Floaters in your vision, Eye sight. | FerrariChat

Floaters in your vision, Eye sight.

Discussion in 'Health & Fitness' started by msdesignltd, May 9, 2014.

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  1. msdesignltd

    msdesignltd F1 World Champ
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    Feels like a piece of dust is floating on top of my Pupil, or a piece of my hair is hanging over my eyelash and into my right eye.
    always moving around.

    2 visits to the Opthamologist...he calls it a floater..its not ontop of my eye ,its at the back.
    very annoying. He says as you get older pieces of tissue can rip from skin that hold eye ball in its place..from shrinkage or drying of membrane..
    Took over 10 different eye tests with very sophisticated equip.
    all too complicated for me to totally understand but it is what it is.
    Its just like a piece of dust floating and impairing vision on one side..
    Doc says there is nothing to be done but wait.
    sometimes 2 months, sometimes 2 years..
    Anyone ever experience such symptom, or circumstance??
     
  2. Patek

    Patek Formula 3

    Mar 24, 2006
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    Yeah, looking through them now. They have been there several years . Like about 8 long years. And they really block my vision all the time. If you ever hear of a fix, please let me know .
     
  3. jvecchi

    jvecchi Formula Junior

    May 5, 2005
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    I've had them for probably 20 years now (I'm currently 62). As far as I know, there's not anything to be done. If it's any consolation, after awhile your brain just kind of filters them out and you don't notice them unless it's really bright out. Dark sunglasses help in that situation.
     
  4. JJ

    JJ F1 World Champ
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    I've had them for as long as I can remember. Sounds like mine aren't as bad as yours though. Always assumed they were "normal" so never sought out a solution.
     
  5. TexasF355F1

    TexasF355F1 Six Time F1 World Champ
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    My friend is my optometrist and she said they're normal, but if you see them constantly and in abundance there may be an issue. I get them occasionally.

    I think it's weird you feel them, I don't feel them and don't think you should either. I'd get a second opinion.
     
  6. MotorMouth

    MotorMouth Formula 3
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    I had quite a few of them last summer through this winter. Very annoying. I'm 25. I added a few eye health specific vitamins. They have been going away, much less persistent then they were 6 months ago. Hopefully it stays that way. I don't think you should feel floaters at all.
     
  7. msdesignltd

    msdesignltd F1 World Champ
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    I take plenty vitamins
    What are the eye specific ones you speak of?
     
  8. blackbolt22

    blackbolt22 F1 Veteran

    Sep 25, 2007
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    I'm an optometrist. Floaters are both common and normal. They are always there but are usually lost in background clutter. You can usually see them against the sky or a white background.

    If you have a sudden increase or persistent flashing of light get it checked out. Very large ones are often posterior vitreous detachments not a retinal detachment. They can cause flashes of light also.
    Sometimes gravity will take a very large one and work it out of your line of sight but that could take months to years.

    There is a new treatment that will rid you of them. Ask your retina specialist. I just heard of it last week. I'm attending a dinner at his office re this new procedure later this month.
    I know of no vitamins that will make them go away. I take that with a grain of salt.
     
  9. MotorMouth

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    #9 MotorMouth, May 10, 2014
    Last edited: May 10, 2014
    As do most doctors toward vitamins... Must be some pharmaceuticals we can throw at this, no?
    I did not say I started taking vitamins that specifically rid you of floaters. I said I started taking some eye health specific vitamins in effort to improve my eye health as I had a bunch of floaters at 25 years old. Not saying it had to be these supplements that made the improvement.

    Anyway, these are the ones I purchased. http://www.lef.org/search/health-goal.eyes/index.aspx
     
  10. 4th_gear

    4th_gear F1 Rookie

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    #10 4th_gear, May 11, 2014
    Last edited: May 11, 2014
    Actually, it isn't fanciful at all to believe that vitamins might play a role in the health and rejuvenation of damaged eye tissue.

    In order to determine whether a distressful health condition of an organ is treatable, you have to understand what constitutes a healthy condition for it, what the nature of the distress is and what the cause of the distress is. Unfortunately, our present level of knowledge in these 3 vital areas appears to be very low or non-existent… with respect to our eyes. Regular eyecare is not even covered by Canada's Medicare system. Why is that?

    Vitamin C is critical to maintaining and perhaps rejuvenating healthy eyes, especially as you age.

    I'm not in eye care research but I did experience a very significant increase in floaters some years ago. I looked into the problem and started a regular 1-2 gm/day vitamin C regimen and most of my floaters cleared up after a couple of months. The floaters were so bad I had problems reading text off a sheet of paper because they kept blotting out the image. None of the doctors I saw had any practical suggestions.

    Your eyes are actually direct extensions of your brain. The retina is made of sensory tissue directly connected to your brain, a relatively short distance away, by axons. It is in essence part of your brain. What happens to your eyes can also be a window into what is affecting your brain. Floaters are cell tissue fragments, which I believe are usually detached from damaged vascular and structural tissue. So if you suddenly have a huge increase in floaters, it may mean vascular damage inside your eyes. And if that is happening in your eyes, the rest of your brain may be experiencing similar distress. So in a sense, eyes while they may poetically be a window to your soul, may also be a window into your brain's health.

