Floaters in the eye

[bmwquay]

Try and see one every 2 years or more frequently as required. She found a small "break" in my retina and did the laser surgery on the spot to fix it.

"An ophthalmologist is a medical or osteopathic doctor who specializes in eye and vision care12. They complete 12 to 13 years of training and education, and are licensed to practice medicine and surgery1. This advanced training allows ophthalmologists to diagnose and treat a wider range of conditions than optometrists and opticians1."

opthalmologist requires a doctor's referral? If I see my optometrist they can refer me to an opthamologists if needed?

 

[bmwquay]

Floaters are normal but you should get your eyes checked out once every 2 years if you have no problems.

As for the flashing lights, it could be retina related or an ocular migraine. They start as a small dot in the center of your vision, then get bigger. They take on a crescent shape jagged edges and bright colours. They work their way outwards until they're gone. They're harmless.

This is what they look like.

Thank you for this. This is exactly what I was experiencing 2 or 3 times a year for the last 3 years or so without the migraine headache though.

 

[bmwquay]

See your optometrist asap. I had a sudden bout of floaters about 15 years ago. Lots of them. When I was on the golf course on a sunny day they appeared like insects buzzing around me.

I immediately went to see my optometrist who told me I had a hole in the retina of my left eye.

He sent me to a specialist to do a laser repair, which was almost painless. Since then the occasional tiny floater, but nothing problematical. I do see my optometrist once a year, and he says my retina is fine, and the repair is holding up well.

As the old joke goes, but a true story in my case, I found if I rubbed my eye hard in the morning I sometimes would see a flash. The optometrist, after checking to ensure my optic nerve was fine, said "don't rub your eye hard..." lol

This is scary. In my case I'm seeing only 2 or so but they appear quite large and very obtrusive. I'll call my optometrist asap.

 

[bmwquay]

Don’t fuck around. Know a couple people that have had these symptoms and had a retinal detachment. See Dr asap. An optometrist could diagnose but can’t treat. Need to see ophthalmologist if you have a detachment.

Can an optometrist refer me to an opthalmologist if he confirms it's a retinal tear?

 

[jsanchez]

Can an optometrist refer me to an opthalmologist if he confirms it's a retinal tear?

Think so, they'll refer you to a specialist, family member went through this and had his retinal repair the next morning,
or you can take a shortcut and go to the ER.

 

[stinkynuts]

For something this important and time sensitive, I'd go to the ER immediately and get it over with. If it's not anything, you spent a couple hours on your phone killing time in the waiting room. If it's something serious, it could save you from going blind.

 

[Deviant]

Can an optometrist refer me to an opthalmologist if he confirms it's a retinal tear?

Mine did, when I had a tear. They considered the situation an emergency and got me in on a monday from a friday diagnosis.

Edit, I was told by the optometrist, if the blood in the eye get worse during sat/sun to go to emergency. I had about 30% blocked vision from leaked blood. Woke up one morning with blocked vision, no specific reason, just happened.

 

[bmwquay]

Based on all the feedback I called my optometrist just now and got an appointment tomorrow morning to find out what's going on with my eye.

 

[stinkynuts]

Based on all the feedback I called my optometrist just now and got an appointment tomorrow morning to find out what's going on with my eye.

Glad to hear that! Hopefully it's nothing serious.

 

[SchlongConery]

Maybe mom was right.... too much jerking off will make you go blind?

Or maybe not! 20/25 in both eyes and still a markman with my childhood BB gun!

 

[Deviant]

too much jerking off will make you go blind?

This is quite the assumption to make. Its been a couple of years, however I am pretty sure this happened on the one day of that week when I didn't jerk off.

 

[glamphotographer]

Yesterday I saw floaters in one of my eyes. At first I thought I could get it out with water. After sleeping the night it's still there this morning. A few years ago I started seeing flashing lights in the peripheral on the same eye perhaps 2 or 3 times a year that would last about 30 minutes. Does anyone else experience this? Particularly floaters in the eye. How are you managing this?

Be careful your retina might detach. a good sign is seeing flashes, if you start seeing a black curtain in your eye closing and going black, you are losing eyesight, that's the retina falling off, go to a hospital right away. For retina detachments, they put in a gas bubble to help put it back in place. Also I would avoid any heavy lifting.

