Floaters anyone?

[Olivia37]

Just wonder if any of you experience floaters? Did you ever find out the cause of and how were they?
I got a few big ones recently and I’m so worried.

You need to go to the optician to rule out anything being wrong.

It is however a fairly common thing and often not 'curable' though your brain gets used to them being there and filters them out.

They are more noticeable in bright light so sunglasses can help.

You definitely need to get these checked out. If you’re older, it’s probably just the jelly bit of the eye liquifying slightly. But, it could be that you have a small tear or hole in the retina.

if you do have any blurred vision, a cobweb effect in the eye and/or flashing lights you need to be seen tomorrow (if you can’t get an optician appointment go to eye casualty).

I started noticing a new floater in one eye a few weeks ago. I ignored it, until the floater turned into flashes of light, and I began to worry.

My optician arranged for an emergency appointment, which revealed that the jelly at the back of one eye had begun to liquefy (common in mid-life) and pull away from the retina. However, the retina itself was fine, thankfully.

The flashes of light have stopped, but I do now have quite a large, transparent floater in the affected eye. It's a bit distracting, but already I notice it much less than when it first appeared.

Arrange an eye test where they check the back of your eye just to make sure all is ok

Flashes need checking. I had them start age 55 but checked at eye hospital who scanned and confirmed normal aging and nothing to worry about. The flashes pretty much stopped but I then developed floaters which have now multiplied and are annoying but you do get used to them. I was told more common (or perhaps more noticeable) if you are myopic like me.

Eye floaters or an unflushable turd?

Eye floaters need checking by an optician. Turd floaters check your diet, may be eating too much gassy food.

They are fairly common. Def get worse with age, also you tend to get more if you have astigmatism or are short sighted.
I have all 3 and on a sunny day it's like I'm being attacked by dementors! lol😁

Assuming you mean the eye variety- I have loads in one eye!
It happened a bit suddenly, my GP told me to go to the optician - who immediately referred me to the eye hospital after seeing just how much crap was floating about in there.
For me it is something called uveitis- where the inside of the eye gets inflamed and can cause bits of the jelly to break off. No-one seems particularly worried about it though so I'm stuck with it- I have sort of got used to it now although it sometimes takes me by surprise in particularly bright lights!

Suddenly appearing floaters can indicate a detached retina. Not something to be ignored. Writing as someone who has had two detached retinas, I recommend you go to your local Eye Hospital’s A&E to have your eye checked. A detached retina becoming fully detached results in sudden blindness. If you don’t have a local Eye Infirmary/Hospital, an Optician can tell you if it’s a DR and advise you where to go for treatment.

IF anyone has like a curtain coming down on your sight, go straight to A&E
You risk losing your sight

Floaters, ring the opticians and they should book you a urgent eye test

Yeah, I have one in my left eye that's like a dead pixel (if you know what I mean). Tiny black spot. I have astigmatism and the optician has said she can't see it a couple of times now. It's just annoying.

Do you know what may cause uveitis? Shame they don’t want to investigate it more. I have low iron for example and it may be related.

Do mind me asking how old you are? I am 40. I wonder if it’s not always about age but may also be due to gender, hormones, low iron etc. I also have low iron btw. @ToplessWordle

My 11yo has them. We had his eyes checked thoroughly and there was nothing untoward. He does have IBD though and that can apparently cause them.

I'm 50.

these have started to get worse for me, i'm 57 and had cause to be checked out recently and had to see an eye specialist... floaters get worse with age apparently and although my eyes are ok they have told me i am starting with cataracts

I went to the optician recently because a new huge floater appeared in my left eye and I was worried about a detached retina. The optician did some scans and said that the "vitreous humour" has detached and broken up in my left eye, still there in my right. Apparently this commonly happens with age (60-ish). My retinas are fine so far but worth getting it checked because losing the vitreous humour can cause retinal damage.

PS the floater has kind of faded since then, the optician said they often break up plus the brain adapts.

I thought this was going to be about the General Election! 😂

My detached retinas (that required surgery) did not give me the dark curtain, just floaters. When the curtain starts to come down, sight is already pretty (if not totally f*cked.

There are several auto-immune conditions which can cause uvietis and there are also some autoimmune conditions which cause low iron. but the low iron in itself doesn't cause uvietis.

Having said that most cases are idiopathic (ie no known cause).