h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Bruce is allergic to cats, and they increase if he's around them.

You'll know if you have tunnel vision, trust me, a friend has it, she can only see what's dead in front of her

Debris/sticky mucous etc in the tear film (eg allergic reaction)can cause a similar optical effect to floaters.
Any sudden increase in floaters should be investigated, but otherwise usually harmless. I've got a particular one, an 'old friend' that drifts around. Fun to play with against a white background when there's nothing better to do .
Doing my health professional bit, have a regular eye examination (at least every 2 years) as a safeguard.
Unfortunately some conditions creep up slowly, you may not notice the onset of tunnel vision or other field loss (especially if it is confined to one eye)until it is relatively severe eg you bump into things.

One tht hasn't been mentioned, I guess cos it is not very comon, is that it *might* be minor scaring of the cornea. I had this and was due to some sorta weird genetic weakness that caused the cornea to be rugbyball shaped and not foorball shaped (no, NOT astigmatism) can't remember the name for it, but basically they treat with contact lenses first and then if that don;t work you get a cornea transplant. However, your optician will know if it is this or not, and I believe it to one of those exclusivluy male occular things.

so it probably isn;t that, but you should get it checked just in case.

Keratoconus?

Yay!

That sounds about right! I keep asking my optician and then forgetting, mainly cos he insists on opening his big book of eye problems and I end up feeling quesy and distracted by all the disgusting things that can go wrong with your eyes and forget it!

Unfortunately for me, the surgeon who did the op put the cornea on slightly off centre, hence I have almost perfect peripheral vision, except where the join is, but totally screwed up normal vision (focus at 6inch in the vertical and 3 foot in the horizontal plane!).

Apparently I can have it done again, but.....

off to find out exactly what Keratoconus is....

"picker-up of unconsidered trifles"

Sorry to be pedantic but "A snapper-up....." was what the bard wrote!

"A Winters Tale" (I think!)

I read it on a Waterstones book-mark!

It was "A winter's Tale"! Act iv Scene 2 to be a right royal smart a**e!

I just googled it!

Could I be so bold as to refer you to:

Alwitry A, Chen H, Wigfall S.
Optometrists' examination and referral practices for patients presenting with flashes and floaters.
Ophthalmic Physiol Opt. 2002 May;22(3):183-8.

I haven't read it, on account of my being very lazy, but if anyone does, let me know.

On a more mundane and level floaters are an early indication of retinal detachment, which is very serious. I have had 'normal' floaters for as long as I can remember but they are usually fairly large. One morning I was annoyed to see that the UK seemed to have been invaded by fruit fies. Little black things that zipped around at amazing speed. These too are called floaters but is a sign that the back of the eye is beginning to tear and peel away. The next morning when I woke up I was rather shocked to discover that half of my field of vision in one eye was a complete black shadow, a sign that the retina was now actually detaching from the eye. When you get to this state you need major surgery and it's not always successful. If however you can get to an eye unit with the earlier stage it is possible to attempt to repair the damage by 'freezing' the eye, this is simpler and less damaging to the eye. So, if you get the 'fruit flies', especially if accompanied by flashing lights, seek help immediately.
Thus endeth the lesson

Before everyone starts panicking, I've had these things since I've been a kid. They've got no worse, but sometimes they are more noticeable than at other times. They are simply bits of crud in the vitreous humour. In most cases they won't get any worse. In particularly bad cases, you can correct them with spectacles.

Obviously, if one starts to see the extreme symptoms that some of us have seen then it's time for a visit to the ophthalmologist.

FM

Sorry but I've never known them correctable with specs!