How can I manage a career with eye floaters?

[Jncik]

Hi friends, sadly I have eye floaters, and I don't know what to do, I have some myopia and I've always had them but this year(I'm 20 years old) they seem to have become more.

Do you have eye floaters? How do you cope with them? I'm a computer science student and I don't know how I will work if they become more..

Sometimes they don't let me concentrate... and they make me feel depressed.. I have an appointment with my doctor but I know what he will say, don't worry ignore them etc...

I feel like they are ruining my life...

 

[berkeman]

(Thread moved from the Career Guidance forum to the Medical Sciences forum)

What kind of doctor are you seeing about this condition? You should have a retina specialist take a look. When is your appointment?

 

[Ryan_m_b]

Everybody has floaters but I am sorry to hear that yours are severe enough to have such an effect on your quality of life.

Unfortunately no one here can give you a medical diagnosis, It is vital that you talk to your doctor and explain that they are really disrupting how you go about your daily life, particularly at work. Most of the time there is no advised treatment for floaters though severe cases may warrant surgery to help.

 

[DaveC426913]

Just how bad are these floaters that they're interfering with your life?

I have floaters. I think virtually everyone has floaters.

 

[Jncik]

they are really bad when I go outside and the sun is shining..

now that I'm writing this reply, I don't really see this floaters, because I'm focused on my typing, hence I ignore them...

I just came back from the doctor where he was very polite and examined my eye carefully, he saw what's going on inside with a special mechanism and after that he told me that there is no problem with my eye, this was the good news, the bad news is that I will have to learn and live with them since there is no medication for this...

he told me that he could remove the gel inside the eye but he won't recommend it because this surgery is serious and definitely should not be done when the floaters just annoy you... when there are huge floaters it's a different thing, but then more problems would rise, which I don't really want..

also he told me about the laser thing, sadly I live in Greece, and here no one does these kind of things, but there are some doctors in USA who do laser treatment, but again the results are not always acceptable by patients which I already found out before going to the doctor.. there were many saying that the floaters got worse, others were ok with the results etc

so basically I will have to live with them...

the sad thing is that, it is known how much all people around the world are suffering because of floaters, why is there no medication available for them? why is there no research on floaters? i know it's too small when compared to other diseases, but again they are really bad too and can affect your quality of life.. the technology is so advanced that I can't understand why something so "little" can't be cured...

it's sad that no scientist really cares about them...

 

[Ryan_m_b]

I have sympathy for you, it is sad when you have a medical condition that there is no treatment for. It is good news that your health is fine though, many people wish for just that.

Don't be too angry at scientists. There are literally millions of us with thousands of new research papers coming out daily. When it comes to medical treatments it takes years and years to develop, unfortunately for you but better for everyone overall biomedical research prioritises conditions with high; incidence, prevalence, morbidity, mortality and economic cost. A highly prevalent condition that many people are likely to get that both reduces quality of life and health as well as costing the country's/world's healthcare systems dearly is the type of thing that get's the most funding.

Don't despair, I can't say that there necessarily will be treatments in the future but the laser surgery is evidence that there is progress being made in the field.

 

[Evo]

Are you talking about the little cell like things that you would see under a microscope?

Or is it just sparkles when you are in bright light?

Or is it the black spider web with black blobs that blocks your vision.

I have all of them and they have all checked out ok. The only ones that are problematic are the black blobs and spider webs. My understanding is that this is caused by material in the eye breaking off and casting shadows.

As long as the doctor has checked and there is no eye damage, then like everyone you just get used to them.

 

[Jncik]

thanks for your replies

indeed laser surgery is a very good thing, especially for myopia and other similar diseases they can already cure these things in less than 10 minutes which is really great.. if they can do this.. they will be able (i hope) to cure the floaters too, since there are some doctors already trying them out, maybe they will find something that will have higher percentage of success.

Evo, I have two types, there is this one that is totally white.. and I don't know, it seems like a train of cells or something, and I have the black spiders like you say too.

the good thing is that, they appear only if I move my eye from down to up with a quick move, and even if I do this, after some seconds they all go down again and I don't see them that much.

yes it seems like many people do have them.. and also, even Beethoven was deaf but continued his great work, hence if he can do it, then everyone can. I guess there are some things in life that come for a reason, adjustment is the key to everything. I will have to get used to them, nothing can be done now, there is no other option, but there will always be hope for something better tomorrow.

 

[Evo]

thanks for your replies

indeed laser surgery is a very good thing, especially for myopia and other similar diseases they can already cure these things in less than 10 minutes which is really great.. if they can do this.. they will be able (i hope) to cure the floaters too, since there are some doctors already trying them out, maybe they will find something that will have higher percentage of success.

Evo, I have two types, there is this one that is totally white.. and I don't know, it seems like a train of cells or something, and I have the black spiders like you say too.

the good thing is that, they appear only if I move my eye from down to up with a quick move, and even if I do this, after some seconds they all go down again and I don't see them that much.

yes it seems like many people do have them.. and also, even Beethoven was deaf but continued his great work, hence if he can do it, then everyone can. I guess there are some things in life that come for a reason, adjustment is the key to everything. I will have to get used to them, nothing can be done now, there is no other option, but there will always be hope for something better tomorrow.

