Take a break, holiday?

[Frank]

My best way to relax is to take a holiday. Go to Swiss or Austria and go into the mountains. Away from civilized world. Just relax ... the good old days.

Now having those floaters for about a month, I do not have any panic-attacks anymore. I still feel depressed, I feel mentally fatigued mainly. The floaters annoy me a lot, but I don't have the energy anymore to make myself upset about it ... it's not going to help the situation.

Months ago we planned a one-day visit to Düsseldorf (a big city in Germany). They have one of the biggest fun fairs of the world. My girlfriend, convinced me to book a whole weekend in Düsseldorf, to get my mind of the floaters. When I get of work in 3 hours, we depart immediatly this evening. Normally I would be excited to go on a break, but nowadays .... I don't seem care.

Can you enjoy traveling? Can you enjoy going outdoors, when you see all your floaters?

Almost a year ago we booked a month vacation to Orlando, Florida. We planned to visit all the amusement parcs ... Walt Disney World, Universal Studios .... I'm having really difficulties with it. It isn't a cheap holiday for us, we worked hard for it and now I think I'm not going to enjoy it due to all the floaters in my vision.

Perhaps a boring topic I posted, but I wanted to get this of my chest ... thanks for listening.

[Moderator]

Yeah I used to get excited as hell the weeks before I get into an aircraft for holidays. I loved getting on the car for a drive across the Ausralian outback too.

With the floaters, I find it much harder to take in all the scenery - because I do love flying and plane spotting and stuff like that. It;s not easy, but we can try our best to enjoy life!

Hey, I see you made this post a few days ago (sorry I haven't been able to check the forums often). Hope you had fun Düsseldorf sounds interesting. I'd love to go to Europe somtime in the future.

[Frank]

I can believe plane-spotting is really hard with floaters.

Düsseldorf was great yes. I learned my sunglasses are my best friend. I saw my floaters most of the time at the bottom of my vision. As long I didn't focus very fast to something else, they didn't bother me that much.

Unfortunate yesterday I saw more floaters. Saturday eve I did a very extreme attraction and I saw "sprankling stars" twice. The hospital said this was because of my eyes are weak currently with the floater-situation, but the attraction wouldn't have caused more floaters ...

The more doctors you visit, the more you learn that they are just guessing ... don't know what to believe

Small question ... do you have days that you see more floaters then on other days? Good days and bad days?

[Moderator]

www.vitreousfloaters.com/pages/1/index.htm

Yep, there are days like that Naturally, the days I am more stressed I tend to notice them more.

[Nino]

Hi, I´m new to this forum. I´m from Germany and developed floaters about 5 month ago. I had few and minor floaters for years but they were not bothersome to me. But in March this year - WOW!!! It started really bad. And these bastards continued to get worse to this day! I really can't believe what's happening to me right now and I felt and still feel exactly the way you guys feel (anxiety, panic, who cares moments, feel-better moments, they are worse again moments, the well at least I'm not blind moments and so on; in the end you're just getting tired of it) What I learned is: the tend to get larger but they are not as solid anymore. So you could say, that they fade but unfortunately they are bigger now and therefore they cast a larger shadow on the retina. You just can't win. To Frank: how did your floaters develop so far? Did they change, grow, are there more of them? And how do you deal with them now? It's interésting to read your posts. As for me, I have about ten bigger floaters in my right eye and 3 big ones in my left eye. Besides that uncountable other phenomenons (wormlike things, spermlike things, transparent floaters, fields of something greyish and so on...).
It helps a lot to know people like you. If I would feel alone I would be lost! Docs are no help at all.

[Frank]

Hello Nino, welcome!
It's 3 o' clock am ... I just came from the Annakirmes in Düren

About my floaters ... they're getting worse slowly I think. I'm not going to search for them, I don't want to think about them actually.

At work I had panic attacks. Depression. The docter keeps me at home for a month now. In september we will be travelling to Florida, so basically I have 2 months to think of "happy" thoughts. After those months ... we'll see again. I don't want to think what will happen to my work.

I'm keeping some hope though. When I'm at a kirmes or amusement parc. I see those bastards, but I try to ignore them. With a lot of rides, some good friends it's possible to have a good time even with floaters. I must say, they bother me a bit less then a month ago.

When talking about my floaters, I made 3 persons mad. When I talked about it, they told me they had severe floaters too that they could see everywhere. But someway or another, they ignore them and they don't see them. Then they tell me to shut up because they're seeing them again cuz I mentioned.

I'm not sure if the floaters wil go fysically away. But I'm very sure, there's a way of ignoring them! But how ... only time will tell.

Keep in mind you're not alone out there! I know (and many other people) what you're going trough.

