Termyn8or
Posts: 18681
Joined: 11/12/2005 Status: offline
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If it's a cataract it is something else. If it is clearly defined and inside the eye it is close to the retina. Some floaters are actually pieces of the retina that have detached. In those cases they might have an ever so small fiber still connecting them to the retina which will limit where they can float, possibly in an inconvenient position. The vitreous is gel like, semiliquid like jelly. Things do move but not easily. When they stay put they get annoying. When you age, your vitreous increases in viscosity, that is it becomes thicker, like grease instead of oil. The floaters stabilise in a certain position and move VERY slowly out of that position in your field of vision. And the closer to the retina the worse the effect. However, if a floater were to actually land on the retina and stick, your brain will compensate just as it does for the innate blind spot we all have. When it moves around, that is the problem. They never go away on their own, but if they get stuck in the middle somewhere away from the retina they are practically unnoticable, because they are not at the focal point. Think of a movie projector, put your hand near the screen, which is a focal point, and you get a nice clear, well defined shadow. But do it halfway betweent the projector and screen it would be hard to even notice. All the coherent beams of light are pretty much there and your hand is totally out of focus. Just a soft blur. The film is at the other end of the focal length, and you are not likely to get your hand in there. But your eyes move all the time and as long as that jelly has not yet solidified, the floaters will move where they are propelled. That is mainly by eye movements. You would think that centripetal force would throw the floaters to the edges, but it simply doesn't work that way. For like twenty grand an eye, you can take the risk. You might not lose completely and be blind, but after some retinal hemorrage you might be worse off than when you started. And remember, doctors practice, so they get paid even if the procedure fails. Taking all that into account, even with my quite bad floater situation, I choose not to take the risk. At my age, fuckit. T^T
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