Floaters

One option that's talked about on Reddit is atropine eye drops in a very low dose. They are pupil dilating eye drops, but in a low dose they only dilate the pupil very very little. Just enough to make the appearance of floaters less. They are supposed to be pretty safe to use in low dose. They are used for myopic children to halt the progression of the myopia.

Problem is:

1. You have to have a compounding pharmacy to make the very low dose as it's only available as atropine 1% (which is too high a dose - you only need like 0,005% or 0,05%)

2. It's a very alternative "treatment" that doctors have never heard of, so you'll probably have a hard time convincing your eye doctor to even prescribe this to you. Some will do it, but a lot more won't, from what I read.

Here is an article where one doctor suggests atropine for eye floaters: https://www.healio.com/news/ophthalmology/20171016/are-there-alternatives-for-treating-floaters

 

I started seeing floaters in February since I'm nearsighted and they scared the crap out of me. Then I started seeing flashes of light in my left eye and it turned out that I had an emergency retina issue that was treated with lasers ASAP. Fortunately, there was no vision loss in my left eye.

I had an onset of normal floaters in my right eye about five days later, but they were very triggering considering the situation with my left eye. I had my right eye checked immediately and my retina was fine.

Long story short, I'm still seeing a good amount of floaters, but I've mostly habituated to them. I can understand and empathize with anxiety over floaters. Always here to give support because I've been there.

 

I have had floaters for a month - bright filaments, a snake, dots, and a cloud visible on bright surfaces, sometimes outside the house, e.g. on the street.

Today I can see it on the walls in a room where I haven't seen it before :/

Taught by experience with tinnitus, I found an ophthalmologist who takes floaters seriously. I have an appointment in 10 days, he has a laser. What is the chance that tiny floaters can be vaporized with a laser? What is the risk that it will get worse? Do floaters tend to worsen?

In theory, at least there is an effective treatment method in the world, but I'm already traumatized by tinnitus and I'm very scared

 

Laser doesn't often work well for floaters in young people (<35 years old).

Floaters Only Vitrectomy works well for floaters, but is much more risky.

 

But... why doesn't it work well in young people?

 

Because in young people floaters are often very close to retina, and very minuscule in size. Impossible to vaporize with laser. You can Google more about that.

@TheDanishGirl knows about this too.

 

So... I hope that in my case the floaters aren't very close to retina

 

Pleased to hear that you had no loss of vision and you've habituated to the floaters. I have recently noticed a floater in the right eye not too bothersome and habituating to it. My optician did a thorough eye examination and said it's age related and might get more. Apparently not a lot can be done although laser treatment can help. Not something I'd want to try unless my vision was being affected, as I've read there are risks that can affect vision. Looked into some remedies that is believed to help maintain good eyesight and possibly ward off new floaters forming. Lutein, Kale and blueberries are a few products said to keep the eyes healthy. Whether true or not I have no idea but I decided try them, as I don't think they'll cause harm.

 

I have noticed some too. Very awful. :-(

I was eating Kale, Spinach and other vegetables a lot until recently. I regularly eat blueberries. I don't know how much all that will help but at least it's healthy and can't do harm like you said.

 

It can be a little distracting when I focus on it. I only have one floater at the moment and hope it stays that way. I read about it online and YouTube. Some people are plagued with numerous floaters which must be annoying. I have always had vegetables but no Kale, so including this is no problem as with the blueberries. I take the Lutein daily as it's said to keep eyes healthy and will continue with this routine as they are natural produce.

 

I've had floaters most of my adult life. My much younger optometrist said he has about 21 floaters, which is far more than I have. I have one that is a ring called a Weiss Ring floater. It is in the shape of a flattened oval and is supposed to disintegrate over time, but has not in 5 years. Floaters are part of aging and part of life, especially if you are near-sided.

 

Thanks for this helpful information twa...

 

Found this as a response to someone posting about their massive plummet in QoL.

I read a little bit more about the gold nanoparticles and they are supposed to attach to any vitreous debris and dissolve it, without the risks associated with YAG or FOV.

 

But it's not normal to have 50+ floaters in your central vision in your early 30s (which I have )

My floaters are probably caused by the Remeron (Mirtazapine) I've been taking for 3 years, I've found out. How I regret taking it... There is great risk that the longer I am on the drug the worse it might get, and I haven't been successful in tapering off.

 

I didn't realize I had floaters until I looked a clear light blue sky I catch them in my field of vision in other environments now but not as much as when I'm outside in a bright light. Indoors I see them but they're not obvious or I guess my brain filters it out.

Are they detrimental to health?

 

Update: Yesterday, about 35 days after the appearance of floaters I found a clinic that would probably solve the problem surgically. Floaters are listed there as one of the bases for a vitrectomy. Since this is a disgustingly expensive clinic where all the frills are fulfilled (breast lifting, fat cutting, double chin removal, lip augmentation), I don't think they would treat me like a standard ophthalmologist. They wouldn't say that something as flimsy as floaters is not being operated on. My currency is 4 times weaker than the euro.

