Eye problem . Floaters -or something more?

[yougetme]

I recently became aware of dark floaters that stay in one position all of the time. Previously I had see through little ones but this dark one -although small- is hard to ignore although I know they are quite common so wasnt too concerned. Today however there is quite another thing going on that is disturbing me.
If I look to one side I get a weird arc like a lightening flash .Sometimes seems like a hair is dangling over my eyelashes.Depends which way Im looking but theres always something in my field of vision. No pain or blurring of vision .

Any idea if this needs to be seen by someone.I dont have an optician or any idea who to see about this. Do doctors do eyes?

I had this too - looked like hair in my eyes, and flashes to the side. It was a retinal tear as a result of vitreal detachment, and the bit that looked like hair was actually blood. I couldn't get seen immediately, but I knew that the longer I waited, the greater the risk of retinal detachment. If you see any sort of a dark curtain over your eyes, like a part of the visual field being a different shade/in shadow, then go immediately. The sooner it's fixed, the better. If it's a tear, you can wait til the morning, but the risk of a detachment is always there.

It's the flashes that signal a possible tear, not the floaters which just show PVD - unpleasant but very common.

I was told at the eye hospital that the flashes happen with PVD when the vitreous gel hasn't completely detached and is tugging on the retina when you look sideways. At my last check they said if it hasn't led to a tear by now, then a tear is less likely, but it's still possible, so I still need to be aware.

I had PVD affect both eyes in a 6 week period - after the first one (with lots of floaters), I went to local opticians straight away, and got referred to local eye hospital, who did the full check on it, and was told it was a PVD. Second one occurred 6 weeks later. My understanding is that once the vitreous has fully detached, there is much less risk of a detached retina. I still get flashes when driving in the dark, and looking sideways at a junction. I'm nearly 70, and it is quite common in older people.

I've had this but was the common thing other posters have mentioned. I did treat it as a retinal detachment though and got an emergency same day appointment at spec savers....who told me it was nothing to worry about.

Update ....

It was posterior vitreous detachment !

It was treated by everyone who saw me as possible retinal detachment though so I was given the full works ( I assume ) . The worst bit was the on-eyeball pressing with a small viewer to see deep into the back of the eye ( no idea what it was called). Second worst bit was going outside before the dilating eyedrops had worn off-arrrhh the pain. If I had known i would have had some dark glasses with me at least to take the worst off. I should have thought of it myself though. Dilated pupils let more light in -whodathought eh?

But at least the end result was okay and i know what to look out for if there are further developments.

So glad you got it seen to.
Even better that it wasn't as serious as it might have been.

The worst bit was the on-eyeball pressing with a small viewer to see deep into the back of the eye ( no idea what it was called).
Strangely I believe it's called a contact lens.

I came back to the office after an eye clinic appointment where my pupils had been dilated. My boss gently ribbed me about me asking to have the blinds drawn & wear my prescription sunglasses throughout our meeting, but was very nice about it when I explained how uncomfortable (painful, even) the bright sunlight was. It took me by surprise.

If you have any concerns about the health of your eyes, please visit your local optometrist. Floaters appear as black spots or something that looks like a hair or small pieces of cobweb. These can be semi-transparent or dark and appear to float in front of your vision. If you will ignore your symptoms it may lead even to glaucoma. My aunt has it for years, she takes acetazolamide, as far as I know orders with acetazolamide coupon (she is a very savvy person). So don't put away for a long your doctor's visit.

How are you doing now after PVD?

The pressing on the eyeballs thing...Well first as you know, they dump lots of eyedrops in your eyes to fully dilate the pupil. This gives them a big window on the interior of the eyeball. They can then closely examine most of the interior. Pressing on the eyeball around the periphery of the cornea deflects the interior surface of the eyeball and allows them to closely view the extreme anterior areas for any signs of tears. They use a magnifying lens to closely examine the surface . Its uncomfortable but very necessary.