Moderator said on 11/09/2009 at 5:37 pm
floaterflash said on 4 August 2009:
I had problems with contact lens intolerance which was diagnosed as blepharitis. I was myopic - -7.5 right, -8.5 left. The surgeon who diagnosed the blepharitis also spotted cataracts forming (nuclear schlerotic) and removed them, implanting lenses to correct my vision.
I now don't need contacts or glasses! (apart from reading but at 57 that is normal).
I need a vitrecomy in my right eye due to an episode of PVD which has left me with a horrible floater!
My vision is good, no more messing with contacts, and just minimal dry-eye (controlled by Celluvisc).
Moderator said on 11/09/2009 at 5:37 pm
Magnum23 said 10 September:
Hi all,
I have recently been seeing flickering lights in my peripheral vision when I move from bright places (eg outside) to dimmer places and also have what I gather is a floater in my left eye (it's a small black dot I always see in relatively dim lighting and turns into a brief light when I close my eyes). Sometimes I also see small lights spontaneously appear then fade. I went to the doctor who said its probably an ophthalmic migraine as I also get a lot of headaches but I was told to see an ophthalmologist just in case who examined my eyes with a slit lamp etc and said he couldn't see anything wrong. I'm 23 and a little concerned that the "floater" will be there forever and even more worried that others might appear. I know that my symptoms may seem trivial but I don't know anyone else of my age with even remotely similar problems and I can't talk to my family about it. Any advice anyone might have to offer would really help. Thanks.
Moderator said on 11/09/2009 at 5:37 pm
Angel1 said on 9 September 2009:
Hello Greeneyes
What a fantastic result for you in what has been an undoubted time of immense worry. It is true what you say things always seem worse at night.
I am so pleased that your specialist managed to reattach your retina and that you can see out of that eye. It is a great boost for everyone here to read such a good outcome, now all you need to do when the time is right is rebook your holiday!
Very best wishes to you.
Moderator said on 11/09/2009 at 5:36 pm
Diane Brown said on 8 September 2009:
Hi algarcj
I had a pvd in November 2008 and joined this forum then. Like you I was shocked by the sudden event and felt very depressed by it. I also experienced a background of small dots and had read about blood vessels bursting and depositing blood drops in the fluid. Initially I would look in a mirror and see the dots reflected back onto my face. I still have some dots/bubbles in my vision, they are within a circle. I think they have faded a little but recently on holiday was very aware of them in the strong sunlight (hooray for the generally dull weather here I'm sad to say!) My floaters have changed; I have been left with 2 large black ones to the right of my vision and the circle containing the dots, the edge of which is lighter. These are horrible but so much better than the original floaters. Several people I know told me that they have had floaters that disappeared within a month or so - I'm becoming resigned to mine being permanent. Some days and in certain settings they irritate me more than others, but there are periods now when I briefly forget about them.
My pvd happened on a Saturday evening and flashers started 2 days later (I still experience occasional flashes now!). I tried to work that week but someone sensibly advised me to take a few days off to adjust to my new vision and sort myself out emotionally - it is a huge shock. Also I'd spent most of the Saturday and Monday nights in A & E so was like a zombie! Driving that first week was scary; the dots were reflecting in my mirrors, especially as it was my right eye. I think maybe initially the stress of the situation makes focusing more difficult. Doctors say it's fine to drive but I think waiting a few days to adjust is a good idea. I found wearing sunglasses indoors and to watch tv helpful at first. I changed the background colour on my computer to green, which cut out glare, and slipped green plastic wallets over paperwork I had to read. I also keep lighting low at home. If I'm in a meeting in a brightly lit room I ask for lights to be dimmed or turned off when possible, people are pretty sympathetic but of course the problem is not visible to others. I drew pictures every few weeks of my floaters, this helped me to recognise the small changes in them which cheered me up.
Hope things are settling down for you and maybe you'll find a few of my strategies helpful. Best wishes.
Moderator said on 11/09/2009 at 5:35 pm
greeneyes said on 7 September 2009:
Hi all, back again after a long break. If you are a regular reader you will see that my last entry described a large black blob in my right eye, which turned out to be a retinal detachment. So I have had rather a traumatic time of late. Emergency surgery to repair the detachment and laser surgery on the left eye to try and protect a weak area from the same thing. I saw the surgeon last week and he is very pleased with the result and I am relieved to say that I do have vision in the right eye.Also it is better than before as the PVD that occurred suddenly in Feb meant that I have very little useful vision due to a blurry cobwebby veil. In order to do the surgery I had a vitrectomy and that cleared all that vitreous jelly out.
It has been a long process and it has been very worrying [ especially at night, when things are always worse.] we had to cancel our holiday - as you can't fly after the surgey because there is gas in your eye. However, the outcome if just fantastic. The surgeon was really excellent and all care on the NHS.- John Radcliff in Oxford. So take heart, there are good outcomes to these very distressing eye problems. Greeneyes
Moderator said on 11/09/2009 at 5:35 pm
hopefuleyes said on 5 August 2009:
Hi Zzarla,
As the doctors say, contacts have nothing to do with any sort of retinal disorder.
as for panicking abt it, we completely understand how hard it is to stay non-paranoid in the wake of something like floaters.
but retinal detachment doesn't always follow.
while one cannot make up his/her mind on this immediately, with time he/she will resign to accepting the way things are.
try to stay calm and enjoy life as it unfolds everyday - this is to avert all the anxiety/depression/stress that could accompany with thought of something happening to our eyes.
we don't want to ruin our overall mental health make-up just because of our eyes.
Go for your regular checkups, eat healthy, be positive and take all the precautions that you're supposed to.
you can seek the advice of your doctor regarding how career-friendly your condition is.
( I see little reason of it threatening your career, unless it has to do with something a la constant staring at the monitor )