http://www.agingeye.net/visionbasics/flashesandfloaters.php
I find bleach and saline eye wash deals with them if they annoy you too much
Not a good idea. The floaters are caused by things literally floating inside of your eye. Eyewash will have absolutely no effect and bleach may well burn your corneas.
Hey.
Cool.
I have floaters, too.
Always wondered about them. Thought they were something on the surface of my eye, never thought they might be inside the eye itself.
I've had them for years. They look like little blurry strings.
Near-sighted, by the way.
It could be that he can see the red blood cells moving through capillaries in the retina.
This is a known visual "effect" - jet fighter pilots know about it, for instance.
I've observed this too, I get it when I stand up suddenly after sitting still for a while, or sometimes after a bit of exertion (I don't actually lead an entirely sedentary existence, well, not yet anyway).
Often coloured yellow or other colours, but also white. They look like "flashes" of colour moving in predetermined paths - which are of course the capillary vessels. It's more like I can see movement, rather than what is actually moving, so I guess it's related to a local pressure fluctuation or something - these things are right next to retinal neurons.
Seeing individual molecules or electrons is a bit optimistic, with just the lone or naked eyeball though. I'd say you would need some kind of equipment.
Some of what you're describing is called "entopic phenomina". When you suddenly move your head, the jelly that fills the inside of your eye (vitreous) tugs on your retina. Your retina, like your brain, can not feel pain. It interprets all stimuli as light. So the flashes of lite are simply your retina registering the presure it feels as a result of vitreous sloshing around inside of your eye.
Although a few passing floaters now and then don't concern me (dead cells have to go somewhere) if I ever experience an unusual increase in vitreous debris, I will head straight for my eye doctor to find out what's going on.
Hype has hit on the most important point here. Any sudden change in floaters should be evaluated within 24 hours by an eye doctor (Optometrist or Ophthalmologist). It could be caused by bleeding within your eye which could lead to blindness within as little as a day or two without treatment.
Most floaters are harmless and are caused by changes in the vitreous as we age. Here is the normal anatomy of the eye:
The giant empty space is filled with a jello like substance called the vitreous humor. When we're young, it's like fresh jello. Crystal clear and solid so that it puts no pressure on the retina when the eye moves. As we age, it becomes like old jello that's been in the fridge too long. The solids and liquids begin to seperate and the solid portion begins to contract, pulling away from the retina. As this process begins, the patient will see little clumps and lines of solid vitreous matter. That's what most of you are noticing.
Once in a while, as the vitreous pulls away from the retina, it pulls a piece of retina off with it. This is a retinal tear. Once you have a tear, fluid can get in thru that and your retina will literally peel off the back of your eye like old wall paper:
As the retina peels off, you are going blind. If it detaches completely, you will be stone blind in the eye. During the process, you will first note new floaters, and maybe flashes of light. Next you'll note a "shadow" growing over your vision as the retina detaches and you gradually go blind (perhaps in as little as a day or so).
So any of you noticing these things for the first time or noticing a sudden worsening of the symptoms, please see your eye doctor ASAP.
