Eye floater-worried

[Christy67 10]

About 6 months ago a  black floater appeared in my right eye, right in my central vision. This has never happens before.  I had an eye exam but didn’t have time to get eyes dilated. It’s rescheduled for next month. I feel like it’s getting worst and am worried about detached retina or progressive vision loss. Floater advice anyone?? I’m freak every time I drive when it’s super noticeable. 

[Ironman 190]

On 4/20/2022 at 5:27 PM, Christy67 said:

About 6 months ago a  black floater appeared in my right eye, right in my central vision. This has never happens before.  I had an eye exam but didn’t have time to get eyes dilated. It’s rescheduled for next month. I feel like it’s getting worst and am worried about detached retina or progressive vision loss. Floater advice anyone?? I’m freak every time I drive when it’s super noticeable. 

I would see a doctor.  

I had this happen to me in July 2016.  The first week had THREE trips to the emergency room. 

Trip 1 - The first night, I had a bad sinus infection and noticed the lower half of the vision of my left eye was fading to black and coming back.....it happened twice and I looked up what to do - see a doctor, but was Wednesday 1am at the time!  I went to the ER.  At the hospital, it happened a third time and got the hemorrhage.  The doctor did a sonogram of the eye and didn't see anything in particular.  He scheduled an appointment at the city's Children's Hospital later that day.   I was tested there with the huge floater in my eye; they told me I had a detached retina, severe macular degeneration, and would face permanent blindness.  With eyes dilated, they sent me across town in the 32c/90F heat and sun to a retinal specialist for emergency surgery.  Their tests (tools and physical check of the eye) revealed nothing but the hemorrhage.  Next, come the tests.

Trip 2 - Day 3 of the ordeal, Friday afternoon, they told me to go to the hospital and have blood work done (they ordered it).  I had never had blood drawn before and nearly passed out in a cold sweat.  They leaned me back....and my left eye vision started to go out again (fourth time)!  They asked if I needed to go to the ER....I said yes and we walked over.  They gave me crackers and peanut butter and a juice, called me dehydrated, and discharged me lol.  The retina guy had ordered an angiogram for Monday AM.  

Trip 3 - Day 6 (Mon AM) the angiogram.  I still had a sinus infection and took two decongestants (BAD MOVE!)  I go into the office and they tell me I had a blood pressure of 148/108 and stopped the test and told me to go back to the ER fearing I had had a hemorrhagic stroke.  ER time!  In four hours, I had a urinalysis, EKG, CT scan, and four additional vials of blodd drawn (total of 7).....blood pressure was 125/95......the only thing they found was the elevated blood pressure (due to the decongestants!) and I have been on Losartan ever since!  

During this time, I was told by the retina guys - I was only allowed to travel to them and the hospital (maybe grovery shopping).  The angiogram revealed no circulation issues and my case was considered "an engima". 🙂 

The whole sinus infection was caused by an old electronic air purifier that was going berserk (I thought it was working, but it was hurting me).  I turned it off because the popping was driving me crazy, and within 36 hours, the sinus infection was gone.   1 in 175,000 vitreous hemorrhages are caused by allergies/sinus infections....it's that rare.

The blood floater itself -> started out as a maroon image that looked like the Space Invader mimicking the Dow Scrubbing bubble cartoon.  Within the week it turned into a dark brown Mercedes logo and then slowly broke up.  

 

[MARC 429]

I have had floaters for many years. My Ophthalmologist told me that typically floaters are harmless, but should be investigated if they change, obstruct vision or are accompanied by other symptoms. such as loss of vision, flashing lights, etc. 

[Christy67 10]

21 hours ago, Ironman said:

I would see a doctor.  

I had this happen to me in July 2016.  The first week had THREE trips to the emergency room. 

