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.

Pleased you're ok op.
You did the right thing.
I have posterior vitreous detachment in my right eye and was very worried before diagnosis

Always best to check with eyes.

@Lochmorlich Thanks

I was shaking like a leaf beforehand thinking the worse like you do.

Pleased it’s nothing serious and I can relax now.

Good news Op.
But honestly, I know it sounds a bit shit they don’t go away, but you really don’t notice them. And I have lots in both eyes.

Glad you are reassured now, @Natuk
I go to Specsavers, they’re very good - the last person I saw there also has floaters (very short sighted like me).
They are very annoying, but you really will get used to it, and a lot of them gradually disappear IME. I’ve had them all my life pretty much, but if every one I’d ever had was still there my vision would be full of them, and it isn’t!
If they intrude when you’re trying to focus on something you can sort of blink them out of the way

Glad all is good. Especially in the early days I found I forgot about them for days then for some reason noticed them then became hyper aware for a few days.

Thanks @GiantKitten @CattyCactus and to all who had replied.

Now I know it’s nothing serious. I’m going to try and ignore the floater, don’t get stressed over it.

Hi again..

I’ve been really struggling mentally wise the past few days, every time I move my eye I can see the damn small cobweb floater across my vision, especially on white wall and outside. I’m really trying my hardest to ignore it but I’m sadden that floater will never go away and I’m 40 by the way.

The Optician did gave me a leaflet on floaters/Flashes but I haven’t got any no retina issues and everything is fine.

Any advice people who has long term floaters and how to deal with them?

Thank you

Does anyone else have really bad eye floaters, and if so, have you managed to learn to cope with them?

Thanks.

Just hope my post make sense. Sorry I wasn’t thinking straight!

I've only read your original post OP so apologies if I'm repeating someone. I don't know if this story will help or not.
I have a family history of eye disease and fairly extreme short sight, I've always had loads of floaters coming and going. I had a black mark in my vision for months and got more and more worried. Eventually I saw the optician who panicked and said it was serious, sent me straight to the hospital ( I was also 34 weeks pregnant). The hospital doctor said the optician was wrong and it was just a slight scar on my retina ( didn't think to ask how it got there) and I was mightily relieved! From that same day I never even saw the black mark again- I tuned it out as I wasn't worried about it any more. Take heart!

Just seen your update. I really feel for you. I have tinnitus and it can be so hard. I try to manage the tinnitus by, whenever I notice it particularly, I say to myself "I can hear it and I don't like it, but I can cope". That helps me let go. Good luck OP

I have lots of floaters, you do get used to them and big ones will eventually break down.

I am pretty short sighted, so I know to go to A&E (as advised by my optician) if I get lots of new floaters, or get flashes, but you have been checked out, so try not to worry!

My floaters are quite bad, I have a lot of them. I also have some tiny areas of vitreous detachment (normal as you age). When new floaters etc. appear I notice them all the time but they slowly seem to fade into the background, you stop noticing them as much once your brain gets used to them. I used to feel quite anxious about it but it's eased off considerably as I've got used to the floaters.

One thing to keep in the back of your mind is that there is a treatment if floaters get really bad and you can't live with them (surgery to remove and replace the vitreous fluid). It's unlikely you'd get to that stage, but I'm mentioning it as knowing this helped to ease my anxiety over the possibility of the situation worsening and getting out of control. The reality has been that I'm fine and any changes have been small over the years!

Tbh it took longer than a couple of days for my brain to tune the floaters out. Not sure exactly how long as it's the kind of thing where if you think about it, you'll see them again. But I think if it's something that you are continually worrying about, you'll continue to see them. Sorry, not very helpful I know!

Yeah, I agree with @SionnachRua that, from memory, it takes longer than a few days to adjust to the floaters. Probably more like a good few weeks.
There are times now when I ‘notice’ them and then track/follow them. But they don’t bother me. And most of the time when I do notice them I just ignore them.
I’m in my 40s and I think I’ve had them since my late 20s, ifthat helps reassure you that you really do learn to live with them, and you can get on your with life normally with no impact.

