Dear LPG,

Last year I wrote to LPG about the floaters that often become a part of everyday life as we look out onto the world (►►►), and I mentioned the many other signs of ill health that we can be warned of when we go for an eye test, but something happened to me that might be worth mentioning.

Like many, I have always had those little shadows floating around in my line of sight but, one day last week, I became aware of a particularly big new one that manages to move around and settle right in front of whatever I am focussing on.  The difference with this one is that it is very curved, unlike all those little spots and small dashes that I have become so used to that I often look right past them and forget that they are there most of the time.  I got brave and, despite my fears about going anywhere in the coved affected world that we live in these days, I booked an appointment to see my optician for a long-overdue eye test where I was told that they often happen when bits of your eye’s fluid get detached from the wall of your eyeball.    

The little ones are annoying although not a threat, but I was warned that if you find yourself with a round shaped one which is a little larger than you are used to, it is time to get it checked as quickly as possible.   Other warning signs are if your vision becomes tunnelled or if you experience flashes in your sight.  Apparently, these are very different to the very gradual clouding in one’s vision that often are the warning of cataracts.

The optician told me that in my case I just need to keep watching for floating changes and emphasised that the round floaters are the ones to watch and tell an optician about as soon as you notice changes in them because, as with many other fixable illnesses, early detection makes for more successful treatment.

ES, Camberwell.

ES shares what he found out on this subject but warned some of the videos might make your eyes water…

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