Dark objects floating in field of vision

Does anyone else have dark objects floating in the field of vision? I'm not talking about the spots you see after you blast yourself with a bright flashlight, but rather spots that are always there. I have one shaped like a worm that I can see almost anywhere, and a lot more that I can see only when viewing a bright, plain background, such as a blue sky.

I find these very annoying, but whenever I ask anyone about them I get the typical response, "after a month or two you won't even notice them." Well, it's been about a year since I first discovered that worm shaped one, and it still bothers me. How have other people coped with these "floating" objects?

I see giraffes made out of pipe cleaners..

but you may have a detached retina..

I think you should see a doctor.

I have some "floaties" that I understand are some type of eye damage from birth. They don't interfere with my normal vision, and I only notice them once in a while. On the other hand, some of those "floaties" may be an indication of hemorrhage and/or scar tissue from previous events - a person I know has these.

Aren't these normal to a certain degree? Some kind of stuff randomly floating around. I've had them for as long as I can remember (little kid) and so has everyone I've mentioned it to. When I move my eyes they continue in the direction of movement for a second. Seems like stuff in the fluid just sliding about.

I have extensive experience with eye problems. As many here know, I went throught 11 surgeries trying to save the vision in my left eye from a detached retina; then another 2 to make an artificial shell that looks like a real eye.



Floaters are generally benign, and almost everyone has them to some degree, but everyone is different. I developed floaters at about age 20. At about age 55 I had a sudden increase of floaters follwed by flashes of light and other vision anomalies in my left eye. I immediately went to an eye surgeon that I had done business with in the past. He said there was no problem. Bull***t!



Long-story-short; I sought opinions from other doctors, and the final diagnosis was a "detached retina".



I went through 11 surgeries over 6 months trying to save my eye - without success. I even used 3 different doctors. It made no difference - my vision was gone forever. And the pain was beyond description.



This can happen to anyone (with-or-without trauma). Look up "Detached Retina" on Google. You will find that one of the symptoms is a sudden increase in floaters like yours, but there are other symptoms. If you are far-sighted (like me), you are much more likely to have this happen, but near-sighted people can have it too.



I hope this is not the case for you. In any case, get to a doctor that specializes in retinas (not just an optician).



Chuck

That is not a symptom of a detached retina...especially if it's been like that for a year and he doesn't have any associated loss of vision.

My opthamologist told me (I have them too) that it's from the vitreous gel drying out and separating from the back of the eye. Happens as you get older, nothing to be alarmed about...so says my eye doc. YMMV, IANAD, etc...

Ask your opthamologist next time you get your eyes checked, just to be safe...but...you're probably just getting older, like the rest of us.

Detached retinas usually exhibit a "curtain" or "veil" effect with loss of vision and/or flashes of light (a friend that had a detached retina called it "sparkles"...) Obviously, if anyone does ever see something like this, seek emergency help immediately -- sometimes they can mitigate the damage if it is caught soon enough.

JM-99

I have floaters and they sometimes drive me nuts. I am getting older so these things happen.

If you get a spot in the center of your field of vision get to the eye doc right away, this happened to me and it was CSR (central serous retinopathy) which is a bleed in the retina.

Why dont they just re-attach it?

Floaters are objects floating in the eye's internal fluid, the vitreous. Check out http://www.stlukeseye.com/Conditions/Floaters.asp for more info.

If they are floaters, they should:
1) Move across your visual field if you rapidly shift your glance to look in a different direction.
2) Become more sharply focused against a bright background, when your iris constricts to the bright light.

If these conditions aren't happening, I would strongly urge you to see an eye doctor right away. Actually, it wouldn't be a bad idea, regardless.

Your vision is not something to mess around with, floaters may be a normal, and may come and go. see a real eye doctor, not just one who checks you for glasses..

Vitreous Opacities (Floaters) are a real nuisance. I have them and after a year you sort of get used to them, but they affect your quality of life for sure. Doctors will be of no help, other then to verify you don't have a more serious condition. There is a procedure called an FOV (Floaters Only Vitrectomy) which is slowly gaining acceptance within the medical community, but you'll have a tough time finding a doctor to perform the procedure here in the U.S.

carbine15 said:

Why dont they just re-attach it?

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The retina? They can do that if the problem is caught soon enough...like within the first few hours of exhibiting symptoms...

JM-99

Do as Lightchucker says. Get to a Retina Specialist asap. Maybe there's nothing to it, but it's not worth risking your sight for "maybe".

I lost vision in my left eye to a serious detachment. The surgeries didn't work. I'm losing the vision in my remaining eye to retina and vitreous problems.

This is f'ing real and serious stuff. The life I've lived and want to live is the type that requires, of all the senses, vision. And that's the one I'm losing.
You can't imagine how depressing and life changing this is.

I go to both my retina guy and opthamologist next week, hopeing for something new.

LightChucker is accurate. Same problem with me after my TBI.

ROFL. i am 16 and have those floating things in my vision. NOT always BUT sometimes.. very rare for me. that proves that it got nothing to do with age

I'm 21 and have had these "floaters" pretty much as long as I can remember. I rarely notice them, and only see them when I'm looking at something big and bright (like the sky, white paper, a white screen etc.).

chesterqw said:

that proves that it got nothing to do with age

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Yes. It does. Yours may be due to something other than the vitreous gel drying out...eye trauma...other things can cause it, but for people over 30, it's most always just a normal process from the gel drying.

Don't believe me, go ask a real eye doctor (retina specialist, opthamologist, etc.) I don't really care -- I've heard it from multiple docs (two retina specialists and two opthamologists)

JM-99

Same problem for me, can go from not noticing to annoying depending on the day, etc.
Sometimes I see no floaters, sometimes 3 or 4 of them moving around grrrr.
My eye doctor told me I had "superb" vision and I told her she was nuts


Luigi

dman luigi, you have xray vision and telescopic vision too?

I have had one annoying floater when I turned about 35. It is benign but annoying. Good thing I don't play raquetball, because the motion of the floater against a white wall, would probably distract me. I have since adjusted to the floater, and don't notice it the majority of the time. The main exception is when I am looking against a white wall.