If they worsen, or if you get blind spots, or flashes of light, pain in your eyes, etc... go see an opthamalogist immediately. Just because what you have now is ok, do not assume that if things change that it's still ok. Promise me.

 

[zoobyshoe]

the sad thing is that, it is known how much all people around the world are suffering because of floaters, why is there no medication available for them? why is there no research on floaters? i know it's too small when compared to other diseases, but again they are really bad too and can affect your quality of life.. the technology is so advanced that I can't understand why something so "little" can't be cured...

it's sad that no scientist really cares about them...

I completely agree with you. They are effectively a form of blindness and should be given all the attention, say, cataracts get.

I have always had floaters. They were never much of a problem until the past couple of years when they finally, slowly, got numerous enough to interfere with me seeing detail. I think if I were a surgeon with people's lives dependent on my having good vision, I'd have to quit now. I do a lot of artwork and also reading and both these activities have become a preoccupation with avoiding the blurry spots, trying to ignore them, adjusting lighting so they're the least intrusive, etc.

 

[Jncik]

If they worsen, or if you get blind spots, or flashes of light, pain in your eyes, etc... go see an opthamalogist immediately. Just because what you have now is ok, do not assume that if things change that it's still ok. Promise me.

Yes of course I will

I completely agree with you. They are effectively a form of blindness and should be given all the attention, say, cataracts get.

I have always had floaters. They were never much of a problem until the past couple of years when they finally, slowly, got numerous enough to interfere with me seeing detail. I think if I were a surgeon with people's lives dependent on my having good vision, I'd have to quit now. I do a lot of artwork and also reading and both these activities have become a preoccupation with avoiding the blurry spots, trying to ignore them, adjusting lighting so they're the least intrusive, etc.

Yes indeed it can be a form of blindness since if they're quite enough and large, then they tend to block your vision...

How are your floaters? are they big? can you move them out of your sight? Personally I'm still glad to be able to do that, since I'm usually writing code on my computer, floaters would be a pain if they were always in front of me, the good thing is that if I move my eyes they will move too, but then they will go down, and I won't see them that much anymore, is the same happening to you?

I hope that there's someone somewhere who does research on these things, surgery isn't for me an option, at least right now in the condition I'm in, but if something less invasive would be available, having great rates of success, I would definitely try it out... I believe that one day, there WILL be a cure, a lot of people suffer, and maybe some scientist with huge floaters will be the person to bring relief to so many sufferers around the world, including themselves.

 

[zoobyshoe]

How are your floaters? are they big? can you move them out of your sight? Personally I'm still glad to be able to do that, since I'm usually writing code on my computer, floaters would be a pain if they were always in front of me, the good thing is that if I move my eyes they will move too, but then they will go down, and I won't see them that much anymore, is the same happening to you?

They are big and numerous enough that they are always in my visual field now. There is no getting away from them. They don't settle down, out of my way anymore. I am considerably older than you, mind you, 56, so they have been building up for decades.

Some views are better than others, though, and I'm frequently cocking my head trying to find the least obstructed one when I need to get a good look at something small. Mostly I try to concentrate on what I'm looking at instead of focusing on the floaters, but still, what I'm looking at is marred by spot blurs. Dimmer lighting helps because they show up the most against a white, well lit background.

Yes, you'd think some medical researcher in a position to explore a cure would be afflicted enough to motivate them. They are common enough.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

I hope that there's someone somewhere who does research on these things, surgery isn't for me an option, at least right now in the condition I'm in, but if something less invasive would be available, having great rates of success, I would definitely try it out... I believe that one day, there WILL be a cure, a lot of people suffer, and maybe some scientist with huge floaters will be the person to bring relief to so many sufferers around the world, including themselves.

Yes, you'd think some medical researcher in a position to explore a cure would be afflicted enough to motivate them. They are common enough.

Like I said above, research is unfortunately but by necessity prioritised. I will look up later if I have time if there is any current research if you like.

 

[Proton Soup]

i have them. they used to annoy me more than they do now. you might try experimenting with lighting conditions to see if they are less noticeable. yes, the bright light on a white background can be a pain.

 

[Jncik]

Like I said above, research is unfortunately but by necessity prioritised. I will look up later if I have time if there is any current research if you like.

That would be great thanks

 

[Ryan_m_b]

I couldn't find much but this review paper: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20211446" talks about some of the current treatments and the risks of "off-label" treatments such as laser and conventional surgery. Unfortunately it doesn't seem like there is going to be a good treatment any time soon, research in surgery so far has shown it to be poorly effective as well as risky. The paper has references to other research in the field if you are interested.

At the end of the day it is important to remember that you still have your health, if you accept what you have you can deal with it better and hopefully in time come to ignore it.

 

[Jncik]

thanks at least it's something..

 

[Evo]

And over time the black floaters, which are the ones that can cause the most problems with blocking vision, can come and go. Over time the "stuff" can disappear or become less dense. I have had this happen over and over.

