Several years ago I got a decent-sized floater.  Retina specialist said "live with it".  Three months later, it was getting worse and a "string" was coming from it.  Same retinal doc said "live with it".  I went for a second opinion, and the second doc immediately pegged it as toxoplasmosis and started treatment.

Toxo can come from cat litter boxes, or from raw meats.  Venison sushi is not a good idea.

Mine caused a flare-up in my retina, and that "streamed" a clump of goop that left a dark spot in the vitreous gel in the eye.  A two- or three-month regimen of pretty tough antibiotics knocked it back into submission, but it will always be there, waiting to flare up during times of stress or weakend immunity.

The lesson here is, if the floaters change or grow, GO SEE A GOOD EYE DOC!

flcracker

Quoted: how old are you? They started getting really bad for me at 25. I can't prove it but I think sitting in front of the computer for 8-10 hours a day makes it worse.

I am 21 and they have been staying about the same for the last year or so, but they are bad and piss me off, but that is about the only affect they have.  

Had a couple of them a few years ago, but they finally went away.

Then....
About 3 months ago, I got one in my right eye that is bugging the daylights out of me!

It's really visible when reading black type on a white page on a computer monitor.
(My monitor at work is 20". Ugh!)

My eye doc said it may go away.

There is a surgical procedure, where they drill a hole in your eye, drain the fluid, filter it, and put it back.
From what I understand, it's risky.

Quoted: ~snip~ There is a surgical procedure, where they drill a hole in your eye, drain the fluid, filter it, and put it back. From what I understand, it's risky.

Yep, a co worker had it done because they had to go in surgically to fix his retina...the laser tack thingy didn't work.  They refill the eye with some synthetic stuff that replaces the gel.  Anyhow he said it sure cleared up the floaters.

Downside is a high risk of infection and you go blind when it hits the optic nerve.   After long talk with my retina dr, I decided to live with it for now.  There are other retina issues that might have to be addressed down the road, and if that happens then we'll replace the fluid.

I know of no surgery that can't make things worse.

urbanlegends.about.com/library/bl-eye-worm2.htm

holy shit i thought i was the only one with those things!!!
i thought i was crazy or something... thats still up in the air i think though

I heard a sharp stick is effective.

Pop your eyeballs out....slit them, squeeze out the juice.

Strain juice through a coffee filter into a clean glass. Reinsert juice into deflated eyeballs with eye dropper, put back in head...

Simple...

Note: Not real medical advice...DO NOT FOLLOW....

(added for the idots out there )

Seriously, I've had them since I was a kid, not bad, but there, mostly I don't even notice them. To me they look like little road segments off a map...

It might be a tumor.

My doc says you can't really get rid of them, that many times they can be stuff like fragments from the blood vessels that used to be there when you were a fetus, etc.  I have a shiotload of them, but none of the other alarming symptoms, so I'm just stuck with them....for life.

If you're sure it's just floaters and not something more worrisome, you can try this stuff.  I make no promises, and yes it's not cheap.  But other than the $70, what do you have to lose?

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Lifting weights supposedly caused mine I guess I got off easy with my weightlifting. All I got was hemmorhoids. OMG!!! Lifting can cause that?????  Anyone else heard this?

It's really not that uncommon. Do enough heavy squats and that puts a lot of pressure on your whatsis walls or membranes down there, ya know? I think the same type of condition for women appears from childbirth.

Back to regular programming...

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Lifting weights supposedly caused mine I guess I got off easy with my weightlifting. All I got was hemmorhoids. OMG!!! Lifting can cause that?????  Anyone else heard this? It's really not that uncommon. Do enough heavy squats and that puts a lot of pressure on your whatsis walls or membranes down there, ya know? I think the same type of condition for women appears from childbirth. Back to regular programming...

Yep, my bloody hemmorhoids came from when I used to powerlift years ago.

Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Quoted: Lifting weights supposedly caused mine I guess I got off easy with my weightlifting. All I got was hemmorhoids. OMG!!! Lifting can cause that?????  Anyone else heard this? It's really not that uncommon. Do enough heavy squats and that puts a lot of pressure on your whatsis walls or membranes down there, ya know? I think the same type of condition for women appears from childbirth. Back to regular programming... Yep, my bloody hemmorhoids came from when I used to powerlift years ago.

Lends a whole new meaning to "'rhoid rage," doesn't it?