Eye Floaters!!!!! throughout my field of vision!!!

Question

Hi all. I am a soon to be 27 year old male who for the most part is healthy, other than i suffer from "anxiety disorder". In 2006, i started seeing spider webs and black lines in both of my eyes. I went to the eye dr and was diagnosed with "floaters". They seemed to go away for awhile but about 5 months ago they returned. I again saw an eye dr and was told that "gel" had broken apart from my eye causing floaters. It gets so frustrating!!! They are so annoying!!!!!! Does anyone else suffer from this?????

Answer 1

Yes I do. You have had what is called a vitreous separation.

Your eye is full of vitreous fluid which has strands of protein in it. As an adult gets older the fluid gets thinner and most of the time separates from the retina.(You may have had lightning flashes as well at times which is the strands pulling on the retina). This normally happens to older people over 50 but can happen younger. I have had it and I was 34 but I have heard of teenagers it has happened to.

It is very annoying and often your brain compensates and learns to ignore them after a certain time. But if you are still having them after 2 years it probably cant.

There is a treatment apparently which involves blasting them with lasers to destroy them or make them smaller. This however has its own risks and will only be done if absolutely necessary, if you cannot see because of them.

gl

Ben

Answer 2

Yes, I do.  If at any time they become substantially worse, it's good to see the eye doctor.  Otherwise, try to ignore them.  Eventually, you won't even notice them anymore.

Answer 3

When people reach middle age, the gel-like vitreous begins to liquefy and contract. Some parts of the vitreous form clumps or strands inside the eye. The vitreous gel pulls away from the back wall of the eye, causing a posterior vitreous detachment.

Most spots and floaters in the eye are harmless and merely annoying. Many will fade over time and become less bothersome.

Sometimes people are interested in surgery to remove floaters, but doctors are willing to perform such surgery only in rare instances.

However, the sudden appearance of a significant number of floaters, especially if they are accompanied by flashes of light or other vision disturbances, could indicate a retinal detachment or other serious problem in the eye. If you suddenly see new floaters, visit your eye doctor immediately.

Answer 4

I got them 10 months ago and it is a living h**l.  Both eyes, with some big ones right in my line of sight.  I will not put up with it forever.  There is surgery to eliminate them, it's called a vitrectomy.  You can find a lot more information about your condition by visiting the floater talk board:  http://floatertalk.yuku.com/

Answer 5

Yeah I suffer from this too, I also have an anxiety disorder. I had an examination from an eye doctor & he said my eyes were fine. I reckon my reason for them is the same as yours, though I'm near sighted & I've read that this can make them more apparent. I'm no specialist on the matter but I believe because of the higher anxiety we notice them more than others & worry about them more. The floaters really used to get me down but I'm slowly I'm getting used to them. I'm hoping that once I get this anxiety thing sorted they wont be as bothersome (cause I wont worry as much) hope this helps.