Your Vision Care: Do you have Eye Floaters?
I do, and I have had for the last 3 or 4 years. All my life I had what we call a perfect vision (20/20). It is still close to perfect, except for those floaters which appeared and scared the crap out of me. Those "spots" move around as I move my eyes. Depending on the lighting they are somewhere between "somewhat" to "very" noticeable. They are most visible when looking at white walls and blue skies. I noticed that some types of lighting like neon tubes, are more difficult for me. Being exposed to that kind of light brings fatigue and drains me, especially in some office environments where they are abundant. When my eyes are tired, I have the impression of seeing even more of them.
But what exactly are floaters?
They are undissolved particles floating in the vitreous gel at the back of the eye. This causes shadows on the retina when light enters the eye (great article on the subject here: http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/spotsfloats.htm).
What can be done about them?
Not much really, you’ve got to live with them and try to ignore them. Of course, in the case of a massive and sudden appearance of floaters it is advised to see your ophthalmologist for an examination. I was so in panic when this started that I’ve seen 3 different optometrists and my doctor to get an appointment with an ophthalmologist. All of them had the same conclusion…nothing wrong with my eyes, they are healthy and in perfect shape. Optometrists and ophthalmologists can barely see floaters during examinations.
Floaters are to be ignored unless it gets worst in a very short period. But I know how you feel when you start experiencing this so don’t take my word for it and let your optometrist explain it to you.
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