Floaters and Medicine?

[fishmoon]

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Hey guys,

I was just wondering that if any of you guys had significant floaters in your eyes and how did you deal with their annoyance and irritation, if they ever caused one, in med school?

If you are not aware then floaters are vitreous opacities. You can read more about them here http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/floaters/floaters.asp

Floaters are little "cobwebs" or specks that float about in your field of vision. They are small, dark, shadowy shapes that can look like spots, thread-like strands, or squiggly lines. They move as your eyes move and seem to dart away when you try to look at them directly. They do not follow your eye movements precisely, and usually drift when your eyes stop moving.
Most people have floaters and learn to ignore them; they are usually not noticed until they become numerous or more prominent. Floaters can become apparent when looking at something bright, such as white paper or a blue sky.


I am in the numerous category and trying to make sure that it doesnt interfere with my activities at school. How do you guys deal with them?

More Info:

A large, yet little understood structure
Understanding the vitreous:
Anatomy, ageing and transformation

http://www.optometry.co.u...54f0d_Lombardo-10206.pdf

 

[Tryonetic]

I have them too. So do a lot of myopic people. You should get them checked out but chances are they harmless. I agree with you they are annoying. Unfortunately the treatment we have either do more harm than good (vitrectomy) or not proven to be effective (YAG laser). But after awhile you will just get used to it that you won't care anymore. Hopefully our technology will be advanced enough to fix this problem without significant side effects in the future. Maybe you should spearhead the research!

Hey guys,

I was just wondering that if any of you guys had significant floaters in your eyes and how did you deal with their annoyance and irritation, if they ever caused one, in med school?

If you are not aware then floaters are vitreous opacities. You can read more about them here http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/floaters/floaters.asp

Floaters are little "cobwebs" or specks that float about in your field of vision. They are small, dark, shadowy shapes that can look like spots, thread-like strands, or squiggly lines. They move as your eyes move and seem to dart away when you try to look at them directly. They do not follow your eye movements precisely, and usually drift when your eyes stop moving.
Most people have floaters and learn to ignore them; they are usually not noticed until they become numerous or more prominent. Floaters can become apparent when looking at something bright, such as white paper or a blue sky.


I am in the numerous category and trying to make sure that it doesnt interfere with my activities at school. How do you guys deal with them?

More Info:

A large, yet little understood structure
Understanding the vitreous:
Anatomy, ageing and transformation

http://www.optometry.co.u...54f0d_Lombardo-10206.pdf

 

[deleted263296]

I have a whole bunch of them too. They started after my 1st year. I got a retinal exam but didn't have any retinal abnormalities. I want to do research on them but none of the ophthalmologists at my school are interested because they can't get funding for researching benign problems. Whichever doctor develops a nonsurgical cure for these could bank because they are almost ubiquitous. Some people get them worse than others, and I can really empathize with your situation. Mine are annoying and I can see them everyday, especially when lecturers use white powerpoint backgrounds. At first they really created a ton of anxiety for me, but I've come to terms with them. Despite what is posted on the internet, they will never go away. They may move out of the way some days but they'll be back.

 

[njbmd]

This is becoming a medical advice thread and now closing. The OP has gotten plenty of advice in the Optho forum and this thread is not needed.