 

[xmontrealer]

Based on all the feedback I called my optometrist just now and got an appointment tomorrow morning to find out what's going on with my eye.

This may be silly, but could it possibly have something to do with your bed bug infestation as per your original bed bug post? Ask your optometrist...

Copied from the internet:
"Everything You Need to Know About Eye Parasites

• Symptoms
• Types
• Treatment
• Prevention
• Takeaway

What are parasites?
A parasite is an organism that lives in or on another organism, which is called the host. Through this interaction, the parasite receives benefits, such as nutrients, at the expense of the host.
There are three types of parasites:

• Protozoa. These are single-celled organisms that are able to grow and multiply within the host. Examples include Plasmodium species and Giardia species, which can cause malaria and giardiasis, respectively.
• Helminths. Helminths are larger wormlike parasites. Examples include roundworms and flatworms.
• Ectoparasites. Ectoparasites include organisms such as lice, ticks, and mites, which can attach to and live on the body of a host.

Some parasites can infect humans, causing a parasitic infection. They typically enter the body through the skin or the mouth. Once inside the body, these parasites can travel to other organs, including the eyes.
Read on to learn more about eye parasites, including how to tell if you have one and what to do next if you do.
What are the symptoms of an eye parasite?
Parasitic eye infections don’t always cause symptoms, which can make them hard to recognize.
When symptoms do occur, they can include:

• eye pain
• redness or inflammation in the eye
• excessive tear production
• blurry vision
• the presence of floaters (small spots or lines) in your field of vision
• sensitivity to light
• crusting around the eyelids and eyelashes
• redness and itching around the eye
• retinal scarring
• loss of vision and blindness

 

[glamphotographer]

Is this something I should bring up with my family doctor the flashing lights and floaters or just see an Optometrist?

I experienced the same symptoms you did, floaters and flashes, then a few days later my retina detached. I got treated with a gas bubble to put the retina back in place.

See an optometrist who can recommend you to see an ophthalmologist. Tell them you are concerned about retina detachment, and see if they can help you.

 

[y2kmark]

Yesterday I saw floaters in one of my eyes. At first I thought I could get it out with water. After sleeping the night it's still there this morning. A few years ago I started seeing flashing lights in the peripheral on the same eye perhaps 2 or 3 times a year that would last about 30 minutes. Does anyone else experience this? Particularly floaters in the eye. How are you managing this?

Oh yeah, been there and done that. YOU ALMOST CERTAINLY HAVE ONE OR MORE TEARS IN THE RETINA OF YOUR EYE(S) Sorry to shout, inadvertent caps lock - pay attention, though. See an ophthalmologist/retinal specialist as soon as you can! I was refereed to Dr. K and went to his office expecting to get an appointment in maybe a couple of months. Within 30 minutes of my walking in the door I was in a chair and he was using a laser to seal the retinal tears. Having good health coverage helped, but I never saw that kind or turnaround at a specialists office and never have since. The procedure is almost painless, unless you are especially sensitive to bright lights.

Don't let this go! You could wind up with a detached retina, which is really bad news. Permanent blindness could even result...

 

[glamphotographer]

Watch this video.

 

[Darts]

A couple of questions for the OP.

1) Are you nearsighted?
2) Is the pressure in your eyes under 20?

 

[Eagleeyes]

Floaters are normal but you should get your eyes checked out once every 2 years if you have no problems.

As for the flashing lights, it could be retina related or an ocular migraine. They start as a small dot in the center of your vision, then get bigger. They take on a crescent shape jagged edges and bright colours. They work their way outwards until they're gone. They're harmless.

This is what they look like.

I experience that every so often, the prismatic swirls of light. That last 10 to 20 minutes. Optometrist explained exactly what you said aural migraine.

 

[BAR]

I had these “floaters” that where a symptom of a problem in my blood and I ended up having a t.i.a. A stent was inserted and now I am fine. Get checked to be safe.

 

[bmwquay]

Be careful your retina might detach. a good sign is seeing flashes, if you start seeing a black curtain in your eye closing and going black, you are losing eyesight, that's the retina falling off, go to a hospital right away. For retina detachments, they put in a gas bubble to help put it back in place. Also I would avoid any heavy lifting.

Thanks for this. It was very informative. Quite scary a retinal detachment. PVD on the other hand less severe. I'm presuming an optometrist would be able to see a retinal tear even if it's a beginning stages of one.