Getting Rid of Eye Floaters

Eye floaters are very annoying for those who have them and, judging from the number of daily Internet searches for the keyword phrase "getting rid of eye floaters," a lot of people are bothered by them.

A few months ago, I developed some vision loss in my right eye. I now wonder if my vision loss was not due to floaters. Eye floaters can be evidence of a retinal tear or detached retina and must be evaluated by an ophthalmologist.

When I went to the ophthalmologist, he told me that my eye was very healthy and that the problem might be nerve damage. I told him several times that I had eye floaters, but he had no comment. He told me that he could not correct my vision completely and that if my vision continues to deteriorate, he will order some scans of my head. (Though all evidence indicates otherwise, I wonder if my brain is too big and pressing on my optical nerve? Ha!)

My ophthalmologist did write a new eyeglass prescription for me, with a prism added. That has helped with headaches that I was having. However, the floaters and the vision problem continued, with the floaters being a bigger frustration than the vision loss.

Traditional Health Care Options for Getting Rid of Eye Floaters

Traditional health care websites suggest only three possible options for getting rid of eye floaters:

1. Surgery (vitrectomy) is a possibility. Although "floaters only vitrectomy" (FOV) is an easier surgery than other vitrectomies, I believe that surgery is still reserved for special cases. Surgery for getting rid of floaters has some risks. Furthermore, the medical community seems to view floaters as a benign nuisance.

2. Laser vitreolysis can be considered for getting rid of floaters by vaporizing them. It is less invasive than vitrectomy, but it is only effective for floaters that can be seen and targeted. It is still not widely practiced.

3. The most common information I found was that the floaters are nothing to worry about and that the person should learn to live with them.

Other Information on the Internet for Getting Rid of Eye Floaters

I couldn't find any research studies, traditional or otherwise, that had evaluated anything but surgery for getting rid of eye floaters.

What I did find is that there are a lot of people who are not willing to "just cope." A lot of people are desperately looking for ways of getting rid of eye floaters. Websites are popping up to help people to deal with their issues concerning coping and getting rid of eye floaters. Links to some of the sites are listed at the end of this article.

I spent some time reading through the remedies people had tried, but I did not come away with much encouragement. People have tried a lot of remedies for getting rid of eye floaters but I did not find any success stories until I found a website about connective tissue disorders by Sandy Simmons.

Sandy Simmons described a few things that had worked successfully for her. She was not trying to sell anything, and the recommendations fit with me. Sandy said that stretching out the muscles in her neck helped with her floaters. She has a curvature of the spine, and I have that too in my neck. That advice is certainly benign and could not hurt to try. She also said that adding more magnesium to her diet had helped her to decrease the number of floaters she could see. Anytime that my blood levels of minerals have been checked, my magnesium has always been a little low. I have had some of the known symptoms of low magnesium, so more magnesium seemed like a good plan for me. Sandy also had some other recommendations, such as trigger point massage and yoga, that sound harmless.

What Helped Me the Most in Dealing with and Getting Rid of Eye Floaters

I decided to try increasing the magnesium in my diet and working on stretching out the muscles of my neck as recommended by Sandy Simmons. I have not yet tried the other recommendations. There is no question that I now see fewer floaters, even though I have been following her suggestions for getting rid of eye floaters for only a few days. The few eye floaters I still have are not so black and are much less noticeable.

Even before I found Sandy Simmons' site, I made another important discovery. Eye floaters cause me the most distress when I do anything requiring me to look directly at a light source-specifically, when driving, when working on the computer, and when watching television. I knew the light was a problem and I decided to try clip-on sunshades. What an incredible immediate relief! Now, when working hour after hour at the computer, I am not struggling to see past those floaters. My eyes are much less fatigued. The few eye floaters that are still there seem to disappear into the darker visual field that the shades create. When I am wearing the shades, the eye floaters bother me so little that I forget about them. I have not been able to do that in several months!

What Did Not Work for Me to Get Rid of Eye Floaters

I tried a couple of other things for getting rid of the floaters that did not seem to help, including chiropractic adjustments and eye exercises.

*NOTE: I do not know Sandy Simmons personally and have never communicated with her. I have not, nor will I ever, receive any benefit of any kind for directing you to her website.

DISCLAIMER: None of the above information is based on research or proven facts. However, since there is so little information for getting rid of eye floaters, I wanted to pass along my experience in case these recommendations might be helpful to someone else.

This article is provided for information only. The information about getting rid of eye floaters is purely anecdotal. Eye floaters must be properly diagnosed and can indicate a serious underlying problem. This information is not a substitute for professional medical care by a qualified doctor or other health care professional. I am not responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any form of damages whatsoever resulting from the use (or misuse) of information contained in or implied by the information. Never substitute anything you read anywhere on the Internet for the advice of a qualified doctor!

Additional reading:

No author given. "Magnesium." Office of Dietary Supplements, National Institutes of Health.Supplements

David W. Boles. "Floaters and Flashers." Urban Semiotic

Forum with multiple authors. "Floater Research Project - Please Help Us and You." Floater Talk.

Sources:

Sandy Simmons. "Eye Floaters. Overlooked Causes and a Possible Treatment." Connective Tissue Disorder Site.