# What's wrong with my eye(s)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 10, 2008, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-eye-s/456054 "2008-07-10T23:16:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-eye-s/456054/1 "2008-07-10T23:16:39Z")
So, many months ago, I suddenly noticed that if I…focused my vision the right way, I guess…I can usually see what I’ve come to refer to as a spinner. I don’t know quite how to describe it. Imagine the faint shadow of a ceiling fan occupying a small portion of your field of vision. It moves when I move my eyes, although I haven’t figured out which eye is generating it. And I can see it with my eyes opened or closed. I mentioned it to my eye doctor during my last eye exam, which was back in December. His reaction gave me the impression that he thought I was imagining it – he dismissed it pretty quickly, telling me to avoid straining my eyes. Not terribly helpful. Anyway, I’m assuming it’s nothing major as he didn’t find anything amiss during the exam, and it hasn’t changed in any way since I first noticed it. But I’m wondering if my description means anything to anyone else out there. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-eye-s/456054/2 "2008-07-10T23:26:45Z")
I will occasionally see a sort of pulsing or oscillation at the extremes of my field of vision when I’m I or my eyes are very tired. I’ve never attributed it to anything but that: exhaustion. From your doctor’s reaction, it sounds like it could more specifically be eye strain, though. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-eye-s/456054/3 "2008-07-10T23:31:57Z")
As far as I can tell, it doesn’t have anything to do with my physical state at the time. There really isn’t a time when I’m unable to see it if it occurs to me. And the fact that it’s spinning is what is so weird to me. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-eye-s/456054/4 "2008-07-10T23:35:17Z")
Sounds like floaters to me. I had these all thru my childhood and well into adulthood. Mine looked like tiny kaleidoscope images that moved every time I tried to look at them. Floaters are benign and usually go away as you age. > **[Ophthalmology & Visual Sciences](https://chicago.medicine.uic.edu/departments/academic-departments/ophthalmology-visual-sciences/)** > > Advancing Eye Care Since 1855 Patient Care Education Research > Explore more > > Virtual Tour > Courses & Events > News > Annual Report > > Connect with Us > Illinois Eye ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-eye-s/456054/5 "2008-07-10T23:40:57Z")
[QUOTE=Enola Gay] Sounds like floaters to me. I had these all thru my childhood and well into adulthood. Mine looked like tiny kaleidoscope images that moved every time I tried to look at them. Floaters are benign and usually go away as you age. [http://www.uic.edu/com/eye/LearningAboutVision/EyeFacts/Floaters.shtml](http://www.uic.edu/com/eye/LearningAboutVision/EyeFacts/Floaters.shtml) [/QUOTE] Clarification: they are USUALLY benign. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2008, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-eye-s/456054/6 "2008-07-10T23:43:42Z")
Sounds like it might be a “floater.” There are different reasons for seeing them. Some need to be treated. You might want to see an ophthalmologist if you’re concerned. They specialize in diseases of the eye and can give you a more extensive check-up. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-eye-s/456054/7 "2008-07-11T00:44:14Z")
[QUOTE=Enola Gay] Sounds like floaters to me. I had these all thru my childhood and well into adulthood. Mine looked like tiny kaleidoscope images that moved every time I tried to look at them. Floaters are benign and usually go away as you age. [http://www.uic.edu/com/eye/LearningAboutVision/EyeFacts/Floaters.shtml](http://www.uic.edu/com/eye/LearningAboutVision/EyeFacts/Floaters.shtml) [/QUOTE] Your cite says they become more common as you age, not the other way around. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-eye-s/456054/8 "2008-07-11T00:49:18Z")
It sounds like floaters, but floaters are not usually described as spinning like ceiling fans. They look more like a stray piece of confetti floating down your field of vision. I have a couple that my brain mostly ignores. Is it always there? Does it ever change in size? Another phenomenon is the \*retinal \* or _ocular_ \*migraine \*. In this case you get a shimmering sliver which also stays in one position in your field of vision (you can never look directly at it). I get these too. It usually looks like a zig-zaggy crescent of shimmering colors that grows. But they typically only last a few minutes, and don’t happen very often. They are sometimes associated with migraine headaches. So if you have yours all the time, this isn’t it. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-eye-s/456054/9 "2008-07-11T01:19:56Z")
Thanks, guys. I haven’t noticed my floaters in years, and now I can’t stop noticing them. ---
**Author:** ![Enola\_Gay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3ab097/32.png) [@Enola\_Gay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Gay)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-eye-s/456054/10 "2008-07-11T01:34:12Z")
[QUOTE=elfkin477] Your cite says they become more common as you age, not the other way around. [/QUOTE] Ooh. My bad. In my particular case, they became much less common as I got older. But you are correct. The link says the opposite. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-eye-s/456054/11 "2008-07-11T16:03:23Z")
The eye doctor’s first reaction was “floater” as well, but he seemed perplexed by the spinning. And yes, it’s always there, although I’m usually not conscious of it. I’m prepared to believe, thanks to the gentle suggestion of family and friends over the years, that I’m just insane. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-eye-s/456054/12 "2008-07-11T22:30:41Z")
Interesting. Can you discern it well enough to estimate its apparent rpm? If so, is the rpm constant? If this bothers you, you might see another ophthalmologist. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2008, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-wrong-with-my-eye-s/456054/13 "2008-07-11T22:55:12Z")
[QUOTE=rowrrbazzle] Interesting. Can you discern it well enough to estimate its apparent rpm? If so, is the rpm constant? If this bothers you, you might see another ophthalmologist. [/QUOTE] It is a constant rpm, yes. And when I get the time, I probably will see someone else about it. I appreciate all the advice here. As if my eyesight isn’t bad enough already, sheesh! 🙂