    If you don't believe the connection between vitamin C and eye health - here is a 2012 medical article from the journal, Retinal Physician, that I just casually picked off the Internet. It was written after my brush with floaters and while it may focus on the effects of vitamin C on glaucoma prevention, it does not preclude other actions of vitamin C on eye tissue. You may also want to read up on what vitamin C is used for in your body.

    TIDBIT: do you know why your eyes are not located on your hands or on some other appendage? Well, it's probably the same reason(s) why race car drivers and fighter pilots tend to be shorter than average.
     
  11. msdesignltd

    msdesignltd F1 World Champ
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    Wow
    Overwhelmed with the knowledge and advice on this forum.
    It has given me hope when i thought i was alone.
    I will step up my vit c as i also believe in pyscho sematic cures.
    What is this just released operation or procedure that is mentioned?
     
  12. tjacoby

    tjacoby F1 Rookie

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    I got a bunch of 'em after some major head trauma, like the doc said below; eventually they disappeared (eye doc said my brain would eventually just filter them out). dunno, but pretty much no issue now.
     
  13. robert biscan

    robert biscan F1 Veteran

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    I have or had them too but ignored it and now I don't see them anymore. I suspect I still have them and most people do I believe.
     
  14. rdefabri

    rdefabri Three Time F1 World Champ

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    Normal, I have them, never bothered me in the least. I find them sometimes soothing...but perhaps I'm a bit weird???
     
  15. Chupacabra

    Chupacabra F1 Rookie
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    I've had them as long as I can remember. IIRC, sometimes they can form while your eyes are developing in the womb. I'm sure Blackbolt can shed light on that. Mine are mostly in my left eye and are sometimes annoying depending upon lighting conditions, but they don't really impair my vision. I too can "feel" them, but I'm pretty sure that's mental.

    I had a girlfriend a few years ago who stressed me out beyond all belief. One day, I saw a redish flash in my upper right field of vision in the left eye, and I ended up with a nice case of central serous retinopathy. Ever since that went away, my floaters don't seem like such a pain anymore :)
     
  16. msdesignltd

    msdesignltd F1 World Champ
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    When mine happened, I was driving at night, and I saw white flashes in the far corner of my right eye.
    My 8 year old son sits in the back of car and I kept yelling at him stop playing with the penlight flashlight.
    He said he didnt even have it...
    It continued to happen after that and I continued to yell at him to stop it...
    He got upset with me for sure.

    was wierd but at a gas station I got out and while I was pumping as I turned my eye sight hard right, I saw them again and again...That is when the ripping of the membrane was happening...

    Wow was I wierded out.
    Had no idea what was happening.
    docs appointment took 4 weeks to get so I thought the worst when I saw floaters the next day..

    Knowing what is going on is more a cure than any medicine!!
     
  17. Chupacabra

    Chupacabra F1 Rookie
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    That would have freaked me out and made me think I was experiencing a detached retina! Glad it was far less serious!
     
  18. docf

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    #18 docf, May 16, 2014
    Last edited: May 16, 2014
    Floaters are concretions of the Vitreous of the eye. These concretions (collagen) formations form as we age and we begin experiencing them in our 60's-70's. They are not harmful,but are distracting . Looking down tends to temporarily stop the float. Extreme cases the vitreous gel of the eye can be removed surgically and the gel is replaced with saline. This obviously ends the floaters. Some floaters are not benign and can indicate some eye problems such as MS, detached retina, oncoming migraine etc. Sudden increases in numbers of floaters should also be checked out by you opth. By and far most floaters are the benign troublesome variety and are just an annoyance.
    Docf
     
  19. 4th_gear

    4th_gear F1 Rookie

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    Have you read the 2012 Retinal Research journal article by Dr. Nancy Holekamp that I referenced above? Dr. Holekamp provided very compelling research and clinical data that points to the importance of the vitreous gel, along with the role of its very high vitamin C content, in protecting the eye from oxidative damage.

    As regards replacing the vitreous gel of the eye with saline…
    "…Evidence now suggests that the function of the vitreous gel is to consume the molecular oxygen diffusing from the retinal surface to protect the lens from the oxidative damage that leads to nuclear cataract. When the vitreous gel is surgically removed, the lens is newly exposed to very high levels of molecular oxygen and rapidly accelerated nuclear sclerosis ensues in anyone over the age of 50. Vitreoretinal surgeons know this to be true, as vitrectomy surgery in anyone older than 50 invariably leads to cataract extraction in more than 90% of patients within two years.

    However, when the vitreous gel slowly liquefies with age, the lens is gradually exposed to slightly ever-increasing amounts of molecular oxygen, and slowly progressive nuclear sclerosis ensues. Thus, the underlying cause of nuclear sclerotic cataract is vitreous liquefaction."​

    So if you purposely replace the vitreous gel with saline, based on statistics, those patients will very likely require cataract extraction within 2 years. There's probably a very good reason why Mother Nature "decided" to use vitreous gel instead of saline in our eyes. I think surgeons need to put back the vitreous gel and not replace it. Other data in the report indicates the vitreous gel performs its function even when extracted from cadavers.

    Otherwise, I agree with your other points. Unfortunately, many other people commenting on this thread fail to understand the important difference between floaters "you've always had" vs. sudden increases in floaters.
     

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