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Original poster

Eye floaters

16 replies

Aishaa2023 · 15/03/2023 13:31

Hi everyone, could i have positive stories regards to eye floaters.
I started to have eye floaters back in end if November last year and it was 3 dots, i started to panic and got my eye tested with the options and they said everything was fine, i noticed they got more worse and I started to get srings as well as dots and I went to the hospital and they did an eye examination and they said that my brain would get used to them and that my eyes were fine thank God- fast forward to today and they are still there and i have lots of them- long strings and dots and when i go outside i can see them in my vision? How am is my brain supposed to make them disappear and tune them out?

OP posts:
Mercurial123 · 15/03/2023 13:38

I've had them for years. It's not a big deal. I had a torn retina a couple of years back, and if mine gets worse, I have to get a check-up to make sure everything is OK.

EVHead · 15/03/2023 13:43

Yes I’ve got them too - they put it down to ageing. 🙄

Mine are less noticeable in certain situations. Pure white paper/screen is the worst.

It’s horrible but nothing can be done. I’m just learning to live with them.

MassiveSalad22 · 15/03/2023 13:44

I’ve had them since I was a kid. So annoying! I’m convinced that when I eat healthier they improve - less inflammation perhaps.

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TheHouseNextDoor · 15/03/2023 13:50

Yep had them since I was a kid.

Once you stop working about it you will no longer see them. I rarely see mine anymore.

Seeingadistance · 15/03/2023 13:54

I'm another one who's had them since childhood, although they do seem to be getting worse now I'm in my mid 50s. I sometimes feel I have to wait for them to move so I can see round them!

You do learn to tune them out. I'm very aware of mine right now because I'm thinking about them.

ClemFandango1 · 15/03/2023 14:07

I have loads of visual snow and have done for years - floaters, halos on lights, static and flashing light and dark patches in the sky if I look at it long enough, patterns in the dark etc.

But I am not neurotypical so it's normal to me.

underneaththeash · 15/03/2023 14:10

I’m an optometrist and have loads.
You do get used to them.
Sometimes people don’t, especially those prone to anxiety.
the only thing I’ve found that helped quite a few people is yoga!

REP22 · 15/03/2023 14:12

I've got them too, in my right eye. They are more annoying than anything. I do find that it's easy to live with them though.

HairyKitty · 15/03/2023 14:17

Takes around 6 months for them to be mostly unnoticeable. The more you notice them (or look for them) the longer this period will be. Scanning for problems such as floaters is a habit, CBT can help.

BatFaceOwl · 15/03/2023 14:18

It's anxiety related a lot of the time - the more you focus on them, the more you'll see them!

I can summon mine at will really! Just looked at a pale wall and there they all were

Its easier said than but the answer is literally to just thinking about them.

This post comes up quite often over the years - I suspect by the same person - but honestly, they're not dangerous, they're not a sign of anything sinister (of course, unless you have had something heavy bashed on your head or a significant illness etc) and you just need to ignore them

readingcat · 15/03/2023 14:25

For reference, whilst floaters are normal as the eye ages and the vitreous begins to shrink a bit, a sudden onset of floaters is not. If you suddenly experience a lot of new floaters or a lacy effect in your vision, flashes, or a veil-like effect, you need to be investigated for retinal detachment.

I thought I’d mention this for the benefit of anyone searching for floater advice, rather than the OP who has had the same floaters for a while. OP, I sympathise - mine are dreadful and still present after years, but I can ignore them most of the time.

Natuk · 15/03/2023 14:38

Two years later, I still see them all the time, especially on the white walls and bathroom 😂I have a little dark floater see it in my vision too (like a small stringy) in my left eye, sadly I can't tune it out. Trust me, I went through a period of depression, where I struggled and cried for the first 6 months.

I do have several transparent floaters ones in right eye, they don’t bother me the slightly.

I’m learning to live with them now and ignore them. Frustrating I know. But it’s out of my control. I wish you all the best @Aishaa2023

PriamFarrl · 15/03/2023 14:41

I have hundreds of the bastards it’s like looking through soup.

KnittedCardi · 15/03/2023 14:58

I have dots and strings and clouds too. However, it is true you get to "learn" to ignore them. I find if I am tired they are worse, but looking at the screen now I can't see them at all. If I wobble/roll my eyes, and pull back focus, my vision is completely blurred. I only got them in mid-life when my eye also got more and more short sighted.

schnubbins · 15/03/2023 15:03

I have had them since childhood also and also suffer from migraine with aura .After a migraine the floaters are very visible and very black.I notice them more when tired.They are so annoying but have been there so long I do not worry about them

mynameiscalypso · 15/03/2023 16:10

I've had them for years too. I still 'see' them especially if I'm looking at something white but my brain is totally used to them.

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