Really worried About A Floater In My Eye

[Natuk]

Happy Mother’s Day!

I’ve phoned the opticians last weekend and booked me in on the 7th of April (As they are extremely busy) and told me not to worried.

I’ve been experiencing a light brown line/cobweb like floater in my left eye and I’m sure I’m developing it in my right eye. I’m really scared I will go blind. I cannot thinking about it and have been really upset over this secretly.

Need some reassurance and what signs I need to look out for incase it get worse?

Thank you for reading.

Please don't worry @Natuk.

Floaters are very common. Although they are annoying, they are harmless. I know as I have lots of them, unfortunately.

You are doing the right thing in having it checked out as it is new to you. The optician will be more concerned if you have flashes in your vision or you have what appears to be a veil coming down on your eyesight. Those are emergency situations as they can signal a detached retina.

So again, please try not to worry and enjoy Mother's Day.

How's your peripheral vision? Any flashes or distorted vision? I would say don't wait until 7th April. It most likely will be nothing sinister but you will go crazy worrying about it. Ring around other opticians and if no luck then can you present to A & E(I'm not in UK so no idea if it's an option).

I ignored various symptom for 5 weeks and in my case it was a detached retina, the delay certainly didn't help.

Thank you for taking your time to reply @InkyWinky

I know I shouldn’t Google’s but I did looked it up, there is no cure for eye floaters. I don’t think I’d able to cope If I develop more of them.

How long have you had them? Any advice?

Thanks.

Thanks @Ihaveaskedyouthrice

I’m going to phone up in the morning to see If I can see someone sooner. Put my mind at rest.

My left eye is shortsightedness, a bit weaker than my right eye. Wear glasses for reading/tv . Vision still the same.

Have you had floaters before? They don't need a cure and generally disappear over time (your brain will learn to tune them out). I generally get them in the summer. They're annoying but harmless.

You're right to get it checked if it's worrying you, though.

Floaters are annoying, I've had them, and although they don't go away, you do stop seeing them after a while. And you forget about them.
I would do what you've just said, try and get an earlier appointment to put your mind at rest.
If things get worse, as PP mentioned, flashes and a curtain, then phone 111.
Eye problems are really scary and although it is most likely nothing serious, quick treatment is best if it is.

I've got one in my left eye. I have had it for a few years now. It worried me at first and the optician checked it out but all was fine. He also explained how they occur which was very reassuring. They can't do anything about it but you do get used to it. I hardly notice mine now. My optician told me he has them too.

Thanks for the advice @Phial @SionnachRua @ApolloandDaphne

Never had floaters before so it’s all new to me. I have been under a lot stress recently, lost my loving cousin due to suicide. I don’t know if it’s has sparked it off.

Thanks everyone, much appreciated.

I had one that was the shape of a dick and balls. My body playing a joke on me, seriously a dick in my eye, thanks. Took six months but it went. THANK GOD

A sudden increase in floaters can indicate retinal detachment, so I would get it seen ASAP. This happened to a friend of mine: she went to optician expecting to be reassured, but was sent to eye A and E for emergency laser treatment. Do you have an eye emergency department near you? You can usually self refer to them.

I have had floaters for years.

I did have a concern when one day I had lots of shimmering black specs in my vision and flashes in my peripheral vision. The optician sent me to the hospital. I had a posterior vitrous detachment. It's when the sac containg the jelly in the eye pulls away from the retina. Older people get it, but I had it a good few years earlier. It's not the same as as retinal detachment, but sometimes it can cause it. That's why it needed looking at.

The only issue now is having a Weiss ring in my vision which is a large central black floater as well as the usually cobwebby ones. I have one in each eye. I was told my brain would learn to ignore it. It happens sometimes but not enough. I just live with it though.

I've mentioned this so you are aware that lots of things happen to our eyes as we age, but most of them are harmless.

I’ve had floaters in both eyes for years. As a PP says, you do get used to them. Although it may not seem like that now.
Obviously, if they’re new then definitely get your eyes looked at, as it seems you are doing.
But really, I barely notice them now.

