Hi

All of a sudden I have acquired a "floater" i.e. something which I believe is a dead cell that floats across the retina of the eye.

Not painful, not life threatening but annoying. I will make an appointment to see an optician but what I would like to know is do these things ultimately break down and disappear or am I stuck with it?

I have googled it but all you get is laser services offering to remove, now that sounds a bit drastic!

Any comments?

TBWG

I've acquired a couple of these myself in the last couple of years. They are bloody annoying at times. I am mostly aware of mine when I am reading.

From my outlook it is like having dust or an out of focus hair on a photo. I can't offer any advice but am interested if someone has more info.

I previously thought a floater was something that remained after flushing.

All of a sudden I have acquired a "floater" i.e. something which I believe is a dead cell that floats across the retina of the eye.

Not painful, not life threatening but annoying. I will make an appointment to see an optician but what I would like to know is do these things ultimately break down and disappear or am I stuck with it?

Make that an ophthalmologist, not optician. Several years ago I just woke up and had a large number of them. The ophthalmologist indicated it was quite common especially when getting older. The vitreous lining may detach leaving pieces around which usually just settle to the bottom of the eye out of the line of vision. It is important to see the doctor to evaluate your retina to be sure no detachment has occurred or any holes/tears in the vitreous that could cause liquid to go into.

Currently I rarely notice them but occasionally they resurface. I no longer find it an issue at all.

Basically, impossible to fix. I've had them since I was 15 and they have gotten worse over the years so that today, even when driving, sometimes they cloud my vision for a few seconds as they move randomly.

There are some procedures but they're not recommended unless there are other complicating factors due to the intrusiveness into the eye.

Just have to learn to ignore them. They're harmless apart from annoying interference with your vision!

All of a sudden I have acquired a "floater" i.e. something which I believe is a dead cell that floats across the retina of the eye.

Not painful, not life threatening but annoying. I will make an appointment to see an optician but what I would like to know is do these things ultimately break down and disappear or am I stuck with it?

Make that an ophthalmologist, not optician. Several years ago I just woke up and had a large number of them. The ophthalmologist indicated it was quite common especially when getting older. The vitreous lining may detach leaving pieces around which usually just settle to the bottom of the eye out of the line of vision. It is important to see the doctor to evaluate your retina to be sure no detachment has occurred or any holes/tears in the vitreous that could cause liquid to go into.

Currently I rarely notice them but occasionally they resurface. I no longer find it an issue at all.

Hi Tywais

Thanks for prompt response, as you mentioned I just woke up yesterday and there it was! I will go and see an opthamologist though for peace of mind.

However you imply that with time gravity will do its job and it might settle out of my line of vision because at the moment it is b****y annoying right in my line of vision. Is that correct?

thanks again

TBWG

PS Hi chiliwasabi I occasionaly suffer from the other floaters you mention as well

Thanks to all who replied.

However you imply that with time gravity will do its job and it might settle out of my line of vision because at the moment it is b****y annoying right in my line of vision. Is that correct?

That's correct. It was startling and quite annoying when it first happened because there were a lot of them, but over time they just started disappearing to being hardly noticeable except if you exert yourself a lot, sort of like shaking the bottle.

Become a night person. Not much you can do about floaters, except at night when the floaters blend in with the darkness of the night, and you won't notice them at all. So the only solution is: become a night person. If you engage in some sporting activity, they become less noticeable. For example, if you play tennis, you'll notice them when waiting for the serve, but once the action starts, you won't notice them at all.

I have had these things for years. You can move them out of your line of vision by moving your eyeball quickly in one direction and then slowly back in the other direction. You may need to repeat this a few times.

Just thought I would mention, floaters are also one of the first indicants and results of type 2 Diabetes, and often if not treated by laser surgery, can and do result in loss of sight in later years, I had 1 in my right eye for years,while purchasing a new pair of sunnies the optician noticed the small floater and suggested I consult a specialist, so I did but sadly to late, the damage was beyond repair , I now only have 20% vision in my right eye, dont wait folks, better being safe than sorry , get it checked out. But I have found it an advantage driving in australia ,that if I close my left eye it helps me to drive and everyone gets out of my way!! Nignoy

A blow to the head can also create floaters. I was working in my office last year when my desk chair suddenly collapsed and I hit my head on the floor. I wasn't injured, except that ever since then I've had bad floaters in my right eye. I've been to Rutnin Eye Hospital, where they explained what has already been explained above, that they're bits of gel inside the eyeball, and may settle down in a year or two. Mine have got marginally better the last six months or so but are still quite annoying, occasionally turning my vision to a complete blur for a half second or so.

You should have your eyes checked to make sure it's not something else however.

Twais is quite right, you need to see a proper opthmalogist.

Floaters are common from middle age onward and often without significance, but they can be a sign of serious retinal disease and especially when there is a sudden oncset, a thorough retinal exam is important.

If the exam is normal then you just learn to live with it, over time you cease to even noticve them. But do get your retina checked before doing that.

Dont know how true it is, but I remember reading somewhere that 'floaters' which look like outlines of tiny roads on road maps, are (or probably were, at the time) thought to be vestigal outlines of the blood vessels within the closed eyelids of the embryo.

Not sure how 'they' can possibly know this, and seems it may not be so now anyhow, but interesting. Reminds me of the recent thread about 'cell memory'. Spooky consequences for transplant recipients I would think.