[Moderator]

Hey Nino! Glad you found somewhere where you can relate to others with your floaters

[Nino]

Hi Frank,
good to hear that you feel a bit better about your floaters. And you're right: there's a way to get used to your floaters as your friends told you. Your brain is powerful!!! But it takes some time. As for me, I think I would be able to get used to them but unfortunately they are getting worse so quick that my brain barely can keep up with them. If they would stay like that now, it would be a big help. And like I mentioned in the post before I have A LOT of them. An eye doc told me some days ago, that the walls of my eyeballs (the structure) is softening. And that's pretty normal! HA HA!!! Right! That's normal...and she sees that every day in her office. What a crap! I always wonder when I read posts on the internet what people mean by having big and a lot of floaters. After all I read, I would rate my floaters as a 6 on a scale from 1 to 10! And 10 would mean a disaster. The judgement of own floaters is so subjective. 4 month ago I thought mine were bad, now I wish those days back. I thought back then that they are bad...stupid of me ..
I know that there is no immediate cure for them, but I always wish to understand what's going on with my eyes. And I never get an answer to this: why is it, that I don't feel that they are physically growing, but that they are getting bigger as if someone put some magnifying glasses over it (they are notas solid anymore, but greyish - like a small black colourdot on a white paper that you rub with your finger - the dot is bigger then but not as black anymore) They start small and are getting ever clearer to see (even the transparent structures) as if they are moving closer to the lenses. So if my eye doc thinks they are pretty normal, maybe the position of them is just unfortunate so that they cast a big shadow on the retina. As we all know lightning conditions are very important to the floater phenomenon. They just seem to disappear at night. Like magic (hopefully it stays at least that way). And another thing: I wear glasses now and when there is a waterdrop on them and sunlight hits it in the right angle and I don't move my head, I see even smaller structures moving in my eyeballs that I absolutely can't see normally. The magnifying glass effect! It seems like everything is moving in my eyes and I can see that. The big floaters and the other phenomenons I see seem to be scars in that moving eyeball structure. So I wonder, if some or all of my floaters are really physically not as big as they seem to be for me. That would be an eyplanation why all the eye docs don't worry when they observe them. I personally really think that my floaters didn't grow physically!!! I think there is some other process involved. Maybe the liquification process of the gel in my eyeballs is interacting with the incoming light now differently than before, when the gel was more solid. I mean, I'm a layman but it would make perfect sense to me. It would really be nice if someone could reply on that. Maybe it's total bullsh... But that's how I feel.

Good luck to all with serious floaters. I feel for you guys!
Nino.

[Frank]

Hello Nino

Guest-Nino said:

They just seem to disappear at night. Like magic (hopefully it stays at least that way).

At night I don't see anymore floaters but I have another, yet small, problem. At daytime, when I look from the left to the middle of my vision, I see a very large vertical floater. Can't describe it, but it seems like a transparant curtain. Well ... at night when I look from the left to the middle, I see lights, television (everything with a bright light) halo'ing. Just for a second ... really odd. The floater breaks the light as it passes, strange.

And another thing: I wear glasses now and when there is a waterdrop on them and sunlight hits it in the right angle and I don't move my head, I see even smaller structures moving in my eyeballs that I absolutely can't see normally. The magnifying glass effect! It seems like everything is moving in my eyes and I can see that. The big floaters and the other phenomenons I see seem to be scars in that moving eyeball structure. So I wonder, if some or all of my floaters are really physically not as big as they seem to be for me. That would be an eyplanation why all the eye docs don't worry when they observe them. I personally really think that my floaters didn't grow physically!!! I think there is some other process involved. Maybe the liquification process of the gel in my eyeballs is interacting with the incoming light now differently than before, when the gel was more solid. I mean, I'm a layman but it would make perfect sense to me. It would really be nice if someone could reply on that. Maybe it's total bullsh... But that's how I feel.

Ah yess, the magnifying glass effect. I don't think you're seeing inside you're eyes. But you get a microscopic view of exterior of your eye. Those rounded moving dots ... I think that's some sort of proteine on your eyeball. I'm just guessing off course, I don't know for sure what you're seeing there.

Doctors don't worry, because they have good eyes . But I can't answer on you're question. I've been to 4 different eye doctors. Each gave me another reason what causes floaters, how they behave, ...

Before my floaters, I have NEVER thaught how primitive our medicine world is and how many there is they don't know

[Nino]

Hi Frank,

go to this site: perso.wanadoo.fr/viney.nancy/floaters/index.html

I found it minutes ago and it contains the most realistic drawings of floaters that I saw yet. That's what I see! This guy decribed them really good! Floaters are knots in a thread. And what I meant was: I have a lot of these threads with the knots moving around. LARGE ones, small ones. And they seem to be somehow connected to each other, so that they fill a large part of my eyes and built a huge structure. It seems like the inside of my eyes is a huge structure (connected threads) and I can see that ever clearer. Imagine these drawings, but only more of those threads. If the threads are not as big, you can see them only when it's bright outside and they are verytransparent. If they get bigger (and mine got bigger) they become more greyish and I can also see them when it's raining. This is what sucks most! The knots (floaters) are just bigger dots, but the lines and threads fill a much bigger part of my eyes. And it sucks to see them coming out ever clearer. Do you see that thread in front of the house? Looks really like one of mine which started out really tiny 4 month ago. Now it really seems like "magnified". It can't possibly grew that big in such a short time....
Well, enough now. Take care.
Nino.

