I've always had one little floater in the corner of my right eye. I can ignore it. However, one evening, we were doing our usual evening walk and I thought I saw a fly or mosquito trying to fly in front of me above my right shoulder. I even tried to bat it away. And then one morning I saw what I realized was a big floater almost at the center of my left eye. Doggone it! Now I have TWO floaters. I can still ignore the one on the right, but that left bigger one is irritating.
What causes floaters?
Floaters usually happen because of normal changes in your eyes. As you age, tiny strands of your vitreous (the gel-like fluid that fills your eye) stick together and cast shadows on your retina (the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eye). Those shadows appear as floaters.
I looked online and sigh... not much you can do. I've read that people at higher risk for getting floaters are people who are:
- Very nearsighted
- Have had surgery to treat cataracts
- Have diabetes. Dang it! Diabetes? That's me! 😖
So then I'm looking online to see what can be done. Aha! There is laser surgery! And drinking lots of water!
I went to see my optometrist who checked me out thoroughly like he always does. He really is excellent and explains everything to me in detail.
I asked about the laser surgery. Sigh... He said it comes with risks to the retina.
I asked about drinking more water. Sigh... He 😁 smiled and said it's very healthy to drink more water, but won't do much for the floaters.
He said my brain should gradually train itself to not notice it as much. I told him I have a slow 😕 brain.
He asked how long I'd been seeing it. I said about a week. He laughed and said I need to give it a year and see what happens.
Anyway, he's recommending that I start taking PreserVision. Well I saw that it was on sale at Sam's Club so okaaaaay.... I'm taking it. I really do want to do everything I can to maintain my eyesight.
And the floaters?
I'll work on getting my glucose in better control. Ever since you know who won the election, my glucose is not as good as it was earlier. (Yes, I'll blame this on him too. 😏)
Whatever the case... I'll try harder to watch what I eat and exercise more.
Sigh...
I've had floaters all my life. Most of the time I don't even notice them, but I suppose I'm more aware of them if I'm tired.
ReplyDeleteI have tons of floaters and have for a long time, and I check none of the boxers. I don't notice them often and mostly what I am looking a a bright background like a sky.
ReplyDeleteI have floaters
ReplyDeleteI tend to get floaters when I am anemic. They drive me crazy.
ReplyDeleteI'm blaming the election for everything! Added stress can't be good. I didn't have floaters until after my cataract surgery and they drive me nuts! I take Areds 2 to try to stave off macular degeneration. When do we reap all the benefits of getting older? Wahh!!
ReplyDeleteI guess what I call floaters must be something else because they are not at all what you are describing. They come and then they go away. Maybe they are more like auras. I just Googled and found non-headache migrane auras. I'll have to read more.
ReplyDeleteI got my first floaters a few years ago. I was on the mainland and was freaking out. Didn't know what they were as I was in the shower At the time, I was under a lot of stress. Had to find an eye doctor as google had many scary consequences (retina detachment). Long story short, it wasn't a retina detachment and I needed to followup with my regular eye doctor when I got back. Now, I rarely see them. Getting old is not fun. Take care and happy holidays.
ReplyDeleteI know others have told me that eventually my brain will disregard the floaters but so far I see them far too often. Arrghhh! I can imagine how frightening it must have been for you. Luckily a friend had already told me about them.
DeleteCripey, I've had floaters for more than a year. I remember waking up with them and wondering what was wrong. It was a big spider web. I am trying to ignore them. I just don't want surgery, with the risks.
ReplyDeleteAin't old age grand, if it's not one thing it's another.i noticed extra floaters in my 40s that was really annoying but yup one gets really use to them. I had my eyes checked for macular degeneration and wow they have such advanced tech now they can actually see and predict it. I am at a low level but us diabetics a 1x yearly check. Speaking of eye changes, I really am blind but all of a sudden I got near perfect vision. Docs said my cataracts caused it!! I can actually not wear glasses when I'm at home. I only wear them outside. It's gotten so good I forget to wear them and have caught myself driving without them. I can see but far off objects are still fuzzy. At night though it's back to awful because I've always had bad night vision. Also my prescription hasn't changed in over 6 years. Same glasses.This is the ONLY good thing that came out of aging! Yay great vision. BB
ReplyDeleteKay of Musings: Gee, you and I are so similar! I’m not having problems with cataracts and my macular degeneration is still mild. However, my vision switched. I used to be near sighted, BUT now I’ve got almost 20/20 far vision and bad near vision. Dr. Tanaka even said I can drive without glasses. Granted, I no longer drive so everybody else on the island can be safe. Art, on the other hand is very near sighted, but he’ll ask me when driving to read some sign far away for him.
DeleteIn certain light conditions you see many more floaters. Sometimes the floaters will be in color. They seem to be able to make long term predictions as on cataracts. They see the cataracts but it's a long time before they have to be treated.
ReplyDeleteI've had floaters since forever. Very nearsighted; cataract surgery. They don't bother me.
ReplyDeleteYou do get used to them, said the 82 year old. You do not see them after a while unless you are cleaning something white or light. Yeah.
ReplyDeleteKay, I noticed floaters in my eye only about a year ago... thought they were gnats... and was swatting them away too. Eye doctor said the same... you'll get used to them and not notice after a while. He was right.
ReplyDeleteHmmm. I believe the body can heal itself and not with drugs. If I come across some natural protocol, will let you know.
ReplyDeleteI 've had a floater since before my cataract surgery. It looks like a stick bug with one antenna. I don't notice it. Sometimes when getting ready to sleep, I can see it if I'm looking at the ceiling, as it floats up or down within my eye fluid. I use a spacer to help put in my nightly eyedrops. When I look through the pin hole before the drop falls, I can see the floater. It's just your new friend to entertain you. Good luck. Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteIt sure is aggravating to have all these irritations happening as we get older. Another new friend at tai chi told me how she's had vertigo for 20 years. Wow! And I've got another friend with even more floaters than me. Sigh... What else can I expect as I get even older?
DeleteAs we age so many of us have floaters.
ReplyDeleteTake care of yourself ...
All the best Jan
I've had floaters for many years and they come and go. Irritating, but they haven't done any harm. It was when I got a LOT of them that were red all of a sudden was when I got concerned.
ReplyDeleteIt was a small retinal tear, but it healed.
Hello Val, thank you very much for your comment. I'm still working on trying not to see that new floater. Darn! Wow! A retinal tear? That sounds so scary.
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