A couple of days ago I woke up with two prominent floaters in my left eye. Now I have had floaters before but these were frightening. Completely black, not just a shadow. Very thick. They looked like tufts of black yarn and made it difficult to read. But by the time I got out of the shower they were gone. WTF?
If it’s a big change in floaters make sure your retina isn’t detaching.
If the floaters remained, I would strongly urge seeing an ophthalmologist immediately. A sudden change in floaters can indicate a detached retina or other condition that requires emergency treatment. The fact that they disappeared very quickly is unusual in my experience, but IANAD and if it were me I would still consult a doctor ASAP to be safe.
It’s also possible it was a retinal migraine, which would fit better with the sudden appearance and disappearance, although the opaque black presentation is not how I’ve experienced them. I’ve had a few and they have a sort of zig-zaggy twinkly prismatic appearance.
I’ve had floaters as long as I can remember that I could see if I stared at something like the blue sky or a white wall, but were either invisible or tuned out most of the time, always a minor issue and occasionally a source of entertainment.They come in two types*: ones that resemble a red blood cell viewed face-on and ones that resemble colorless, twisted strands of filamentous algae, which often have a brownish translucent blob somewhere along the length. But a week or so ago I got one (and only one) of the stringy ones in my right eye that had a very dark blob instead of a translucent one, making it blanantly obvious and obnoxious floating around in my visual field at all times. Within days the blob had faded to normal and editable from my conscious awareness, but the floater is still there if Iook for it.
(*There are also sometimes a third classification, too small to resolve details, that are like a bright point source, like a tiny lens fo using the ambient light.)
I got big floaters like that when I pigged out on Christmas cookies for several days on end and let my blood sugar get out of whack. They went away fairly quickly but I had to watch my diet and get my blood sugar back under control.
You should probably see a doctor. Might be no biggie, but the worst case scenario is that you go blind or end up with permanent eye damage.
The vitreous humor is like jello most of our lives, but the connective tissue breaks down as we age. It’s just another saggy bit. Sometimes it pulls away from the retina, but it often goes unnoticed. Occasionally, it pulls the retina with it and that can be a big deal. If you have a sudden dramatic increase in floater, flashes of light, or a curtain/shadow/visual change, it’s best to see an ophthalmologist. If you don’t have one, you might be advised to go the ER to expedite follow up. With a retinal detachment, permanent vision loss can occur in as little as a few hours.
Another one chiming in with “see an eye doctor.”
I had a handful of new floaters appear one day. I happened to have an appt with my eye doctor the next day, and discussed it with her. We cancelled the planned treatment (IPL for dry eyes), dilated my symptomatic eye, and did a careful exam. She didn’t see anything indicating an issue, but cautioned me to be careful for the next month or so, and to call or text her ASAP if anything changed.
Good chance it’s nothing, but the downside of being wrong is pretty bad in this scenario.
There are both Floaters and Flashes…
Floaters look like small specks, dots, circles, lines or cobwebs in your field of vision. While they seem to be in front of your eye, they are floating inside.
Flashes can look like flashing lights or lightning streaks in your field of vision. Some people compare them to seeing “stars” after being hit on the head. You might see flashes on and off for weeks, or even months. Flashes happen when the vitreous rubs or pulls on your retina.
I should clarify that I’m going through the vitreous humor detachment thing ATM, that’s why I posted it. It certainly wasn’t meant to be comprehensive.
Didn’t a poster say he was going to microwave his head to get rid of his floaters?
Don’t do that!
When I had a load of floaters, it was a symptom of retinal detachment. See an ophthalmologist ASAP.