Floaters causing DH serious distress.

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My dh has floaters (detaching vitreous thingy in eye that looks like dots and lines).

They're obstructing his vision: large enough to be a distraction and in the way except in very dim lighting.

He's described them as lines, shapes, brown or now translucent, but big and obstructive enough to be causing him huge problems working and going out in daylight. Crossing roads hard, reading difficult.

It started in August. He went to GP, optician and eye hospital, all checked for anything serious and said he's fine, to wait and they go away/the brain adjusts.

It hasn't got better and he is struggling with work (full time lecturer, marking essays on screen hours a day, struggling to focus, read or type with floaters floating across his vision).

GP rarely contactable, opticians nothing to say except that there's no cure, they will not go away and surgery googled online has too many risks. He feels that because they're not life threatening he's expected just to cope somehow, although he can't see to work properly.

The RNIB helpline has been supportive, but seems to approach it as visual impairment assumed to be permanent. This is distressing for dh as he wants hope that it can get better.

My dh is now so depressed he is really struggling. He's developed insomnia as a result of the stress and hasn't slept for nights in a row.

Any ideas of what on earth to do?

If you are considering paying for treatment l would contact Moorfields Eye Hospital where you can get a private appointment as well as NHS.

Second this I've only heard good things about them.

It's impacted another posters career, so an ouch of paying now will in the long term pay itself back

I wouldn't be driving now without my surgeon.

I'm sorry your career was stalled, you're very stoic about it.

If he is really struggling to cope it might be worth speaking to a specialist ophthalmic surgery centre to discuss if there are any options and risks. For nhs you will need a referral from the gp but you can self refer for private consultations. I can recommend newmedica here (it's got lots of branches, can't speak for them!) as they were so helpful and knowledgeable

I have had floaters for as long as I can recall, from being a very young child (early 40s now). I have been seen by the eye hospital etc and told the same as your dh about detaching vitreous etc, which was over 20 years ago. Every now and then I get a new influx of them and notice them more, especially the big/dark colored ones, but on a day to day basis I hardly notice them, even on very bright days or when looking at screens etc. I think my brain has learnt to adapt. I can notice them more if I want to focus on them. Anyway, I hope this reassures your dp that he should eventually adapt to them and they should become less of a hindrance.

I always liken it to a relationship break up. Initially you are obsessed and its all you can think about. Then gradually you only notice them a couple of times a day. Then only when something reminds you and then one day you realise you haven't thought about them in ages. It took a year for me at least.

Thank you so much everyone. Am writing all the ideas down for dh.

What happened with yours, Londonmummy? You've managed somehow despite having to give up your orchestra work? So sorry to hear about your career having to change.
I'm interested that they said the floaters disintegrate, as googling seems to give conflicting information on that.

Dh has them. I'd have laser privately if I had them, because I'd hate it.

It took about 6 months for my brain to screen them out but I started out with some little and often reading/screen work trying not to change my focus so that they didn't bother me so much. It's really a case of training yourself to get on with them tbh. I can now sing in an amateur choir as nobody watches the conductor anyway.....

I had a PVD about 8 years ago now and I did eventually get used to them, it took longer than 6 months though, I did try not to concentrate on them though.

Some cases they continue to detach so even if you get used to existing ones more appear. Also there are different types of floaters. I lost central vision rather than peripheral so reading, driving was out

I've suffered from floaters for at least twelve years. While I can generally ignore/ forget them when doing many things, they are still very distracting when I am driving - my vision suddenly blurs in one eye, and the only way to clear it reasonably quickly is to 'flick' my line of vision quickly up then back again as many times as it takes to clear the vision, and even then they might almost immediately start drifting back across it, blurring things again.

It's the same when i am reading. I can skim read, because I can constantly 'jump' my eyes around for that, iykwim, keeping the floaters moving enough to keep creating sufficient clear gaps to cope (im having to do this right now), but even that is very tiring, and I certainly can't read for pleasure any more, and have had to go over to audio books for that!

This really isn't something that I can imagine ever stopping noticing. How can I stop seeing blurred vision that interferes with what i am doing?

I suppose that what I am trying to say is that I can fully relate to what the OPs husband is experiencing, and that the quantity/type of floaters he is experiencing might be such that there is no way he will be able to adjust to this and stop noticing them.

I don't know what to suggest, though - I have not yet managed to get the optician to take this seriously or understand how debilitating this can be.