Eye floaters

[cherryblossomtree3]

Anyone got any advice on learning to ignore eye floaters?

I have lots of little black dots in my vision- it looks like dark chunks of glitter. It’s in both eyes. It’s not a new thing and it’s not changed recently but generally I’m able to ignore it and forget it’s there. But sometimes i suddenly notice them and it catches me off guard- I always get a fright thinking there’s bugs on me because it looks like little black bugs. Today I was typing away at work and moved my eye to read something and suddenly noticed I had several flies round me and I screamed and ran and made a fool of myself, then I realised it was just my eye floaters.

does anyone have any advice on how to permanently learn to ignore them and stop thinking I’m being chased by bugs?!

Have you actually had this checked by a professional? I get floaters - most commonly when exercising - but am also regularly asked by the optician if I see any other shapes, stars or flashing lights. I have an eye condition which makes a detached retina more likely, which would need to be treated immediately. I've never experienced any floaters so intensely that I mistake them for insects.

Yes, they need to be checked!

DH had this and it was a detached retina. Easily fixed. Please get checked!

Yes you need this checked for retinal tears / detachments. It’s an emergency situation.

But - I have very bad floaters, I’m -9.50 in both eyes with retinal issues and the consultant at the eye hospital when I was checked out for flashing lights (turned out to be pvds) said I have the worst floaters he’s seen in 40 years of looking at peoples eyes. I have done the insect waving about thing too; it’s horrible. I just try and look through them, it’s when I focus on a floater or try to follow it with my vision that I get myself totally worked up about them all. Often it’s like a snow globe with black swirls and flecks. I think you just have to do your best to focus on whatever is in the distance and not the floaters.

It sounds from your OP like you've had this a while and have been checked but if not, get it looked at.

If it's been confirmed that there is no problem and it's just eye floaters then tinted lenses can help. The welcome arrival of the sunny weather means that's you'll have glare and everything is brighter. One of the few benefits of gloomy weather is that eye floaters are less noticeable.

I have transitions lenses in my glasses which I love. Go to an opticians and ask if they have any tinted lenses you can try out, if not get a pack of multi coloured acetate sheets from Amazon, sold as aids for dyslexia. Different colours work better for different people, you may find grey tint, blue or yellow help you better to see past the black specks.

Mine was getting more noticeable, because my eyes were getting dryer. Apparently I don't fully close my eyes when I blink. I'm now making more of an effort to, wearing prescription sunglasses and using drops. Things have improved.

I can't remember not having them, I have no advice other than echo, see an optician tomorrow if they suddenly got worse.

I had this a couple of months ago. I knee they had been there a while but I started noticing them more and I found it too hard to ignore them so ended up thinking about them more and getting really stressed out so I got them checked and it was all good. (I go to boots opticians and it was free)It put my mind to rest and I could just stop concentrating on them. I do see them every now and then still but because I'm not concentrating on them I Don't think they're that noticeable.

If floaters get bigger or become like circles (Weiss rings) get them checked immediately, as PP have said, because they can mean a detached retina. I’ve had one of those, proved not to be damage, and now tbh I don’t even know if it’s still there. I have a normal little floater in the other eye I notice more, a bit like a tiny gnat at times as you described, OP. I haven’t any suggestions except time for getting used to it.