Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Eyes are in need of care

I have been seeing spot-like, thread-like shapes in my field of vision. Actually, they have probably been around for more than a month. It was just that I thought they would soon go away with time, and so I did not take much care into the matter.

However, lately, these shapes appear more prominent. They appeared more visible especially when I am facing the computer screen or looking at bright blank spaces. Of late, these have been bothering me because I have no clue what had caused them.

I saw a doctor today. He diagnosed those shadow-like shapes to be floaters. I was told that people with near-sightedness have greater chances to experience floaters.

He checked both my eyes and things appeared normal. However, he shared that the equipment in his clinic is able to see part of the retina only, and to be very certain to exclude retina detachment, he referred me to see an eye specialist. He said that only 1 out of 10 patients experiencing floaters would have the cause attributed to retina detachment. Yet, a thorough check is recommended so that if it was due to retina detachment, early treatment could be given before sight is significantly affected. Furthermore, early treatment of retina detachment tends to be more effective.

Hopefully things would be alright. My appointment date has been set on the end of the week.

10 comments:

Jammie J. said...

My mom has had floaters... I remember her telling me about it and me thinking how irritating that would be. How have you put up with that?

I don't remember if she said they went away or if she has trained herself to not see them anymore...

Hopefully everything's okay. I think it will be.

mistipurple said...

floaters are common. i have them too. retina detachment is something else altogether. there may be 'lights' or certain forms of shapes, quite distinct with retina detachment symptoms. good you are seeing the specialist. but don't worry, most likely they're floaters.

Doreen said...

Don't worry, should be fine. Rick had that too but it went away after a couple of months.

eastcoastlife said...

I have floaters too. Don't worry about the consultation, it doesn't hurt. And I'm sure it is not retina detachment. :)

oceanskies79 said...

Jammie: Thank you for your assurance. The floaters have been irritating. I wish it would go away....I wonder how?

Misti: Thank you. I hope it is just floaters, and that the floaters would go away.

Doreen: Thanks for your comforting words. I keep my fingers crossed.

Eastcoastlife: It is a relief to hear that the consultation doesn't hurt....if it is not retina detachment, I wonder if I can just miss the appointment. :P

goldilocks said...

i have floaters too. no change in the number though.

eastcoastlife said...

You went to a GP first, right?

Your appointment's at National Eye Centre with a specialist? It costs a lot even if it's subsidised. And he would tell you it's just floaters. :)

Go, so you can have peace. Hear from a specialist.

Katong CC Open House, take a look at some of the programmes they organise. Meet me for Nonya kuehs.
:)

mistipurple said...

go for peace of mind.

my floaters never went away since young. some days you might notice them more, and others, less. might have to do with the lighting of the environment maybe.
don't worry. they are really quite common.

mistipurple said...

oh, about some eye checks.
the doc might drop in a drop or two of 'liquid' to make some parts of the eyes dilate.
not painful, just a bit blur. and maybe you get some taste at the back of the throat due to the drip.

the doc will preempt you on the proceedings. sometimes he might press the ear ball lightly and you get to lie down. most times you will sit on a chair with your head rested on a 'headrest' and the doc will check further.
don't worry.

pinkie said...

My ex-director had floaters... she told me tat there's just a slight discomfort. You'll be alright. Hugs.