Eye floaters

[Becky6X]

Hi everyone,

I suffer from quite bad anxiety and am currently 26 weeks pregnant. I've always suffered from eye floaters but a few months ago they got quite a bit worse but calmed down. For the past month or so, I've been having cobweb/squiggly lines in the sides of my vision ... but only when it's dark??? They're not directly infront of my eyes, they're seen out the corner of my eyes and when I look down. It's really baffling me because I thought eye floaters were only seen in bright lights?

Can anyone shed any light on this? My blood pressure is always normal around 110/65 and I have no protein in my urine.

See your doctor and or Optician.
I had the same thing and the GP sent me that same day to the hospital eye clinic.
They have to check your retina is ok an the pressure in your eye.
The specialist said I was fine but that if I ever experienced it again worse to go to A&E. Sounds a bit dramatic but it can be a symptom something's wrong with the retina that needs urgent attention.

I had these, currently 19 weeks pregnant and my optician said it was my eyes struggling to focus and it was seeing the tissue in my eye, I did see my midwife first and they checked blood pressure first etc. Go see you GP and optician and get checked over.

The floaters are not a problem so much as the squiggly lines. Mine were like zig zags and sometimes flashing.

I'd go to the optician and get them to check just in case it's a sign of something wring with your retina.

I have panuveitis and the floaters are there all the time with me, ( snowballs they are referred to) i would go get it checked out just incase its nothing serious.

• just in case its something serious

Hello, how you doing now? Im 21 not pregnant and just developed eye floaters 4 months ago and they really bothered me. Its only appear on my right eye , they are maybe 2-3 long stringy and some dots. Really bother me when im under bright sunlight, reading and looking at computer screen. Please for anybody who had floaters and get used to them and even can ignore them share me your story cause it can give me hope!

I am not a medical professional but I have personal experience with floaters.

I have quite large floaters caused by a posterior vitreous detachment. This occurs when the gel like substance in your eye pulls away from the back of the eye. It has happened in both eyes, but at different times. Each time I went to A & E and was seen by an eye specialist because they have to rule out a retinal detachment, which is more serious. Both started with seeing flashing lights and both were not retinal detachments. A vitreous detachment is more likely as we get older. Both of mine happened in my late 50s.

The floaters are annoying, especially in bright light but I have learned to mostly ignore them. I would rather not have them but I put up with them. I try not to let them irritate me and mostly they don't.

The floaters are larger and darker than the faint ones I have seen all my life, such as when looking up at a blue sky with clouds.

My sister has had retinal detachments treated with laser. If you have a sudden onset of flashing lights in your eye you should have it checked out.

I also, very occasionally, get a C shaped jagged flashing thing for in my eye that lasts about 20 minutes and then disappears. My doctors say this is some sort of visual migraine but I do not get a headache. I just wait for it to go away. It is different from the bright flashes I had with the detachments.

Hope that helps. Your eye care professional can probably ease your mind.

Exact same story as @tryingtobebetterallthetime

Are you me?

Too funny. Maybe a doppelgänger? You gotta love this getting older!

But rest assured I am not a bad luck doppelgänger.😀

It's nice to get the ok that all is well
Although as you say - getting older ...,

@tryingtobebetterallthetime @lawnmowingsucks
Yes, what i cant accept is in getting floaters at the age of 21, 30 yrs earlier than you guys really make me upset. Mine are not really large, they are few long stringy one , dots and sometimes like small cloud. They have really change my life and make me feeling down right now. Still cant ignore them , whenever i notice them i started to feel upset and sad again. Really wanna go back to the days where im more relaxed and not worrying all day long.

And i already checked to the optician, they said nothing to worry its only floaters and normal and as time goes by i can adapt to them. But still cant feel its possible right now. I notice them all the time and really distressed me.

Hi OP. I live in Canada where opticians do not have the wide scope of practice they seem to have in the U.K.

You seem very worried, and in my mind that means you need to be reassured by some further investigations or input from a consultant. I know that when I am tired and stressed I can start to dwell on things. I don't think for one second you are turning into a 58 year old.

Your stringy type floaters sound a lot like what I have noticed all my life. I worried about them a bit too, but needlessly it turns out.

You will adjust and when your baby comes I am betting the floaters will be the last thing on your mind.

If you are really concerned, can you ask for a referral to an ophthalmology consultant who can ut your mind at ease?

When your body is changing as rapidly as yours is, things can seem really huge. Try not to focus on the floaters. You are con where near heading for old and decrepit! I found my floaters way more annoying at first. I notice them now but not all the time.

One last thing, good sunglasses help. I wear prescription sunglasses and they are great.

All the best with your pregnancy.

Sorry about the typos. Almost 11 pm here and time for sleep!

I'd say get a retinal exam @feren

Once that's done and you know the whole of your eye is healthy, then you can stop worrying

Hi OP!

I saw your bit about being frustrated at having floaters much earlier than the posters in their 50s.

I had the same as you mid twenties, and was quite badly affected in terms of mental health, feeding into other anxiety I had.

Anxiety not fixed yet but I can tell you that after a few months I DID stop noticing them and now a few years don’t even think of them.

Second others advice to get them checked, I live in London and go to eye A&E at Moorfields if I’m worried (not as dramatic as it sounds! Recommended by my optician) but honestly your brain will learn to phase them out, I promise!

PPs, I think Feren said she’s NOT pregnant. Sorry if I’m wrong!

So sorry - I was replying to Feren and the OP and got confused!

Sorry I was confused too and responding to the first poster. I am sorry Feren. But my advice stands. Get checked to ease your mind. All the best.

I first started getting floaters when I was 32! I wasn’t pregnant. Easily sorted in my case, but does need looking at. It was to do with the shape of my eyeball (I’m quite shortsighted) rather than blood pressure.

@tryingtobebetterallthetime
Hi thankyou for taking time to response on me!

yes, im not pregnant im 21 yrs old and im not married yet. And i wasnt the one who made the OP. Just search about some story about eye floaters and found this.
I have already checked to the optician, they have checked my retina and no problem he said my eyes are totally healthy. So the only problem is the annoying floater! I hate them so much. At what age you start having floaters? Can you learn to ignore them now?

@lawnmowingsucks
Thnkyou for replying.
I have already have checked my retina. My opt said everything is fine , my retina is healthy, my eyes are healty too. But im still worry. Im worrying about the floaters. The fear of seeing this long stringy things for the rest of my life slowly killing me and im only 22 nowcause they are really annoy me, but my optician said as time goes by i can adapt and dont bothered by them anymore. But still seem impossible for me, so thats why im seeking the person who also have floaters and at first bothered by them but later they get used to them and not bothered by them anymore, thats really encourage me.

@tryingtobebetterallthetime @lawnmowingsucks

Obvs we’re long lost triplets or something - exactly the same story for me. Floaters appeared a few months ago along with c shaped flashing light. It was put down to visual migraine but it’s a coincidence we have the same thing. I do think they are related.

My optician said the spots are really small as far as floaters go but they are incredibly annoying, especially in an all-white room, but I can now ignore them most of the time. It does feel a bit claustrophobic if I focus on them.

Definitely get any changes checked out.