Long term floaters in the eye - serious enough?

[The Hypno-Toad]

Hi,

Just a quick line to see what the general opinion is.

I've had a lot of 'floaters' in my right eye for a week now. One is nearly always there, a dark spot like a very small insect and it is followed around by a 'straggler'. Having had a look on the net they say this can be an issue but as my optician is closed its difficult to get it to seen to. He has an emergency number but I don't want to bother him if this is treatable in a couple of weeks. No other pain, redness or blurring.

So I'm just wondering if anyone else has had similar and if I should be bothering my optician or if it can wait.

Cheers

H-T.

[Paul Dishman]

The Hypno-Toad said:

Hi,

Just a quick line to see what the general opinion is.

I've had a lot of 'floaters' in my right eye for a week now. One is nearly always there, a dark spot like a very small insect and it is followed around by a 'straggler'. Having had a look on the net they say this can be an issue but as my optician is closed its difficult to get it to seen to. He has an emergency number but I don't want to bother him if this is treatable in a couple of weeks. No other pain, redness or blurring.

So I'm just wondering if anyone else has had similar and if I should be bothering my optician or if it can wait.

Cheers

H-T.

Ring your optician's emergency number now.

[Jamescrs]

It should be checked out for sure but not always serious.

I have them and I've had them for months now, I went to doctor who referred me on to an eye specialist and the long and short of it is it's just one of those things you can get as you get older (I'm 39 so not that old). They do lessen overtime and your brain can cause you to ignore them after time, I can still see mine if I try to focus on them but otherwise I don't notice them now.

It first happened after I got hit in the face with a football playing 5 a side football

As said though it can be a sign of other damage so should be checked

[The Hypno-Toad]

Thanks guys, appreciated.

Spoke to my optician who has immediately referred me to the hospital because of my very poor prescription. Should be getting an appointment by the end of the week.



Good job I checked on here all things considered. Mind you a trip to the hospital might create more problems than it solves right now.....

[geeks]

I have some eye floaters for years (35 now, first noticed when I was 18) optician and GP were never even interested much less took action, that said I have noticed my right eye ones are a little more prevalent this year, will get them checked when I next see my GP.

Anyway hopefully its nothing

[Mr Pointy]

The Hypno-Toad said:

Thanks guys, appreciated.

Spoke to my optician who has immediately referred me to the hospital because of my very poor prescription. Should be getting an appointment by the end of the week.

Good job I checked on here all things considered. Mind you a trip to the hospital might create more problems than it solves right now.....

Hopefully it will turn out to be nothing serious but just in case you should go prepared. I've had similar symptoms & the first time it was a Posterior Vitreous Detachment for which there wasn't any real treatment, just monitoring. The second time it was diagnosed as a retinal detachment which is probably what your optician is most concerned & why they have made an urgent appointment.

Don't drive yourself as they will need to put drops in your eyes & be aware that if they do find a detachment they may well want to do an immediate operation to avoid potentially very significant problems. If they do have to operate then just be warned it could well have a quite significant impact on your life for a couple of months at least.

[devnull]

eh, I've had floaters on my eyes all my life. My eyesight is nearly perfect, save for some periods when I am stressed or tired and I need a bit of help to focus.

Are we sure they're something to flap about?

[Miocene]

99% of the time they're not. I have them too (38) - they seem to get worse in the summer as its lighter outside, which my optomerist said was consistent with hers.

From memory i'm sure she mentioned something about bright flashes of light being a symptom of retinal detachment.

[The Hypno-Toad]

Mr Pointy said:

If they do have to operate then just be warned it could well have a quite significant impact on your life for a couple of months at least.

Bit scared to ask this but could you elaborate a little further on that?

[Mr Pointy]

The Hypno-Toad said:

Bit scared to ask this but could you elaborate a little further on that?

OK, firstly it's likely that there's nothing significantly wrong & your optician is being over-cautious because they can't see you themselves but you say you have poor eyesite (I'm guessing short sighted) & that raises the risk of detachment. The issue is not that you've got floaters, but that they have become significantly worse over the last week which might indicate something's going on.

I was just trying to warn you to be prepared - don't drive yourself & preferably go with someone in case they do find a problem. You'll certainly have dilating drops put in & you won't be fit to drive for a few hours if they discharge you.

With luck it will just be something like a PVD & you'll just get some drops, although in my case the floaters were a different type to those you're describing.