Trip 1 - The first night, I had a bad sinus infection and noticed the lower half of the vision of my left eye was fading to black and coming back.....it happened twice and I looked up what to do - see a doctor, but was Wednesday 1am at the time!  I went to the ER.  At the hospital, it happened a third time and got the hemorrhage.  The doctor did a sonogram of the eye and didn't see anything in particular.  He scheduled an appointment at the city's Children's Hospital later that day.   I was tested there with the huge floater in my eye; they told me I had a detached retina, severe macular degeneration, and would face permanent blindness.  With eyes dilated, they sent me across town in the 32c/90F heat and sun to a retinal specialist for emergency surgery.  Their tests (tools and physical check of the eye) revealed nothing but the hemorrhage.  Next, come the tests.

Trip 2 - Day 3 of the ordeal, Friday afternoon, they told me to go to the hospital and have blood work done (they ordered it).  I had never had blood drawn before and nearly passed out in a cold sweat.  They leaned me back....and my left eye vision started to go out again (fourth time)!  They asked if I needed to go to the ER....I said yes and we walked over.  They gave me crackers and peanut butter and a juice, called me dehydrated, and discharged me lol.  The retina guy had ordered an angiogram for Monday AM.  

Trip 3 - Day 6 (Mon AM) the angiogram.  I still had a sinus infection and took two decongestants (BAD MOVE!)  I go into the office and they tell me I had a blood pressure of 148/108 and stopped the test and told me to go back to the ER fearing I had had a hemorrhagic stroke.  ER time!  In four hours, I had a urinalysis, EKG, CT scan, and four additional vials of blodd drawn (total of 7).....blood pressure was 125/95......the only thing they found was the elevated blood pressure (due to the decongestants!) and I have been on Losartan ever since!  

During this time, I was told by the retina guys - I was only allowed to travel to them and the hospital (maybe grovery shopping).  The angiogram revealed no circulation issues and my case was considered "an engima". 🙂 

The whole sinus infection was caused by an old electronic air purifier that was going berserk (I thought it was working, but it was hurting me).  I turned it off because the popping was driving me crazy, and within 36 hours, the sinus infection was gone.   1 in 175,000 vitreous hemorrhages are caused by allergies/sinus infections....it's that rare.

The blood floater itself -> started out as a maroon image that looked like the Space Invader mimicking the Dow Scrubbing bubble cartoon.  Within the week it turned into a dark brown Mercedes logo and then slowly broke up.  

 

How was this resolved? This is terrifying.

[Ironman 190]

1 hour ago, Christy67 said:

How was this resolved? This is terrifying.

In my case, he was trying to avoid surgery.  There was no reason to do anything, but he left open the possibility of a vitrectomy.  He would take out the fluid in the eye (to clear everything out) and replace it with saline as my eye would create its own fluid to replace it.  That never happened.   

My floater has almostly completely dissolved on its own.  I only see anything when I look against a bright background, but I really have to pay attention to notice.  I never went back to the doc after about 18 months or so.

[Christy67 10]

Omg you just put the fear of god in me. I’m so afraid I’m gong blind. 

[Ironman 190]

1 hour ago, Christy67 said:

Omg you just put the fear of god in me. I’m so afraid I’m gong blind. 

You're not going to go blind.  I can see better now that I did then.  The vitrectomy thing is a last resort.  I know someone who had it done.  He's done well.

I would have the floater checked though.  Chances are you are fine; it just needs monitoring.

[Mark G 1186]

9 times out of 10, eye floaters are debris in your vitreous fluid. They can look like little cells or strands and can move around when you move your eyes.  I have loads of the blighters.  As we age, the vitreous fluid gets thinner and a lot of the time floaters which have always existed move into our line of vision.  Now are you going blind?  No, you're not!  If you had a detached retina or anything serious, you would experience hundreds of them crowding your vision suddenly plus you would experience peripheral flashes and blurred vision.  Let the optician take a look just to be on the safe side.  Honestly, you're not going blind.

[Christy67 10]

Thank you Mark. I did get it checked out I seem to be okay! 

[Mark G 1186]

Good to hear.  You were noticing them more and lost habituation to them.