Introduction to vitreous detachment

Thanks for the overall description. I've had a couple episodes of the above in the past year, but not enough to concern the optometrist as being a problem (already gone before the appointments). This helps give a better explanation.

Transient 'pepper flake' floaters in my central vision were a greater concern to her, but also disappeared quickly. But a few other progressive age-related issues have me on a short recall.

 

Did you see an optometrist or ophthalmologist?

I'd recommend going to an ophthalmologist, who is a medical doctor.

I go to an optometrist, but have been referred to an ophthalmologist to monitor my optic nerve, which is thinning out, as well as having borderline high intraoccular pressure (glaucoma).

 

I also get that lightening thing, I think: jaggy rainbow flickers. Very infrequently, lasting maybe 1/2 hour. My optometrist said something about it.

 

That sounds different, more like a scintillating scotoma, a type of migraine. That is in the brain, not the eyes. My first one gave me fears of a stroke, but it isn't. At least it is a painless form of migraine headache, though I can't safely drive during an episode.

Scintillating scotoma - Wikipedia

 

i thought you were removing the white bits from your prime's interior. glad you're (mostly) okay.

 

I had vitreous detachment a while back as it impacts myopic people faster than everyone else. Everyone gets it as they age.

My myopic vision is medical not philosophic. Philosophically I am far sighted. Also for me it may have been related to a fall whereas physical trauma can knock the vitreous loose.( I fainted once in my life which is a hazardous natural body reflex).

Vitreous detachment is "catastrophic" which simply means rapid and irreversible when it happens, snaps off like a rubber band. At that point (you will see white flashes as the vitreous pulls off at the retina) it is important to see a retina specialist who will use a laser to tack weld any rips in the retina. I had one little spot tack welded.

Also that's when you get big floaters, which is stray tissue that was held in place by the vitreous. Now it is free to roam. Mine are the size of Texas, I think one eye dictor said, of course I knew that. Maybe I made it up, I forget.

 

Bob, I hope you're feeling better today.

I had something similar happen several years ago, which the ophthalmologist said may have been a partial retinal detachment. I remember driving at night and seeing what looked like halos around any lights. At first I thought it was something in my Prius windshield. Also numerous flashes of lightning. The symptoms passed without further incident.

I've had floaters nearly my entire life. I started noticing them in my twenties, now in my fifties they cover my entire field of vision. Most of the time I don't notice them, and the human brain learns to tune them out. However outdoors without sunglasses, or in a brightly lit room with light colored walls they suddenly return to my awareness. It can be very distracting. They will never completely go away.

On a similar note, in my late forties I found I could no longer focus on things close, such as printed words or a computer screen, This is presbyopia, and no one escapes it. Reading glasses are the answer for most. Being stubborn and not willing to wear reading glasses particularly at work, I found contact lenses for presbyopia, also known as multifocal contacts. My eye doctor suggested I wear only in one eye, my dominant eye. In my case this is my right eye. Viola! I can read again, I can drive without any blurring. And, everything inside my Prius - the dashboard - center display, etc is crystal clear.

 

Darn it! Something else I've got to look forward to. Must have escaped it thus far but I have had astigmatism in both eyes for more than 40 years. Like bisco, I'm glad you're ok now Bob..

 

My left retina detached when I was 11 or so. Fun times, and I still have a scleral buckle attached.
Cataracts 20 years early were fun too. Those actually helped quite a lot, as the lens replacements from cataract surgery had the (planned) side effect of negating my 15 diopters of myopia. No more coke bottle lenses for me.

 

15 diopters @11. Holy moley!

 

There is a product called Can-C that is claimed to normalize cataracts. One place that sells it is World’s first and original anti-cataract eye-drop treatment The active ingredient is N-acetylcarnosine or NAC (not carnitine). There was an American vendor who described the anti-cataract action of NAC, and they were promptly stopped by the FDA. There are currently several other vendors who sell similar eye drops, minus the cataract claim, but the same NAC content.

The website is a high end, offshore pharmacy in Sark. I've been happy with my dealings with them, although their prices are on the high side. I think Can-C can be shipped everywhere.

 

Snake oil works just as well, allegedly.

 

Oh ye have little faith...

Actually, there is significant science behind the use of NAC for eye health. Start out by following the documentation available at the IAS website referenced. Mr. Google can add quite a bit more. I think the original research was based in Russia, so it may be difficult to access from this side of the language curtain.

It has been a while since I looked into NAC, but I'm currently checking out carnosine as a supplement. Very impressive how it blocks glycation, exactly the problem with cataracts. So it makes sense to me that the NAC form in eye drops would improve eye health.

...

Now, about that snake oil. Snake meat is very low fat, and the oil is high in omega 3s. If those old time salesmen had sold genuine oil from snakes, it would do the same as current omega 3 products. Like reducing inflammation. So if you're going to complain about snake oil, the problem is with fake snake oil, not the real stuff.

 

Indeed. At 11, it was probably around 10-12D, but the next few decades certainly did not improve things. Post-cataract surgery? +0.5D in one eye, 0 in the other, and only about half the astigmatism. Now my glasses only have to correct that tiny bit, 1-1.5 D of astigmatism, 2D prism ('cause I'm apparently a bit crosseyed) and +2 add for reading. Sounds like a lot, but I can now legally drive without them! Not that I do... It's still more comfortable to use them.

 

I've read this worked back in the day; how effective was it in the 21st century?

 

You're lookin good JSCoot without glasses. Well, near sightedness has its benefits. I can see like a microscope up close without glasses, so I'd be afraid to be normal and give that up.