eye floaters

[Blarg]

I used to have a big one of these driving me crazy for years. My opthalmologist told me it was nothing to worry about, which really surprised me, because it seemed so obvious and abnormal. Glad to hear other people saying it's no big deal too! With me, it tended to seem to pop up out of nowhere and then travel at a very steady pace in a diagonal from the top of my eye at the nose side of it, down toward the bottom of my eye on the opposite side, and disappear. This happened countless dozens of times a day. I don't know why, but after being there for years and years, it finally seemed to go away.

[Homer]

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Anybody have these ? What causes them ? Can you get rid of them? I have searched on the internet, but there appears to be a lot of conflicting info.

Thanks

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Yeah, I have assloads of them. I don't see them all the time, but when I do it really pisses me off. I don't think there's anything you can do to get rid of them. I hope someone in this thread proves me wrong.

-- Homer

[BrettK]

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Anybody have these ? What causes them ? Can you get rid of them? I have searched on the internet, but there appears to be a lot of conflicting info.

Thanks

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, I have assloads of them. I don't see them all the time, but when I do it really pisses me off. I don't think there's anything you can do to get rid of them. I hope someone in this thread proves me wrong.

-- Homer

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I really think all of the explanations in this thread so far have been incorrect. I looked this up on WebMD, and it basically coincides with what my eye doctor told me:

"Vitreous is the name of the clear material that fills the eyeball. Eighty percent of the eye's volume is vitreous, just like a small spherical fish tank! You may recognize the Latin word "vitreous" as molten glass. Human vitreous has a similar appearance and physical properties.

The vitreous in children is very firm and gelatinous. In older folks, the vitreous turns to water. That means there's a transition period during which the gel 'melts'. The medical term for this process is syneresis (sin-err-ree-siss). (Hey, you knew we had a term for this!)

During syneresis, some of the gel is still partially formed in chunks. These free-floating chunks represent your floaters. Although they are clear, these chunks cast an optical shadow on the retina, giving them a dark appearance. Floaters can appear singly or in multiples. They appear in various shapes and sizes. I once had a patient who swore her biggest floater looked like President Abraham Lincoln.

The vast majority of folks with floaters do not develop retinal detachment. When the vitreous separates from the retina along the wall of our 'fish tank', it can stimulate light flashes in the retina. These can be plain or colorful.

Be careful! Persistent or progressive flashes should alert you to get another comprehensive eye exam.

Whether you see clusters, specks, black dots, or presidents, most floaters go away over time – either the gel completely dissolves, or the chunks settle down to the bottom of the eye, or (most likely) your brain learns to simply ignore them. There is no medical therapy available to eliminate floaters.

Remember, a very small percentage of patients with floaters develop retinal problems (holes, tears). Be sure to visit your eye doctor if you experience worsening of symptoms or decreased vision."

http://my.webmd.com/content/pages/15/96143.htm

Brett

[BrettK]

I forgot to mention the rest of what my eye doctor said, which is that the younger you are, the longer your floaters will stick around. I'm 20, and he told me not to expect them to go away anytime soon.

Brett

[AncientPC]

And I just thought it was because my vision was so bad. I see specks of white crap sometimes, usually when I'm looking at something bright like a fluorescent light or white space on a monitor. I just massage my eyes and rest for half a minute or so.

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It is cellular debris that never formed correctly. Totally normal. I see them but rarely, and mostly with my eyes closed.

rJ

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How do you see with your eyes closed?

[Topflight]

I'm floater free, you freaks!