If they do find a detachment & you have to have an operation then it's likely to be quite disruptive. You can't see out of one eye at all & can't drive for around six weeks or fly for three months (not such a problem now). It's quite common to have to lie in a certain position all day for five days or so & if you are unlucky that's face down.

I walked into all of this cold & ended up on my own trying to get an Uber back home having being rushed on to the end of the day's operating list. If there is a detachment they won't mess around.

Miocene said:

99% of the time they're not. I have them too (38) - they seem to get worse in the summer as its lighter outside, which my optomerist said was consistent with hers.

From memory i'm sure she mentioned something about bright flashes of light being a symptom of retinal detachment.

It's true that floaters are very common, but the OP has had a sudden change. It's also true that flashes or loss of visual field are also symptoms but they are not always present. I had no other indications other than quite a large string like floater.

[Miocene]

Miocene said:

99% of the time they're not. I have them too (38) - they seem to get worse in the summer as its lighter outside, which my optomerist said was consistent with hers.

From memory i'm sure she mentioned something about bright flashes of light being a symptom of retinal detachment.

It's true that floaters are very common, but the OP has had a sudden change. It's also true that flashes or loss of visual field are also symptoms but they are not always present. I had no other indications other than quite a large string like floater.

I hadn't picked up on the sudden change part

Your comments sound like the voice of fairly unpleasant experience...

[Paul Dishman]

The Hypno-Toad said:

Thanks guys, appreciated.

Spoke to my optician who has immediately referred me to the hospital because of my very poor prescription. Should be getting an appointment by the end of the week.



Good job I checked on here all things considered. Mind you a trip to the hospital might create more problems than it solves right now.....

If you'd come to me when I was working I'd have sent you straight to the Eye Unit at the local DGH. My mother had similar symptoms which turned out to be a detaching retina.

[Mr Tidy]

I first got them 3 or 4 years ago (when I was 57/58) but they turned out to be "just" PVD and now I don't see them as my brain seems to have compensated for them.

Good luck OP.

[LosingGrip]

I've had them for years (15 plus), mention it when I get my eyes tested each time and they are never bothered by them.

That being said, I can't see them now! Strange!

[Stigproducts]

I've realised over the year seeing floaters is a indication of dehydration. It's a reminder to get some water down me. Stay hydrated and you might not notice them, works for me.

[GT03ROB]

A few years back went to Jamaica. When were leaving the airport my wife said she had some floaters in her eye& the odd flash. I dismissed it & put it down to a long flight & a few glasses of wine. The next day she still had it, but didn't think much of it. When they were still there the following day got spoke to the doctor in the hotel, who sent us to an opticians in town. He took a look & immediately referred her to an ophthalmic surgeon in Kingston. Somewhere along the line she had put a small tear in her retina. Went to Kingston the next day, she had laser surgery to fix the tear. They acted quickly as apparently a tear can become a detachment which is a far bigger problem. Don't mess about get it seen too ASAP.

[Twig62]

I've had floaters in my eyes ever since I was a teenager. I mention them when I have my eyes tested and have always been told that they are nothing to worry about. It's when they suddenly appear in someone who has never had them that it can be an issue. I normally only notice mine in bright light or like now when talking about them. Interesting comment above about hydration as mine might have been a little bit worse lately and I have been drinking more fizzy drink than water. Will rectify that now !

[The Hypno-Toad]

Again thanks for the input everyone.

I'll just confirm that I haven't had any flashing lights which I guess should be good news?

However.....

Not sure if its over-compensating but this morning my eye actually feels slightly sore & watery, so I am not going to wait for the optician and will probably just head up to casualty. Will I need an overnight bag?

[Mr Pointy]

The Hypno-Toad said:

I'll just confirm that I haven't had any flashing lights which I guess should be good news?

Not sure if its over-compensating but this morning my eye actually feels slightly sore & watery, so I am not going to wait for the optician and will probably just head up to casualty. Will I need an overnight bag?

I've just seen this so it may be too late but anyway: flashing lights is definately not good news but just because you don't have them doesn't mean you're inthe clear. I doubt you'll need an overnight bag as even if it is a detachment then it's just a thirty minute operation without general anasthetic. They numb your eye so you don't feel anything but you'll be released an hour or so after the operation.

[hyphen]

Hypno- are you sleeping well?

As if not sleeping so good, or eating more junk food, or tired and stressed, then could be temporary.

But good to see you are getting checked.