Floaters

[VisualDude]

Some with HPPD report getting floaters or an increase of floaters upon the onset of the disorder.

Floaters are defined as: "Deposits of various size, shape, consistency, refractive index, and motility within the eye's vitreous humour, which is normally transparent."

At first glance it seems a little unusual for this to be part of HPPD symptomology.

Is the increase of floaters,

A - More and/or larger floaters? [ actual changes in the vitreous humour ]

B - More noticeable because of visual hyper-sensitivity due as response to malfunctioning vision?

C - More visible due to breakdown of visual filtering which formerly ‘removed’ the sight of them?

Any thoughts?

[Br0k3nS41nt]

I actually wondered a lot about this myself, for me floaters have not been too much of a problem. They happen ever so often, usually while I am in a car, or while I am running. I never had them to the point where I worry about them. I believe for us it is a combination of b and c. I also think that could be said for every single one of our symptoms. A mixture of anxiety and whatever biologically causes HPPD.

[ColForbin]

yeah I think its b and c if I had to guess. They've gotten much better for me over time. Although that said, a blue sky or snowy ground always makes them more nitceable.

[1998]

Nothing like a good pair of sunglasses for after images and floaters.

[lrisner59@yahoo.com]

I've had these floaters for 30 years and hate it! Is the worst symptoms I have now so can definitely live with it.

[Guest Garret]

Hi

I dabbled with crap hash and weed for a few months. I also took a few hits from a legal high(Spice Diamond). After a bad panic attack from the later, I woke up the following day convinced I had done some damage to my vision. From then on I had a lot of anxiety and worry about my vision and the way I was feeling. I stopped using everything from then on. About 2 months later all these floaters come up into my vision(black spots and cob-web type ones) and have stayed ever since. I must admit I could not help scanning my vision field consciously; and because of the bad experience my body must been scanning sub-consciously). It's as if I had a negative filter turned on and begin to notice everything in my field of vision. The horrible anxiety has gone away. I still have mild depression because of the eye floaters, they are prominent and my brain does not seem ready to cancel them out. I was told that I don't have HPPD?

Drug induced anxiety maybe?

These are my only visual symptoms.

Can you give me any advice from the information I have given you above.

Will the floaters dissipate over time? It's been almost 2 years now.

Thanks.

Garret

[mark]

I was told that I don't have HPPD?

Drug induced anxiety maybe?

These are my only visual symptoms.

Floaters could erupt from anxiety, stressful time in life, aging and even for no obvious reason. if it is your only symptom most probably it wouldn't be considered to be hppd, but that shouldn't matter for you. i also have those floaters, i started noticing them months after every other possible hppd sympton was already in sight and i would say they didn't change since they just came up one day. now it is by far the most irritating and noticeable symptom.

some people all around the web (other hppd forums and drugs-forum.com) just do not concider floaters as an hppd sympton because it's a natural phenomenon that apears in many occasions with no relevance to drug use. this is true, but then again its also true for 'visual snow' and afterimages.

if you would ask me, it does have a clear connection to hppd since my own experience and many others in this forum report an increase of floaters. with that said, i can also recall seeing floters since very young age upon bright skies, but not a near intensity as they apear today.

Can you give me any advice from the information I have given you above.

Will the floaters dissipate over time? It's been almost 2 years now.

Seeing an ophthalmologist is probably the best advice, but you should know theres very little you could do about it exept giving it time, they probably subside if you are distracted and not concentrating on them too often, otherwise you will get use to them, anyway you will be fine!

I could share with you another two experiences of two folks i was discussing with on that matter:

one of them haven't done any drugs and he had floaters since seven years ago (29y old today) and the other did done all kind of drugs and he has floaters for about the same time. the second one claims he doesn't think the floaters have anything to do with drugs, but they both report that they aren't noticable anymore, they need to look for them in illuminated rooms to see them.

[Alfa_spring]

what can we do to avoid floaters? 30 years!! oh fuck thats too much time... i just have been on this 4 3 months some help here!

[2muchmandy]

dude relax man. u need to chill out. floaters are 100% totally natural. i had them before hppd. theyr alot more frequent and noticeable now. but so what, they dont effect our lives.