[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Floaters (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 5/2/2010 12:45:36 PM EDT
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Not a poop thread. ...as in vision. Spots in your eyes (well, inside your eyes) that appear to be small, moving dark shadows. They move around as you look around, not always in the same spot. I started getting them about a week after turning 40. Do they go away? I notice them changing shape a little from day to day. Anything to worry about? Live with it? |
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They really aren't anything to worry about, unless you have a noticeable increase in them all of a sudden, usually along with flashes of light. If that's what's going on, there's a possibility of retinal detachment and you need to get to a doctor ASAP and have it fixed before you lose vision.
All they are is small (usually transparent) deposits inside the eye and as they pass across the retina, they cast a shadow - and that's what you see. They're in the vitreous humour (a liquid-like substance in the eyeball) and that's why when you look around they move, because the fluid is moving too. I have problems with them sometimes and I find that looking up and down (floor to ceiling) with my eyes only helps to make them move out of my field of vision. Just don't do it in front of people too much or they'll think you're crazy. 
If they stay the same over time, you'll have to learn to deal with them, and probably will learn to tune them out. |
| I have had them my entire life but recently I have noticed them more often. It is funny that you posted this because I was just noticing them a lot today in my eyes and was semi worried. Everybody I talk to has had them or gets them every now and then. The flashes of light or spots that don't move are what you need to watch out for. |
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I am almost 38 and I have had floaters for several years now but they have been increasingly noticeable and annoying the past 2 or so years. They are especially noticeable when the sky is overcast or the background of something I look at is white or gray. Went to the eye doc and was told it was nothing serious and I would have to get used to them. When the doc was doing his exam he could actually see the really annoying one in my left eye (looks like a coiled up piece of wire/string/hair whatever) which was unusual. While he said it is a little uncommon that I have so many at such a young age there is nothing that can be done. They do tend to transition through my various fields of vision over time so sometimes they are better and sometimes they are worse. I shoot sporting clays and trap competitively and when they are bad I have actually dropped a few targets because they blocked or screwed with my vision. I am blessed with 20/20 vision and no need for corrected vision up to this point. I would rather have to worry about floaters than glasses to be honest.
Do yourself a favor, don't go self diagnose on the internet. Scary stuff to read if you are not a Dr. (unless you stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night  ). Go get checked out by a professional for your piece of mind.
Good luck! |
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Hey! I have a few of them! Haven't noticed them in years though... |
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Quoted:
I've had them for a few years,the eye doc says its normal.I work in a building with florescent lighting and that drives my eyes nuts,to the point were I wear sunglasses indoors. I agree about the lighting, I wear a hat to work and change to a baseball type cap while inside at work. I have always had a few floaters. A few years back I woke up one morning and could hardly see out of my right eye. It seemed like I was looking through the edge of a piece of broken glass. Went to work and called the eye doc. He wanted to see me right away. After a rather intense exam he determined that I had a detached viterous humor( the sac that holds the gel in the eye had torn loose). There is no treatment. The downside is that it created a few large floaters and thousands of smaller ones. It was extremely bothersome at first but then you learn to ignore it. My eyes are more glare sensitive, hence the cap at work now. A couple of years later the same thing happened to the other eye but knowing the symptoms and those of a detached retina I did not panic and called in and went in for another exam a couple of days later. At least it has not affected my shooting. |
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I've had them since my mid 20s, just comes from reading too much, or so I was told. They do go away after time, but new ones appear to take their places. I've probably got a half dozen or more in each eye. After a while you just stop seeing them unless you're specifically looking. |