I had something similar for about 7 weeks, scared the life out of me about 5 times I day because I kept thinking it was a spider. That was 5 years ago and all fine now. Not lobby your optician for a sooner appointment if you are really worried

I have floaters. You do get used to them, tend to only see mine in a certain light. For some reason the bathroom light seems to highlight them

If you don't want to wait for opticians some hospitals have eye casualty to check it out

I wish you hadn't mentioned floaters as I can now 'see' mine in my left eye, thank you!

It has actually been there for 25+ years, when it first appeared , like you I was worried, this small brownish blob appeared just below centre slightly to the right. Obviously only very small in no way did it prevent me seeing anything. Opticians not bothered about it and say it is tiny anyway

However over the years my brain has stopped me 'seeing' the floater. It is definitely still there as from time to time (when tired usually) or in certain lights or when someone mentions floaters it reappears.
I can guarantee you I won't see it in the morning.

@Ariela that happened to me too earlier. All this floater talk is the eye equivalent of losing The Game!

Also OP I will say that when a relative of mine suddenly passed away, I got hyperfocused on hair loss - I was obsessing over it and seeing an issue that wasn't there. I'm not saying that there isn't an issue for you (definitely get it checked out) but just to be aware of. Sometimes your brain can do this kind of thing to try shield you from the awful pain of it all.

I had a large one in my left eye a number of years ago. Saw an optician and they tested my eyes but also referred me to the eye casualty at a large hospital I think to just be on the safe side. They did a really thorough examination on my eye. I was ok but the floater is still there but I don't always notice it except when perhaps stressed.

if it's a new floater that you have not noticed before then I think you should be seen before April.

Did you have a proper "triage" or did you just say " floaters" and they booked you in?

Do you have any flashing lights?...either spots or odd little arcs or flashes, probably more noticeable in the dark
Any distortion? ...one way to check is to look straight ahead with something straight in your peripheral vision, keep looking ahead, turn you head, monitor the straight lines and see if you get any irregular wobble or shimmer (Do one eye at a time)
Lots of, or a new big floater can also be indicative of goings on!

As @InkyWinky said it could be a PVD but that can be a precursor to Retinal issues
I had one and it wasn't until I was at the eye dept they informed me I had already had one in the other eye...I have squillions of floaters though and always had, and the second one was in a more obvious place which is why I picked up on it.

Thanks for the replies.

This morning I couldn’t get hold of Specsavers, as it was always engaged or no one would pick up.

Luckily I went online to see If I’d get an appointment for this week. There is one appointment available tomorrow after lunch and filled out the questionnaire etc. To be honest I’m scared incase it’s more serious.

Floater - I noticed it over a week now, never had one before. Left eye has always been a weaker eye, my right eye is the dominant one.

@LaurieSchafferIsAllBitterNow

No flashing lights etc. Just this very small stringy line, every time I move my eye.

Vision still the same, my left eye has always been a bit weaker in that eye. Had my eyes tested last March before the lockdowns.

I went to the optician after waking up to loads of floaters one morning - i had a bad cold at the time so thought it was related and waited 2 weeks to see if they would go. Sent straight to the eye hospital and spend the whole day there before being diagnosed with a virus - had various drops to take and all cleared up within a couple of weeks. It's often associated with MS (whatever it was i had) which is why i had so many tests but in the end they concluded i was one of the small percentage that just get this virus spontaneously - must be 4 or 5 years ago now and not had trouble since.

Glad you've got an appointment. If you do get any flashes phone them and ask to be seen as an emergency, out of hours phone 111. Floaters are annoying but generally not serious. Flashes may be serious although unlikely.

I find my floaters more obvious when I look at something that is uniformly pale, such as a white painted wall or a cloud. Also, they sometimes zoom around if I am reading. So if they are annoying me, focusing on something like my cluttered desk or the kitchen shelves can help my brain to ignore them, as they get lost in all the detail.

Good luck with the appointment.

Up-to-date!

Everything is fine!

No Retinal issues etc. I was at Specsavers over nearly two hours. They check thoroughly back of my eyes, my eyes still a bit blurred after the eyes being dilated.

The ophthalmologist was so lovely and very understanding about my concerns. She has floaters too, she did say eventually you will learn to ignored them.

A bit depressing to hear that floaters will never go away.

Thanks for the replies.