 

[Jncik]

And over time the black floaters, which are the ones that can cause the most problems with blocking vision, can come and go. Over time the "stuff" can disappear or become less dense. I have had this happen over and over.

you mean like it's possible for the floaters to completely go away from the eye or just move to some other corner of the eye and thus be less bothersome?

For the he past few days I've been trying to understand why I really got them. I mean, yes I have myopia, which is around 2(I'm not sure, if the same measurement is used everywhere, but it's small compared to 4,5), and it has remained the same for the past 2 years, I'm 20 years old, and judging from the fact that it has always been increasing since the age of 13, I'm assuming that my vision won't get worse.

this is of course a negative factor for eye floaters.. since for near sighted people it's more likely to occur

but I can remember having them since I was little, and the reason why the floaters increased, I can't really explain.

I asked my doctor about computer use and studying too much, and he told me that from studying too much only the brain can get tired and floaters from computer use and studying can't occur.

I was going to the gym for some months and I'm not sure maybe weight lifting has done some damage, but I stopped going over 2 months ago due to exams and noticed the change 4-5 days ago.. so... maybe something else has happened..

never mind... I've been feeling a little bit depressed for the past 4-5 days, I would prefer to have a major injury on my leg or arm or what ever, but really, not something that can't be cured, especially something that has to do with vision... I already have myopia, I don't really care about it because I'm using glasses, but floaters.. are like worse than a curse.

 

[Evo]

you mean like it's possible for the floaters to completely go away from the eye or just move to some other corner of the eye and thus be less bothersome?

For the he past few days I've been trying to understand why I really got them. I mean, yes I have myopia, which is around 2(I'm not sure, if the same measurement is used everywhere, but it's small compared to 4,5), and it has remained the same for the past 2 years, I'm 20 years old, and judging from the fact that it has always been increasing since the age of 13, I'm assuming that my vision won't get worse.

this is of course a negative factor for eye floaters.. since for near sighted people it's more likely to occur

but I can remember having them since I was little, and the reason why the floaters increased, I can't really explain.

I asked my doctor about computer use and studying too much, and he told me that from studying too much only the brain can get tired and floaters from computer use and studying can't occur.

I was going to the gym for some months and I'm not sure maybe weight lifting has done some damage, but I stopped going over 2 months ago due to exams and noticed the change 4-5 days ago.. so... maybe something else has happened..

never mind... I've been feeling a little bit depressed for the past 4-5 days, I would prefer to have a major injury on my leg or arm or what ever, but really, not something that can't be cured, especially something that has to do with vision... I already have myopia, I don't really care about it because I'm using glasses, but floaters.. are like worse than a curse.

You can always see another doctor for a second opinion. You are very young to be experiencing these.

I've read some reports that they can go away, other reports that they can't go away. All I know is that over the years, I have had some completely disappear, some fade, then new ones develop. That of course is not scientific, it's just my own personal experience.

 

[Jncik]

thanks I've already made an appointment with another doctor, but will take some time, at least a month, to visit her

 

[Jncik]

a small update: I think I've started to get used to floaters

of course I need some more time in order to completely tune them out, but at least I can study without worrying about them

I've read a lot about floaters and have figured out that there is this surgery called vitrectomy, of course it's a solution but I don't think it's worth it

I'm only 20 years old and getting the vitrectomy will bring more problems later..

I have made 2 more appointments with doctors in order to make sure that everything is ok

I believe and hope that in 10 years from now, some medicine or a safe method of removing them will be found

the key is whenever you see a floater, don't bring it to your mind, act as if it's not there, at least it has worked quite well this method for me..

I hope in 1 month I ll completely tune them out because I don't want to waste my time and especially I don't want to stop trying to achieve my goals because of them..

 

[Voidses_]

Vitrectomy is a option but you should be aware of the possible complications. The most common is probably lens opacification. Other more rare complications are retinal tears and bleeding.
Symptoms you should pay extra attention are "flashes of light" and a experience that's described as a curtain being pulled across the field of vision. Make a call to your doctor if you experince any of these symptoms. It might indicate retinal detachment witch need surgical intervention. You'r young and have modest myopia so the risk is small but just to be safe.

Try to lower the brightness of the computer screen and work with good illumination to make the floaters less visible. Also try to use white/green letters on a black background when writing on your computer. Try and if it helps use it.

 

[DaveC426913]

Symptoms you should pay extra attention are "flashes of light" and a experience that's described as a curtain being pulled across the field of vision. Make a call to your doctor if you experince any of these symptoms. It might indicate retinal detachment witch need surgical intervention. You'r young and have modest myopia so the risk is small but just to be safe.

To make it clear to anyone: if this is experienced, time is of the essence! Do not wait to make an appointment - go to a doctor immediately. Delay may mean the difference between full recovery and permanent vision loss.

 

[Jncik]

indeed flashes can be a major problem, if something like that happens i will probably go to the emergency room

About vitrectomy, I have read that the methods which are currently being used are getting better and better, now for some reason I believe if I have this surgery right now, I will regret it later...

I think I can leave with these floaters for at least 10 years, of course if they get worse I ll have to do something about it