stuff is done with a mini vacumn


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