Thank you for taking the time to reply, much appreciated.

I guess it’s will take time for me to come to term with it, just so difficult for me at the moment and I even had a little cry. Just hope my brain to tune the floater out.

I liken the process of getting used to them as like a relationship break up. Initially it is all you can think about. Then you will suddenly realise you've not thought about them for a couple of hours. This may take a number of weeks. Then whole days and weeks will go by. Then for some reason you'll be reminded and will think about then a lot for a few days. In a sense in the short term you will get used to being very aware of them rather than not seeing them.

It isn't easy though.

@Natuk - I have loads of floaters. They don’t bother me at all most of the time (unless I’m reading posts about floaters, when I become aware they are still there). Occasionally, one might float into an irritating spot in my vision where it gets in the way of what I’m looking at (ie close up, fine detail things), and I have to do a vigorous eye roll or flick to move it out of the way. You won’t find it depressing forever - they are such a minor issue in the big scheme of things.

Hi - Sorry to bother you all again. It’s all still new to me, just wanted some advice.

Is it normal that everytime I move my eye, my small brown speck floater follow my eye movement and doesn’t really float away out of sight. It feel like it’s central of my vision. Is anyone else like this?

In time my brain will eventually ignore this?

I’ve also got a transparent floater in my right eye where I don’t really see it as much.

Thanks.

That's what my small floaters do, yes. I find that they then disappear from view...but you have to remember I've had these things since my early twenties if not younger. I'm well used to them but they probably didn't vanish like that at the start. This is only when I'm thinking about them too, most of the time they don't register with me at all.

Your brain does learn to handle it, I promise!

@SionnachRua

Thank you for your message! Must of been hard for you at the beginning having floaters from a early age.

I don’t want ramble on much about it. ☺️ I’m still trying to process it all and I know it’s early days for me. It’s all I am thinking about at the moment, wrong thing to do.

Nice to read some positive stories on here, hopefully in time I’ll learn to accept it and just hope my brain to tune the floater out.

Is it normal that everytime I move my eye, my small brown speck floater follow my eye movement and doesn’t really float away out of sight. It feel like it’s central of my vision. Is anyone else like this?

Totally normal. Because floaters are in the vitreous fluid inside your eye, it's impossible to 'look away' from them. But you will notice it less over time because your brain will get used to filtering it out.

useful article here

Thanks @Poppins2016 🙂

The floaters never float “out of sight” - you can see them if you are looking for them/at them, rather than through them! They are not static, however, they just move very slowly... and occasionally, a particularly annoying clump will temporarily end up in exactly the most annoying place, in my experience (although, as I said earlier, I find doing a particular eye roll usually helps float the clump somewhere less central).

Ps my dm had a retinal detachment (successfully reattached) a few years ago and was initially very depressed by the huge number of floaters she ended up with in that eye as a result of the detachment. Most of them settled lower down with gravity, rather than floating about right in front of her in an annoying, distracting cobweb and she rarely notices them at all any more, despite her fears she would never see clearly again!

Your floaters sound like mine, which have been around for years. I worry obsessively about my sight but the opticians tell me my eye health is fine (although my eyesight is poor).

They do drift around following your eye movement - mine are slightly delayed, like raindrops on a piece of glass when it's tilted. They've been around so long that I only notice them if I think about it - as pps have said, you learn to tune them out.

The most important thing is to get any changes in your eyes checked, which is exactly what you have done. When you have a routine eye test, the opticians will check specifically for any changes since the last time, so make sure you keep up to date with your tests - they'll send you a reminder when the next one us due.

Many eye problems can actually be invisible and you are more at risk if you think your eyes are fine and never get them tested - as long as you go for scheduled tests if there are any issues they can be picked up quickly and treated.