Eye problem

Basically it's when the vitreous in your eye shrinks. As the vitreous shrinks, it becomes stringy and the strands can cast shadows on the retina.

All part of the ageing process and not much you can do anything about.

Everyone has them, but some people notice them more than others. The only way to get rid of them is to poke your eyes out.

quote:

Originally posted by count.d:
The only way to get rid of them is to poke your eyes out.

So I've done that. What do I do next?

Graham

Obtain a white stick.

I'd get myself to an Ophthalmologist, a real MD, who can give you a complete medical eye exam.
These are your irreplaceable eyes, don't take any non-medical (or internet!) advice.
David

ND - I think that's good advice

In the UK an good optician will suffice rather than a opthalmologist (ie a Doc). Choose an established firm rather than a 'bargain spectacle shop.

Count.d may well be correct but an eye health check is a good idea.

While waiting for your appointment to see a person that knows about such things, take a look at what a quick Google comes up with when you search for the word "floaters"

Opthalmic humour

nothing worse than eye testing a myopic schoolteacher with a beard of either sex. They will argue over the meaning of the terms "better" or "worse"

A long sighted person tends to wear dirty glasses because when they take thier glasses off they cannot see the glasses clearly to decide if they are dirty

Fisbey,

I have them, and am short sighted - badly, but that's just a coincidence and the two are not related.

I find them most noticeable on a bright day against a clear blue sky, and they remind me of when I did biology at school looking at hair through a microscope - wiry see-through tubes, except these things are more flexible and float about in the liquid in my eyes... If I look quickly left-right they drift along behind in a stringy mess....
They can be distracting, heck, so can my tinnitus but like that you get used to it and come to ignore them......

I take it yours have been there for a while and have become more noticeable over time....??
If they've suddenly appeared overnight I would look into it (no pun intended, honest!) asap with a reputable ophthalmologist.....

Hope this helps.
Cheers,
Ali

/

quote:

Originally posted by erik scothron:
/

Is this a sight test.......

No! It is a forward slash. a term I always thought ,had the possibility of double meaning... Fredr

quote:

Originally posted by arf005:

quote:

Originally posted by erik scothron:
/

Is this a sight test.......

I can't read your message, can you use a bigger font?

Dear Fisbey,

Being completely serious, even under the circumstances.

See an opticiann.

I struggled for ten years withan eye disease. Not currable as it happens, but that hardly alters thes the advice. I thought everyone had the same problems, and did nothing. So don't waite too long. Seek the advice of real experts. Fredrik

quote:

Originally posted by arf005:
I find them most noticeable on a bright day against a clear blue sky, and they remind me of when I did biology at school looking at hair through a microscope - wiry see-through tubes, except these things are more flexible and float about in the liquid in my eyes... If I look quickly left-right they drift along behind in a stringy mess....

These can be nicknamed as "floaters". I get them all the time, but then my eyes are shot. I had cateracts at birth so the amount of these floaters in my eyes might be higher than normal due to scar tissue.

Get your eyes checked anyway if you're worried though

BTW - it's called a cane, not a "white stick"

I agree, go to the optician.

But if it's any consolation, these things get far less noticeable over time (mine did, anyway).

Fisbey,

10 years ago I got hit on the nose with a hockey stick, right between the eyes. An eyedoctor on the other team took me to his surgery and had a quick squiz and the eyeballs were not punctured (for want of a better word). So I thought I'd got away with just a broken nose and two black eyes.

However a couple of months later I occasionally started seeing coloured balls flashing up and squigly lines swimming across my vision.

My GP send me to an eyedoctor who detected some small tears in my retina. These were "spotwelded" back in place with a laser. No surgery required. If left untreated my retinas could have detached over the years resulting in blindness.

Imho opticians know a lot about eyes but are specialised in making glasses and for these things you need to go to an opthamologist.

good luck!
Gus

" Floaters" can be serious.

Some years ago, I was driving to work and thought I could see a spider inside the car, but could not find it. Got out of the car and it was still there. My pa said go to an optician, he said do not pass go and go immediately to Harley St and see a consultant.

He popped drops in eyes and said look into my special eye microscope and then said, for next few weeks, do not cough or bend over or blow nose and come back and see me every few days, because you have a slightly detached retina. It was detached at the (? spelling) macula(point of retinal focus) a bit like a blister and this was causing the spider/line effect. They normally laser the retina back on, but apparently this was to close to macula to risk losing sight, in he got his aim wrong!

Moral. See expert help , not ill informed bystanders like me.

GD

Geoff,

That sounds like a close one. My experience was quite similar, a number of trip to the doctor, lots of dilation drops. Measure twice, cut once I suppose.

Fortunately my tears were far away from that spot. It is not just that it is hard for him to get his aim wrong. It is also very hard to look straight into a laser. All your reflexes try to get you to look away and blink.

Gus