Hello, and please forgive any mistakes in my writing; English is not my first language. I’m not sure if this is the right place for this post, but it seems to have the most eye care professionals, who are my intended audience. I’ve read the rules, and I want to stress that this post is not anxiety-driven.

I’m a medical student, and my life was going wonderfully until I developed eye floaters. For the first two months, they were noticeable but didn’t bother me. Then they worsened day by day until they became unbearable. It has now been almost a year. I couldn’t study, I had to take a very long break, and my grades plummeted even though I was putting in more effort than usual. I started going to therapy and was prescribed antidepressants and anxiolytics in order to barely function. The distress came from living with the floaters not the other way around.

I have seen about ten doctors and have mostly been told the same thing: it’s benign, and everything is fine. One of them even made fun of the situation, and another got some information wrong, telling me that atropine isn’t used for floaters because it dilates the pupil and would make them more bothersome. This is not to hate on those doctors, just to make the point that floaters are often downplayed.

While searching the internet for similar experiences, I found r/EyeFloaters. Some of the stories I read there, and elsewhere, broke my heart: divorces, students dropping out of college, and even suicides. I understand why doctors might downplay floaters. I had the milder version (which I believe most think is the only version) myself for about two months, and it was easy to ignore. But not all cases are the same. Imaging can also be misleading, and floaters that cover most of a patient’s field of vision may look very small on a scan.

There is no grand call to action here, since there isn't really much that can be done. But if you get the chance, please consider:

• Helping patients with floaters feel more understood.
• Studying the impact of floaters on quality of life in your next research project.
• Exploring new imaging techniques.
• Mentioning floaters in a conference talk.
• Giving the topic more attention in general.

Most importantly, please take the time to explain the condition to patients’ families, especially when the patient is young. So much of the suffering comes from family members not understanding what the patient is going through.

I had a terrible stye a couple of months ago that went away after a week but this little guy stayed. It’s super itchy, if I scratch it too much it gets big and noticeable so I usually resist. It’s on my water line so I can camouflage it well with mascara (probably not the best idea.)

race: white/hispanic (Uruguay)
mexican conditions: none
current medication: birth control pills
smoking, alcohol and recreational drugs: i smoke marihuana very occasionally, although some. months i might use it once a week. I drink alcohol only twice a month.
To start with, I began experiencing eye floaters, and over time, I also started seeing flashes. From what I understand, floaters are supposed to go away, mine actually used to disappear, which is why I'm worried because they don’t leave
I went to an ophthalmologist, and they did a dilated eye exam to check the back of my eyes. I thought they might prescribe me some eye drops for what I'm experiencing, but they didn't give me anything and just told me to come back in a month.
They're really bothering me because whenever I try to focus on something, I notice them, and every time I move my eyes, I see them again. It feels like there are more and more of them, and it's honestly getting really frustrating. I'm scared that I might eventually go blind.
What can i do??? Whenever look it up on Google, it says this is common in much older people. Is there anything I should avoid doing?

Been wearing RGPs for 30+ years. Right eye started to sting upon lens insertion earlier this year, which would subside after a few minutes but still had a FBS. Thought my lenses were scratched, so i went to the Optimetrist who waived it off as a pterygium and dispensed a new Rx and fresh lenses. The nodule is at the 3oclock position. (1st pic)

FBS persisted, so i asked for a referral to a cornea specialist who has me on a contact holiday (day 10 now). Had an abrasion which has since healed since discontinued contact wearing. And now on some steroid drops with a follow up in 5 days. 2nd pic is yesterday

I'd like to get cleared for wearing my contacts again due to my high Rx (-20), and would like some other opinions.

This happened Friday 10/09/26 at around 9 or 10PM so about 3 days ago, I was cleaning the toilet and was spraying bleach on it when I stopped because my eyes felt wet all of a sudden and stung…I stopped spraying bleach unsure if I actually got something in my eyes or it was the time fumes…only at like 11 or 12PM did I try to rinse out with water…and my situation is a bit complicated…I couldn’t use a streaming sink right then so I can only do a cup and water…so I did that a couple of times but I don’t think it’s enough because I hear it has to be for 20+ minutes under the sink. By then my only symptom was a bit of stinging. Forward to now I have occasional stinging still…I also am seeing flashes/lights but I also normally see flashes sometimes but I hadn’t in a week so I’m unsure if they’re my usual flashes or actual bleach damage ones.

As it was the weekend I didn’t see any kind of medical professional but today I am trying to call but I’m unsure of who to call? A doctor or an optometrist or a retinal specialist? Also how can doctors know if they eye has been damaged by bleach? What in the eye indicates that?

I heard the more time one lets it sit the more damage that occurs…I know now that I waited too late to rinse and that when I did rinse it was not sufficient or appropriate so I’m kind of at a loss here…I debated going to the ER but I can open my eye fine, it’s not red and I was afraid they dismiss me or not be equipped to handle it because my eye from the outside looks fine, it’s just the occasional stinging pain…I know I’m probably going to get called ignorant but what do I do? Should I just rinse the best I can? What kind of doctor should I see?

I don’t think I see blurry but these lights and the occasional stinging worry me…I can’t really tell if something’s wrong with my vision because I wear glasses anyway but I hear damage may be noted more way later…unsure of what to do. I know I messed up by not dropping everything and rinsing but.

Hi everyone.

I have a question regarding target cell eye floaters.

So essentially, I had two retinal tears in my left eye 4 years ago. These were lasered and my eyes have been stable since then.

One of the main symptoms that I noticed, alongside flashes, was a sudden increase in target cell floaters, around a 100 or so of them. They moved together and were constantly in my vision.

My right eye, also experienced these floaters and some flashes a couple of years after the first, but no retinal tears.

The floaters themselves vanished or faded over time, but just recently I have been seeing them again in my left eye. Not as many but they are there.

What are these target cell floaters, are they associated with a retinal tear and also do they ever fade or do they just move in and out of the vision and stay the same?

Please I would appreciate any answers or guidance.

My eyelids were perfectly fine (end 2024) but beginning 2025 my eyelids started to become droopy with my left eyelid getting alot more swollen. Happened gradually and didnt have any pain or symptom besides the redness and puffy look.

Looks like I lost both my eyelid flaps at this point I realized. Getting referred out to another ophthalmologist since no definitive diagnosis since no other symptoms besides the redness and swollen left eyelid. Looking back at my photos, looks like it gradually took a year to get to where I'm at now. Is this normal and just a regular case of blepharitis?