[Nino]

Oh, maybe another thing: although I always expierience myself what people describe in their posts, I don't know what is meant by the squinting thing. They don't pop up when I squint. Mine are just there or not there. Squinting makes no difference to me.

At night I don't see anymore floaters but I have another, yet small, problem. At daytime, when I look from the left to the middle of my vision, I see a very large vertical floater. Can't describe it, but it seems like a transparant curtain. Well ... at night when I look from the left to the middle, I see lights, television (everything with a bright light) halo'ing. Just for a second ... really odd. The floater breaks the light as it passes, strange.

Is your large vertical floater a larger thread, a more or less transparent one? I have a large one in my left eye. It's very long and thick. Looks as big as the one on that picture with the house, only that it's twice or three times as long and more zic-zac across my vision. These thicker strands or threads reflect light when crossing it and blur things. I experience that too but that's not a problem for me yet. But if this is what you see,I would say it's pretty normal (don't I sound now like all the eye docs...). By the way, I went to three eye docs so far and everyone said that they have floaters, too!!! But they didn't seemed worried at all. The truth is: there are two types of floaters - floaters and REAL FLOATERS! They must have the first ones and think that's what people complain about. Yes, the professional med world is really not what I hoped it would be. If I would be an eye doc and someone complains about floaters, I would first ask some questions to find out what stage the patient is in! If he or she would describe them as little dots which are seen in bright light and they don't change or grow - I would repeat the same things docs said to me. But they don't even have a clou, that these tiny dots can develop into severe cases. My last doc(quote): "I can only tell you one thing: if you look for them all the time they only get worse. You know,if I look at this table long enough, i can see them too." That left me speechless. She must have had no clue what I was talking about. But yeah, she's an eye doc! Someone I should trust...
Nino.

[Frank]

This is what I see when I focus from something left to the middle. It can see it moving for a second, then it's out of my vision.

But it only disturbs me on overcast days. Most people with floaters hate sunny weather, I just love them now because contrasts of the environment is much higher, I notice my floaters less.

These thicker strands or threads reflect light when crossing it and blur things. I experience that too but that's not a problem for me yet. But if this is what you see,I would say it's pretty normal (don't I sound now like all the eye docs...).

You're correct. It reflects light, and blurs things.

About the floater on the house picture ... I haven't a single floater that looks like that one.

My last doc(quote): "I can only tell you one thing: if you look for them all the time they only get worse. You know,if I look at this table long enough, i can see them too." That left me speechless. She must have had no clue what I was talking about. But yeah, she's an eye doc! Someone I should trust...

I know the feeling. They also said to me: "If you keep playing with your floaters, let them interfere with your life, how can you (or your brains) learn to ignore them?"

Perhaps they're right, but when you have a severe case of floaters ... it's hard. I don't mind actually I have some floaters, it's the fact ... every time I see them, I get a bit distracted by them. I want to achieve a stage that if I see my floaters, I don't get distracted anymore ...

I have a long way to go, when I'm outside (certainly on overcast days) I see them all the time.

[Nino]

Hi Frank,

if you hate overcast days, that's a clear hint that you have floaters that goes in the direction "severe floaters". Sunny days are much better for me too now. It seems that more light can float through my biggest ones and the shadow is not as bad on my retina. Of course it was different when my floaters were more or less neglectable. But still I can see the spiderweb-like structures and the "worms" very clear in sunny weather. Do some of your floaters stay in your central vision or at least very close to it? That would explain your blurry vision when looking at lights. And that structure you showed on that picture looks a lot like a long string of tiny transparent floaters to me. At least if it looks like a shadowy line that moves to the middle of your eyes when moving your head. It's more or less transparent but when it moves you see a shadow. When it rests you can see clearly through it. If it grows bigger you can see it without moving your head. But it's just a guess.
He, and you're going to Florida soon, right? I wish you a lot of fun despite your floaters!
Have a safe trip.
Nino

[Frank]

Well my floaters don't stay in central vision ... they just float by. Sometimes my big floater goes very very slowly downwards ... that it seems it's hanging in central vision. I just look to the ceiling a couple of seconds, then it's gone. Well out of the central vision anyways.

He, and you're going to Florida soon, right? I wish you a lot of fun despite your floaters!
Have a safe trip.

Thank you.

Departure is in 2 days, although I'm not looking forward to it because of the d**n floaters. You book a dream vacation a year ago, and when it's actually there, those d**n floaters appear. Hopefully the "Disney magic" will help me "forget" the floaters

See you in 3 weeks ... or I should have the chance to go on the internet there.

[Moderator]

Hello I havent checked the forum for a while. How was your holiday Frank?

And yes, I reckon that floaters are as bad on overcast days as they are sunny days. Maybe even worse.