HI everyone, I wanted to share a positive story on this board (especially since this thread topic seems woefully under-posted).

I'm a 25 yo female who discovered her floaters 9 months ago while staring at the ceiling one bright morning. By judging from this forum, it's a relatively moderate/severe opaque brown dot the size of a nickel that ping-pongs like crazy across my central line of vision.

However, being preoccupied (holidays with relatives), I thought "meh" and proceeded with my day. In fact, I proceeded with the following 9 months of my life. In that time, I went to sunny Hawaii, went to Mexico, spent the weekday in front of my desk computer, went hiking 10+ times outdoors, and countless other things. In the last 9 months, I've had ups (got engaged) and downs (family deaths, rejected from grad schools). However, not once in those 9 months did I think about my floater. Sure, I vaguely remember seeing it (it has a undeniable, distinctive shape). My brain just never gave it the time of day.

Two weeks ago, I discovered another floater in my other eye; it's cobwebs/crystal worms across 50+% of my right eye. I began to wonder...

...and I got online...

Boy, did it send me spiraling. No treatment options? Never going away?! Suddenly, I began seeing these things everywhere. Daytime, nighttime, in front of my computer, in front of my friends while hanging out. For awhile, it seriously crippled my life: I chased them around all day. I cried. I even had dreams about them. I really feel for you guys out there--I understand how floaters can ruin your day, week, and life. I agree it's pretty surprising that the medical field hasn't addressed these. These last two weeks, I'd kept thinking...why now??

In the end though, I have to look at this rationally and attempt to spread a positive outlook. I have to conclude that, while the floater itself it quite real (and something I can't control), my brain's treatment of it is something I CAN control. I'm lucky to have had personal experience that, for 9 months, this big dark thing (which has NOT changed) had never bothered me, and wanted to pass this experience along. Why now? Somehow, now, my brain has linked them with anxiety and fear.

I'm working to unlearn everything I've learned on these forums/online. Part of this process involves rules: (1, no looking for floaters, 2, no googling floaters, and 3) no obsessing about floaters and whether more will appear, because, honestly, I may get hit by a bus tomorrow, and that's that). It's a slow process (it won't happen overnight), but rules and developing a personal narrative have helped. Lying in bed today, I realized the 1-2 days had passed without me giving them a thought. I hope that posting this would be encouraging for others. I have confidence that, with effort and a little self-regulation, I will go another 9 months without "noticing" them (aka: seeing them, but not caring about them), and that those with moderate floaters out there CAN live happily with these dang things!

That's all for now. Anyone else out there have a similar story? This board needs a little love:)

Hello everyone

Maybe you remember my posts from May this year where I was writing in the forum about how i got this very annoying black eyefloater in my vision which i could see in any light condition (accompanied by a grey cloud floater and one wiggly line but i coudl only see those in very bright sunlight) I was incredibly depressed about it for at least two months with anxiety attacks.

Now after almost 3 months I can say, - I think my eyefloaters are gone now, well not completely but about 70% i would say.
I have excellent days where I dont even see my floaters at all.

I can finally make my homework again on a white piece of paper in my room and I wont see any floaters in class either.
When I´m in bright sunlight on the beach maybe I can see them but really guys - nothing compared about what I used to see before.

Somedays I´m still anxious and afraid about getting for more eyefloaters but I just wont let myself try to obsess about them anymore.

Ok I just wanted to tell you my story because I never read so many positive things about floaters.
My case was they really improved, and lets hope it will stay that way.

I probably wont visit the forum anymore as I want to get my mind off but if you need to talk and if you have questions you can always contact me.

