I'm 38 years old and have experienced floaters since age 15. I always mention it when I have my annual eye exams and am always told that my eyes are fine and that I just have to deal with it. For over 20 years, that's what I've done. However, over the past several months, I've experienced a rapid worsening of my floaters (bigger, darker, more widespread) to the point where it quickly became far more than I could simply ignore. My optometrist ruled out retinal detachment and then sent me on my way. After another few weeks of hoping that it would improve, it's instead become even worse, almost unbearable. I've been unable to focus at work where staring at the computer screen increases my awareness of floaters significantly. When in the sun or even indoors with the lights on, my vision is like a snowglobe of floaters with blotches, squiggly lines, cobwebs, etc. Some larger floaters pass directly over the center of my field of vision causing very distracting blurring. It's created so much anxiety that I do everything I can to avoid any situation that increases my awareness of the symptoms from keeping my lights off, window curtains closed, and just staring at the ground when walking around in brightly lit environments. I fear this anxiety will eventually become worse and eventually lead to depression.
I read through this entire thread and became hopeful after learning of a well-respected retinal specialist in my area, Dr. Pollack in Hinsdale, IL. I just had my appointment with him today and was very nervous going in because I felt he may be my last hope. After a thorough examination, he explained to me again that there's no retinal detachment or PVD and that he can only see very little of what appears to be floaters. I felt I had just lost the last hope that I had that when he told me, what I feared he would, that it's best to just leave it alone and try to get used to it or hope that it gets better on it's own. I appreciated his honest opinion and understand there's only so much he or anyone else can ethically recommend. He acknowledged that just because he can't see something in someone's eyes doesn't always correlate to what the patient is experiencing. Having managed the symptoms of floaters for most of my life, I can say for certain that what I'm experiencing seems to be far worse than what shows up in an examination. I've researched the available treatment options, mainly YAG Laser which is questionably effective and risky, and vitrectomy which carries its own significant risks. I'm not desperate to try a risky surgical procedure, and he warned me that while I could likely find a surgeon that would agree to do it, I should avoid going that route. However, it has left me once again being told that my eyes are healthy and that the best and possibly only way to deal with these symptoms which are now increasingly negatively affecting my quality of life, is to simply try to ignore them, which has now become impossible.
I've read about a new technique using light-induced vapor nano-bubbles possibly becoming a safe and effective treatment, but that it will possibly be up to 10 years, if ever, before that becomes available. I've also read that low-dose atropine drops can help dilate the eyes just enough to reduce the perception of floaters without causing light sensitivity. I asked the doctor about that but he said he was not experienced with that option.
I hope that awareness spreads of this condition and its potentially debilitating symptoms and that some day soon we have a better option to treat it.