Floaters and Flashes
Most people are familiar with eye floaters and flashes. I thought I knew what they were. Until I REALLY experienced one.
Floaters and Flashes and Detached Retinas
For years, I’ve seen little diatom-like transparent floaters in my eyes. And minor little blips of light. So when people talked about floaters and flashes in their eyes, I knew what they were talking about. I thought. I’ve also had ocular migraines before.
Then, a little while ago, I had a shadowy jellyfish like thing float around in my right eye. It seemed like a dark, smokey, ash-like spider web. It was MUCH bigger than what I typically called a floater. And at the same time, I started getting these large, bright flashes when I’d shift my eyes to the right or left. The flashes were much different than ocular migraines I’ve had in the past.
I was worried I had somehow gotten a detached retina, so I scheduled to see an ophthalmologist right away.
She was completely nonplussed about it. After a thorough exam, she explained this is a very typical example of a floater with a corresponding flasher. Especially for someone my age.
I was glad to find out that my situation was ordinary and would go away as the floater broke down and settled.
Since then, I’ve been a part of many discussions with people who have had similar scares.
Although still queer, I am also quite ordinary.
Current Knitting
With enough of the Uneek Fingering yarn left over, I’ve decided to do another lengthwise scarf.
This time I’m doing it with a different contrasting color (this is Madeline Tosh fingering in a color called Bottle Green (I think). And I’m also doing Linen Stitch instead of garter-stripe.
It’s quite a bit more work than garter, but I’m enjoying it so far.
Oh boy another thing to look forward to as I age. Lol. Good to know that’s normal though so thanks for sharing! I did a linen stitch scarf once. I kept going backwards by accident with the two colors but in the end it was lovely. Great way to stash bust. Look forward to seeing your results!
I had this happen about two years ago. I described them as ink blots, and they were fairly alarming, and also apparently nothing to worry about. Yay, aging! Lol!
I had small floaters which overnight turned into large black floaters. I was referred to a retinologist who did a vitrectomy and like magic it disappeared. Vitrectomy: replacement of vitreous with saline.
Yes, they are common. And yes, they are often very benign. But a sudden splash of new floaters, with or without the flashes, can indicate a retinal detachment, so you were correct in getting it checked out. I had this happen a few years ago and it turned out to be a small retinal tear. I was lucky to be at a medical meeting right down the street from the Massachusetts eye and ear hospital and ended up with a laser surgery procedure the same day. Your brain does learn to see around the jellyfish things.
An influx of floaters can be very scary. There is always a chance of retinal damage when you see them. But, the most common reason for them as we get older is something called vitreous collapse – I’ve had it in both eyes. When we are born the vitreous lining inside the eyeball is the bulwark that keeps our eyes round and not collapse into themselves, as we grow older obviously our eyes grow with us, thereby thinning the vitreous layer. When we reach a certain age the vitreous lining (which is no longer needed) starts to breakdown – like dry skin, and we get floaters. The floaters most commonly are bits of vitreous lining that have broken away. They can be creepy and appear to wiggle and move, but that’s actually light playing games with refraction.
A vitreous collapse is when large walls of lining break away – ie, those giant shadowy spiders. I’ve had it in both eyes, both times – when I was driving. I thought the first one was a stroke or my retinas had exploded – pretty dramatic I know, but I was on the freeway doing 80mph at the time. A long talk with my eye doctor and a specialist at the Eye Center at UCLA said the floaters are harmless and I could have the floaters removed via Vitrectomy as was mention in an earlier reply. The possible downsides of the procedure are the re-occurrence of floaters as they suck most of them out, but the leftover vitreal lining still can shed, and the replacement of Vitreous fluid with saline can cause early onset cataracts. I’ve had floaters most of my life and now they’re just a nuisance that I’ve chosen to live with – in my mind cataracts are for old people (unfortunately which I am, but I’m still 29 in my head). Watch for those flashes, those little fireworks, the black spots as that can be retinal tears, damage, and detachment or other eye problems. Don’t hesitate to see your eyecare professional – we can replace joints and couple of different organs, but we only get one set of eyes.