struggling with eye floaters - positive replies if possible!

[piglet100]

I've been to the optician about this, only him asking about them made me even really focus on them! I'm still pretty young, and I'm honestly not sure why they worry me so much. I think the googling did it...
I have a long chain-like one with a big dark knot in the middle, a similar y shaped one, a big smudgy clear worm (like vaseline) and quite a few others, seemingly connecting them all together! I cannot believe I've had them before and not been bothered by them, I do have anxiety, so I know that plays a big part, the worm bothers me the most, it's broken off a streaky thumbprint looking clump. I'm thinking of naming them .
Anyone have similar ones and actually gotten used to them? every time I look at the sky I seem to see more and more, it's become a sort of obsession. I can't stay locked in the dark forever I appreciate any comfort you can give me!

You do get used to them and once you do you stop seeing them. 8 only notice mine in bright light now.

Tinted lenses, either sunglasses or a coloured tint like blue can work quite well to stop you seeing them.

I’ve had them for as long as I can remember. Don’t notice them most of the time. If I do happen to notice them then I can find them really irritating for a while but, honestly, they cause me no issues.

They are probably harmless and you do get used to them. However one thing to be aware of is that they can be caused by a vitreous detachment, especially if you're over fifty. Vitreous detachment usually doesn't cause problems with sight, but it can lead to a macular hole, which is what happened to me. So it might be worth going to a optician who offers an OCT scan, if the floaters get worse. The scan would help pick up any macular puckering etc. I think these problems are rare though, especially if you're quite young.

@ltappleby mine was the other way round, I had a retina detachment due to a build up of fluid behind the macular, the fix a retina reattachment, lens replacement and vitrectomy left me with floaters bloody eyes are a right pain in the behind!

OP ltappleby is right, if you haven't had them checked do get an opticians appointment, most cases are nothing but it's your eyes so worth a check.

As a pp said, sunglasses can really help; they don't have to be very dark ones.

Mine got noticeable in my mid to late 40s and I thought, hey-ho, this will be one of those things that goes on getting worse and worse as I age.

But oddly, mid-50s, they're much better and even when I look for them I can usually only find one or two.

Make sure you rest your eyes OP. Get good sleep, not up hours on end looking at a phone screen etc. They do feel worse when your eyes are tired too.

Do be careful if you suddenly notice you have far more than you've had before.
I woke one morning and it was like a dark veil across one eye, very noticeable. I had to have emergency laser treatment as it was a retinal tear.
If you just have ones you've had a while, it does take quite a long time for your brain to get used to them, apparently. So give it time and you will stop noticing them

Get them checked especially if they’ve got bigger as others have said detached retina.

Years ago I had really bad anxiety about my eye floaters. Like you, I became obsessed with them and felt quite frightened at times. Over time I think your brain overrides the fear and you no longer notice them. They’re still there as they never go away but, honestly, I never even think or notice them any more. I think it’s common to be anxious when you first become aware if them, but I’m sure that over time you’ll learn to live them and not notice them any more.