In Poland, it is possible to operate on floaters for PLN 6,000 in one eye (EUR 1,300 - cheap for countries with this currency).

https://lagunamedical.pl/

This does not mean that I want to run for surgery right away - I haven't even seen an ophthalmologist yet. I don't plan to do anything drastic unless I deem it necessary. It just means that I want to protect myself from the encore "I suffer, I have to suffer for the rest of my life, and they make me live with it and I am completely helpless". I feel better right away, even if I don't yet plan having the surgery. Finding this clinic is such a side effect of post-tinnitus trauma.

 

OK, I have the opportunity to try vitreolysis. Do you think I should? I'm afraid it will only grind the floaters and it won't get any better.

 

I say don't, unless you absolutely cannot live with your floaters anymore. Vitreolysis is rarely successful for young people with floaters, and it can even damage the retina.

I am tormented by my floaters, but I will not touch vitreolysis.

 

So... What should I do? Is there any hope that floaters will end up at the bottom of the eye?

I cannot assume that I will see them for the rest of my life... this is a flashback of tinnitus and kind of PTSD that again something is wrong with me.

I just started to function humanely with tinnitus (still waiting for treatment).

 

I know how you feel. My floaters also hit when I was finally starting to learn to live with tinnitus and hyperacusis. The best option in terms of "treating the floaters" is Atropine, which I wrote about earlier in this thread. They are pupil dilating eye drops, which in a very small dose highly likely will make your floaters disappear from your vision (they will still be, but you can't see them). But doctors are hesitant to prescribe it, so prepare yourself for some convincing.

A person has written about his experience with it here:

I still haven't been successful in obtaining it, but I'll keep trying...

Other then that: sunglasses, dark mode on computer, painting the walls in your home in a dark colour is something that helps some people.

 

The floaters largely resolved on their own. Plus, since I found a cheap clinic in the Czech Republic, where 90% of the floaters could be cured, I stopped perceiving it as a threat. I think this problem is contained.

But the tinnitus has been louder for a week now.

 

I think your floaters just went away on their own. It can happen, but it's more rare. I myself had a previous episode of floaters about 10 years ago. I was just as bothered by them, as I am of the ones I have now, but back then they went away after a couple of months. Now I have had floaters 2+ years and they aren't going anywhere and can't be ignored.

 

I noticed a sudden increase in dark floaters especially in my left eye after get tinnitus.

I think they may have been caused by an “eye stroke” but I’m not entirely sure. Either way, I tried Bromelain for a couple of weeks and then got off it because I thought I was getting some side effects and taking too many different supplements. I actually was taking the Bromelain to help with ETD as it’s supposed to be a great anti-inflammatory for that. It was only two weeks so I didn’t notice any difference.

However, I then started taking Nicotinamide Riboside. I’ve been on it for almost a month now and my tinnitus in general seemed much better, I was having to search for it sometimes (though I had a setback, maybe Pfizer vaccine, not sure, but it is a little louder now).

The other thing I noticed is that my floaters are much better. I would say 60-70% reduction from when I noticed them being really bad. I don’t know if it’s the Nicotinamide Riboside or just time, but either way they are way less. I recommend trying it for a month and see what happens.

 

Guys, floaters are just eye protein, and big ones can be zapped by laser.

They only "bothers me," if you can call it that, looking at pure colours/white/blue sky.

 

You've had tinnitus for 4 months at most? I'd say it's time and lucky fading.

I'm looking into Bromelain too, haven't tried it yet.

 

I should be very grateful for this.

Cheap clinic for vitrectomy:
https://www.oftex.eu/
https://www.oftex.eu/retina-vitreous-hummor-surgery

 

Floaters in young people can usually not be zapped by laser. I am often suicidal over mine. I see mine almost everywhere, besides a very dimly lit room. Looking through a shower of floaters is awful. But I'm trying to wait for better treatments, as laser or vitrectomy is too risky versus the benefits (neither laser or vitrectomy remove the floaters 100% and vitrectomy comes with a guarantee of cataract after a few years.)

 

Without a doubt it’s not the case. Unfortunately, my other symptoms are like a roller coaster. My tinnitus fluctuates up and down but I can’t correlate it to anything specific with the exception of a few supplements (taurine, fish oil seem to help).

I can tell you that within a couple hours of taking the NR, my tinnitus gets better and after 7-8 hours the effect seems to wear off. I have started Singulair, Sudafed, Anti-histamines and had Pfizer jab all around the same time and have had a significant increase since. Prior to that, I can say with a high level of certainty that the NR and Resveratrol seemed to be helping, to the point where the day before starting these other meds, I came out of the shower and could pretty much not hear my tinnitus at all. I don’t want to sound ignorant and I hope you’re right but I’m pretty sure it’s related to the NR.

In terms of the Bromelain: it seems that mixing it with the papaya enzyme has a very good synergistic effect. There is this paper written by an ENT who sings the praises of Nromelain for treating ETD and other ear and inflammatory disorders. He also has his own product on the market, sooooo... either way, it does seem like Bromelain can help with some inflammatory issues. I might jump back on it in a bit.

 

Interesting to read about eye floaters. I have always had very good vision even now in my mid/late 40s - not needed glasses etc, and can read small text from a long distance - but when I got hit by tinnitus last year in June, around the same time noticed I was getting floaters.

It's not that bad at the moment, still have good eyesight etc but reading some of this thread does make me concerned for the future

 

Folks, are floaters there in both eyes or only the side where tinnitus is? Recently I see them on side where my tinnitus is. Any chance some somatic issue causes both on the same side?