Normally, when a guy starts seeing spiders, crabs, and worms where there aren't any they send him off to a psychiatrist. In this case, I'm going to the Emergency Eye Clinic.
I started getting this obnoxious floater in my left eye Tuesday AM. I spent the first 15 minutes trying to clean my glasses before I realized it wasn't there; it was inside my eye. I've got security cameras up at deer camp, and it sort of reminds me of when a spider decides to build a web in front of one of the cameras.
I contacted my regular Doc and he referred me onto the local Eye Institute. I see them at 0900. KYHillChick is driving me around. Although there is no pain, the eye has started watering. I shoved a napkin behind my glasses so I could type this. It's good to be rid of the spider for a bit.
Although I feel kind of stupid asking for prayer in this circumstance, I would appreciate your kind thoughts.
If I had to guess, I'd go with Hanco's diagnosis. I'm up and down all day, running around the plant, messing with other people's computers. When I'm back at my desk, I've got 6 screens arrayed around me, and there's just no time for relaxing my eyes unless I deliberately break away and go outside. With the cold and the dark days we've been having that hasn't happened as much.
Don't mess around with it. #1 wife started having lots of floaters, tiny specks and flashes of light. Next thing we knew we were on our way to Houston to get retinal tears.
In 2012, my right eye got to hurting. Thought it was just strain from looking at computer screen 10 hrs a day, so I didn't go to doc. About a week later, I woke up on a Sunday morning and right eye wouldn't focus, kinda like looking thru fog. I finally went to doc a few days later and found out the eye had built up pressure and because of it, had torn away from the optic nerve in 2 places. So now, I have 2 gray areas when looking thru just the one eye. One of the areas is just above center. Naturally I'm right handed and shoot right handed, so I have to be really careful looking thru a scope, or I will get the crosshair in the gray area. Now I have less than 50% vision in that eye. All that could have been prevented if I had seen a doc when the eye first started hurting.
Did I mention..... Don't mess around..... Get to a doc.
Sorry you have a problem, but hopefully is a retina tear, and just blood as a floater. That can be taken care of, so let's pray it is an easy one to remedy. Good luck.
Good luck at the eye doctor and hope it’s not serious. The floaters are annoying when they start. Just over 2 weeks ago had surgery for a detached retina. Ronnie
I'm back from the doc. After a considerable amount of waiting and questioning and so forth the determination was that:
a) Yeah, there's a floater in there and it's big b) No big deal. Learn to live with it until it goes away.
They said the mucousal lining of the eye starts shredding after 50, and what I've got is just a larger than normal piece of it floating out in the middle of the eyeball. In short: a major eye booger.
The funny story is that I warned the nurse that I had an eye phobia. I've had it all my life. I get into an eye exam and have been known to pass out. People talking about contact lenses, etc set me off as well. I didn't know how this was going to net out, but I was going to give it my best.
She put drops in my eyes. That went well. She then had me sit out in a waiting area for some time until the doctor was ready. Two burly guys came by later, after I was thoroughly dilated and escorted me to the examining room.
"What?" I joked. "Are you here to hold me down in the chair?"
"We hope it doesn't come to that." one replied. They were nice, but they stayed in the room for the duration of the exam. I guess I should be proud they felt the need to send two in to take care of me if I got jiggy. I'll take that as a win.
Two doctors also came in. One was the head eye dude and the other was the retinal specialist. They went all through my eye with lights and scopes and kept yelling out things like "PVD is 4! I is 3.. . no, make it 3.5." They called out alphabet soup to each other for about 15 minutes.
Finally the retinal specialist had a look and said something recognizeable, "Dang! That thing's huge!"
No tears, no bleeding, no muss, no fuss, no belts, no pins. Best thing; no needles and no need for the two burly guys in the back. I also didn't have any problems with the vertigo and nausea that has gotten me some previous visits to eye doctors. That side of things went optimally.
I'm due back in a month and the prognosis is that eventually the booger will break up or gravitate down to the bottom of the eye and get out of the way.
Attack of the Giant Eye Booger would have made a great 50s sci-fi film, dontcha think?
Glad it isn't something serious - as irritating and distracting as it may be. Get plenty of rest, take two aspirin, and drink plenty of fluids. Remember that according to my chemistry teacher, alcohol IS a solution.
Also don't take any advice from the board's last-in-class quack.
Attack of the Giant Eye Booger would have made a great 50s sci-fi film, dontcha think?
Glad it isn't something serious - as irritating and distracting as it may be. Get plenty of rest, take two aspirin, and drink plenty of fluids. Remember that according to my chemistry teacher, alcohol IS a solution.
Also don't take any advice from the board's last-in-class quack.
Glad to hear you dodged a bullet. PVD is normal to get as one ages.
Conversly another Fire guy pmed me last Fri or Sat with more disturbing symptoms. I advised he get in but couldnt until Monday. I advised him to take it very easy and have a lot of tv time reclined on his back.
He went in and had a retinal tear that the dr treated with laser that day.
First day of deer season I woke up at camp with a dark blur in my right eye. 50% blocked. Couldn't see out of the scope well so I had to head home. Eye Dr called it a Vitreous Detachment. The blur was clotted blood. No surgery needed yet. Dr stated it will clear on its own in 1 to 2 months. At about a month now its clearing.
One thing this thread should be telling all of us old timers, is if something happens with our eyes, don't mess around. Get in to see the Dr.
Several months ago I didn't pay enough attention to my Diabetes. My A1c was 9. Went to see the dr. for my annual diabetic retinopothy check, and the gal said, well it doesn't happen all that often but 2-3 times a year we have someone come in here that has gone blind because of that. Once it happens you never get it back. Scared the crap out of me. Four months later I'm down to 7.5 and headed the right direction. It's nothing to mess with. I've had 3 retinal detachments. They are no fun. Had I ignored them I might be blind regardless.
I had to put scopes on all my rifles after I got what the Doc called a floater. I only saw it when looking thru an aperture. Went back to him every year for a checkup. Floater stayed the same.
I finally started having trouble with bright lights at night. He said : “It’s probably the cataracts.” First time he ever mentioned them. I got the right eye fixed and the “ floater” went away. It was the edge of the cataract all along, I’m sure. I got the left eye fixed later.
He won’t prescribe any glasses for me. He said I wouldn’t wear them. Just keep on using the dime store readers.
First day of deer season I woke up at camp with a dark blur in my right eye. 50% blocked. Couldn't see out of the scope well so I had to head home. Eye Dr called it a Vitreous Detachment. The blur was clotted blood. No surgery needed yet. Dr stated it will clear on its own in 1 to 2 months. At about a month now its clearing.
You had VD!!! I had it too. Mine looked like black snow. At first I thought it was a swarm of gnats, I was swatting at them and I thought my wife was going have me committed. It cleared up after a week or so and occasionally the floaters just seem like looking through a dirty window but it passes..