Sending everyone a big hug and thanks to anyone who helped me in the forum

My story is as follows
I developed floaters when I was 15. They probably would have been considered comparitively mild by some standards here. A number of dark blobs in each eye and a strand or two in the periphery. However they were intensely annoying to me. I could think of virtually nothing else for 2 years. I eventually went to Moorfields Eye Hospital in London where a doctor had me in and out in 5 minutes with a diagnosis of floaters. That was the first time I had ever heard of the term. I suffered on for a few years. Sometime in my very late teens or early 20s the floaters disappeared from my consciousness. I literally did not see anything like a floater until July this year.I am now 50. How they recurred is strange. I was browsing youtube for something or other when I saw a 'related' video on YAG treatment of floaters. From that day I became aware of the original floaters along with a large number of dark strands, dark brownish masses etc. Now I do not believe these floaters suddenly coalesced in both my eyes in the day following my viewing of the video. I believe they had been there probably for quite some time but my mind or eyes had screened them out. The reason I consider this a positive story is that for thirty years I had perfectly clear sight after having floaters in my teens. There may be a downside to my story in that there was no internet when I was 20 - floaters were never discussed so it was easy to forget them. What happened in July this year 'broke the spell'. It may be that constant seeking after information on floaters may prevent the mind from effectively screening them out. Whatever, my story shows that given time the mind can screen out even quite severe floaters. I would counsel people newly diagnosed with the condition to not rush in to FOV or laser - give it at least a year or two. I know this will be difficult but the body and mind have powerful healing mechanisms. Good Luck!

Hi Vollie. I have a similar story. Floaters from an early age, then forgot about them for years. In my 50s and a really distinct dark one in central vision appeared. Had real difficulty dealing with this for months, but I seemed to cope and did not really notice it much for several years. Now in my 60s and a large mass in other eye has appeared due I believe to a PVD. Now I am very conscious of that mass and again the dark blob I seemed to have forgot for years. They are all again present, including many more strands and blobs etc. Perception and brain must have an influence on this. If you are still posting here Vollie, how are things now for you? The other observation I would like to make is that you see so many different floater sufferers posting on this site over the years and then they disappear without trace...Is this because their problems have improved? One such person who had a good outcome if I remember right, posted under the name od Diedonner. He had it very bad, but his last post to my knowledge about 2 years after his onset was very positive. I remember him saying he had finally accepted the condition, even though it was so bad he had been offered a vitrectomy, and he now more often than not did not notice his floaters anymore. I think that gave me a great deal of inspiration and wonder how Diedonner is doing now?

In my late 20s I started doing weight lifting and I got floaters. It was scary but I knew the cause so I stopped weight lifting. After a few years the floaters went away. I am now 52 and went back to weight lifting but with an Instructor to guide me. After about 2 weeks the floaters came back. This time it seems they are much more than before. Or I am noticing them more. Went to the Doctor and she said weight lifting has nothing to do with the floaters. I researched on the Internet and the same thing. No one says weight lifting causes floaters. But in my case it seems weights did cause the problem. Did anyone experience the same?

Как много пациентов с ДСТ вам приходится наблюдать в процессе работы? И есть ли прямая связь между количеством и размерами помутнений, которые вы видите на осмотре и жалобами пациентов?
О. Это мое любимое. Каждый день смотрю достаточно много народу и оцениваю ДСТ у каждого человека с прозрачными роговицей и хрусталиком: в основном, у 75% народа все достаточно прозрачно. Примерно у четверти - есть помутнения в СТ, которые могут быть заметны пациентом при определенных условиях. Примерно десятая часть людей с помутнениями, имеют помутнения, которые не могут быть незаметными, в принципе и, скорее всего, постоянно присутствуют у них, как фон картинки. Встречаются и такие персонажи, у которых мухи не только видны, когда ты знаешь, где их искать, а просто бросаются в глаза сразу, поскольку очень толстые и летают не так далеко от сетчатки, чтобы быть слабо заметными. Как я уже говорил, парадокс в том, что в основной массе все эти люди не жалуются, не только активно, но и с трудом понимают о чем я говорю, когда спрашиваю "мешают ли Вам мушки?"- часто нужен перевод с пояснениями. В этом заключается часть ответа на терзания многих товарищей на форуме по теме "почему врачи нас игнорируют, у нас ведь все ужасно?"- полно людей, которым должно быть хуже чем вам – а им – ничего!!!